The Dominion - downtown eastside

Downtown Eastside 13

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:05:30 +0000

A demolition site in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Recently, multiple district buildings of the district were destroyed and many others will soon face a similar fate. In a process of gentrification, defined as "revitalization" by the City of Vancouver, many local residents have been forced from their homes on to the street.

Downtown Eastside 12

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:03:53 +0000

A construction site in the heart of the Downtown Eastside. Formerly the location of Vancouver’s famed Woodwards building, squatted by housing rights activists in 2002. The development is a subject of intense municipal debate within Vancouver. Downtown Eastside residents argue for the current development to include a high percentage of social housing units. Developers are pushing for the majority of the development to become high income condominium dwellings. Local activists pin-point the former Woodwards building as the prime example of the City of Vancouver’s gentrification efforts which

Downtown Eastside 11

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 01:00:11 +0000

A current construction site in the Downtown Eastside, which will be the home of a future high-rent condominium complex. Lights shine from the wall of a recently condemned building, formerly a low income hotel run by the Hell's Angels in Vancouver.

Downtown Eastside 10

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:57:58 +0000

This abandoned building on East Hasting Street was recently reclaimed by homeless residents of the Downtown Eastside in a housing rights action organized by the Anti-Poverty Committee. Posters pasted on the façade of the building depict the local struggle for the homeless and housing rights.

Downtown Eastside 9

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:56:21 +0000

A resident of the Downtown Eastside, standing beside the Carnegie Community Center in the region. Homeless for many years, she spoke of the vital importance of local services to those living in the area. Solidarity between members of the neighborhood is extremely important for politically active residents.

Downtown Eastside 8

dru — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:53:23 +0000

View of East Hastings Street at night in late 2006. Recent estimates put the number of homeless in the neighborhood in the thousands.

Downtown Eastside 7

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:42:58 +0000

Roger Guerrier, a resident of the Downtown Eastside, outside of a low-rent hotel. Guerrier has lived on the streets since dropping out of high-school when he was 15 years old. Prior to having his photo taken, Guerrier spoke of intense police violence directed against homeless and poor residents of the Downtown Eastside.

Downtown Eastside 6

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:40:30 +0000

An ally glowing at night in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Needles line the pavement on back streets where many neighborhood residents spend their nights. According to Pivot Legal Society, there are approximately 5000 injection drug users living in the 10 city blocks that make up Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Downtown Eastside 5

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:38:04 +0000

3am on East Hastings Street.

Downtown Eastside 4

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:36:22 +0000

Bright blue mattresses rot in a Downtown Eastside ally.

Downtown Eastside 3

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:34:02 +0000

A snap-shot of East Hastings Street on New Year's Day, 2007. Many local residents sell random items--appliances, cigarettes, trinkets and clothes--to supplement their income.

Downtown Eastside 2

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:30:51 +0000

A Vancouver city bus rushing down East Hastings Street, where many cheap hotels and hostels continue to service the poverty-stricken neighborhood's population. In recent months, many of the districts cheap hotels have been demolished in a process of gentrification, making way for urban "revitalization" projects sponsored by the City of Vancouver.

Downtown Eastside 1

dru — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:27:28 +0000

The intersection of Main Street and East Hastings, the heart of the Downtown Eastside and the busiest corner of the district. It has been referred to as an "open-air market" for drugs. 24 hours a day, the intersection of Main and East Hastings is alive with residents of the Downtown Eastside.