Archive
Yaletown Crash and Dash ( into a Motor Scooter )
In this series of photos ( taken safely from across the street at Urban Fare), a truck parked in front of Roundhouse Community Centre backs up and crashes into a Motor Scooter. The driver gets out, props up the scooter and drives off with a few Yaletown witnesses looking on.
The Motor Scooter is propped upright again.
The owner of the Motor Scooter back from shopping is told by eyewitnessesthat a Truck crashed into it while driving backwards, and dashed off after setting it upright again.
The owner of the Motor Scooter walks around the Bike checking for damage
Rediscovery of White Lunch Restaurant on Hastings
In the next series of photos Lani Russwurm, local DTES historian, rediscovers and looks into the renovation of a former White Lunch restaurant located at 124 West hastings by Abbott in Vancouver DTES.
Please see Lani Russwurm’s photos and description of White Lunch also: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laniwurm/3387453625/
Background Information of White Lunch:
A number of White Lunch restaurants operated in the city. Other locations included 865 Granville, 737 West Pender, and 714 West Pender.
The White lunch name reflected a policy of serving and hiring only white people. The civic government of the 1930s reinforced racism in the culinary industry by passing a 1937 ordinance that prohibited white women from working in Chinatown. Whites believed they had a properly appointed place in the Darwinist order and needed to protect white women from “lascivious Orientals.” A delegation of 16 waitresses from 3 restaurants marched to City Hall on September 24, 1937 to protest the ordinance but the mayor refuse them a hearing. Restaurant proprietors had their licenses revoked if they failed to observe the civic ruling.
In 1939, white women were allowed to work in Chinese-owned restaurants that served only “English meals to English customers.” When Vancouver’s white society recognized China as an enemy and victim of the aggressor and an ally of democracy in WWII, racism against Chinese residents began to dissipate. Workers struck at all White Lunch locations on April 27, 1937, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. They won their strike when customers refused to cross the picket line.
Despite the victory, union employees continued to suffer harassment from management. In response to the intense victimization, the Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union placed the restaurant chain on its respected “unfair to labour” list. A high-turnover rate and fierce “union-busting” saw the workers fighting for a new contract within six months.
Photo from a White Lunch branch
and a beautifully toned Fred Herzog (the photo, not the man) from 1959 is here
Vancouver DTES’ Historical Pantages Theatre’s new posters!
While walking along Hastings Street , AHA MEDIA along with Lani Russwurm, Local DTES Historian noticed new posters at Pantages Theatre
http://vancouverhistory.ca/archives_pantages.htm
Greg Milne aka G-Rock, a Vancouver DTES “Outsider” Artist shows his work
Vodpod videos no longer available.
In this video, Greg Milne aka G-Rock, a local DTES resident and new “Outsider” artist presents his latest work.
He is a drummer and has been playing for 43 years! He has played with the band Rapid Fire in the 1980’s and waxes nostagically about his youth in the local Strip bars – the Marr and the Drake Hotel. He laughs on how two strippers took him to Hawaii for fun in the sun! 🙂
He recalls that 3 years ago that he couldn’t even draw stick men and now he enjoys creating art for the enjoyments of his friends! He quips that if “We only use 11% of our brains, then we have 89% left to discover ourselves 🙂
He’s been drawing for 3 years now and even his mother wonders where he got his talent from!
He proudly says that when he gives away his artwork to friends, they display it in their living rooms 🙂
Now at the young age of 50 years he says “It’s not the way you look past a first impression, it’s not having one that makes for a special person with a giving heart!”
AHA MEDIA is proud to meet G-Rock – A great Vancouver Downtown Eastside ( DTES ) Outsider Artist helping to make his world beautiful 🙂
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This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter.
Hendrik Beune, Director of AHA MEDIA gets a new chair!
In the next series of photos, Hendrik Beune utilizes his new Director’s chair to engage with the Vancouver DTES community in an artistic and very mobile way.
As we started from Carnegie Centre at Main and Hasting in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside ( DTES), it was quite something to see the varioius reactions on people’s faces as Hendrik rolled by them on his mobile office chair. The range of emotions ranged from suprised smiles, shocking glances, warm hearted encouragements to mere indifferences as people walked around him.
We are glad that Hendrik has his European savoir faire as he made he way down to one of our community office spaces! 🙂 We created interactive and mobile art in our area !
We, at AHA MEDIA are about creating community engagements and memories that last a long time! 🙂
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