The Anti-Poverty Committee successfully launched its VANOC eviction campaign by evicting Ken Dobell from his office located at the World Trade and Convention Centre in the Office of the Premiere. His belongings have been put into boxes and thrown into the hall.
The people have announced that Ken Dobell is the perfect mascot for the 2010 games. He proves that there is no conflict between big business and all levels of Government.
Ken Dobell is, among other things, director of the 2010 Legacies Now Society and the Canadian Council for Public-private partnerships. A member of the board of the 2010 Bid Corporation in its early years, Dobell now serves on VANOC’s Board of Directors, where he chairs its Finance Committee.
When not acting as a symbolic figurehead, Kenny rakes in $250-an hour as ‘special adviser’ to the premier Gordon Campbell. Not so coincidentally his second job is as a lobbyist for the City of Vancouver, which has hired him to influence Campbell on development issues. What this amounts to is pillaging public resources for private profit.
This eviction was carried out in a non-violent manner with respect to the workers inside. This is contrary to the evictions that take place every day in the Downtown Eastside. Often the police serve as the City’s eviction service and assist in the displacement of people from their homes. In cases such as the Marr Hotel and the Burns Block, poor people are evicted from their homes violently. In the case of the Burns Block people who had lived there for 20 years where evicted with less then 30 minutes notice. Their belongings thrown to the curb.
So long as people are being evicted from their homes to make room for the 2010 Olympic games, we will continue targeting VANOC representatives in their offices. It is from these offices that life and death decisions are made.
We plan on escalating our siege and making the profiteering off displacing poor people from their homes and territories too costly to continue. To get involved in this campaign and other organizing efforts of the APC.
NO OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND! NO 2010!
DEMANDS
1. IMMEDIATE CANCELLATION OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC GAMES.
2. DIRECTION OF ALL OLYMPIC FUNDS TO NEW HOUSING AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS.
3. WITHDRAWAL OF COLONIAL OCCUPIERS FROM ALL UNCEDED INDIGENOUS TERRITORY.
4. DOLLAR-FOR-DOLLAR REINSTATEMENT OF ALL FUNDING CUT TO SOCIAL PROGRAMS BY THE PROVINCIAL LIBERAL GOVERNMENT.
5. KEN DOBELL’S IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION FROM AT LEAST TWO OF THREE CONFLICTING POSITIONS.
