Meeting w/ city councilor/fairfield comm center re: all ages

[kay]

I have a Ministry meeting on Monday! What time is this at? I'd like to come to both if at all possible!

[tylerp]

Here's what I wrote up. I did it tonight and had a bunch of other stuff to deal with, so maybe it's not perfect, but I think it gets the point across:

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?ci ... 523B80!149

The meeting is September 12 at 7pm. I'm still in the process of finding out where.

It might be advantageous to go as a group, but it would have to be in a way that doesn't intimidate, since that seems to be their main issue.

Zach, I wish I had read your post prior to writing that up. You're very right about a lot of those points.

[stumped.]

*applause*

[Andrew]

Well done Tyler. My advice is to try to approach the lingo in your letter to speak to the people you wish to influence by it. For example, the term "all ages shows" might be better termed in community leader-eze, such as "open participation arts events" or " Age inclusive cultural showcase" or some such bs wording that is reminiscent of the wording they'd be more familiar with.

I also suggest you not use the term straightedge. Maybe something like "alcohol and drug free lifestyle". Straightedge has a sensationalized gang culture attachment to a lot of people, it'd be unfortunate if these councillors watched a foolish "documentary" about straightedge and their mistaken ideas of what it is derailed your point.

Try to not alienate anyone's understanding of what you're taking about, you want them to feel very much like you're a person they can trust and whatever hand holding you can give them to get your point across is good.

[Human-Demise]

tyler is still a super cool dude

[xJohnnyx]

Want me to show up in a suit? People always respect a man in a well tailored suit.

Also I agree about not using Straightedge, partly because as Andrew said many people outside of the punk/hardcore scene don't know what straightedge is and there is a lot of misinformation regarding in on the net. Also in my experience people who are not familiar with punk/hardcore usually have a hard time understanding when I tell them I am straightedge.

[tylerp]

The straightedge "gang" associations are just an extension of what I'm trying to clear up. You're right, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it, but what's done is done. Sigh. Any idiot that does some Googling can figure it out fast, but the version of straightedge I presented is supposed to be that wildcard of young people doing the opposite of being hooligans.

As for renaming all ages shows, they were discussed in my first batch of emails as "all ages shows" and I quoted one of them discussing them as such. And the board has been discussing the concept internally with the same name, so it's best to keep that for the sake of standardization. This could have been more arts oriented, but I don't want to have them draft up some rules like "okay, art shows are cool, nothing with drum kits though" so I wanted to drive the live band concept hard into it.

The whole point of this was just as a letter of background information. I am pretty sure I went overboard but I tried to use headings and block quotes to make it as digestible as possible. And the tone of voice I was going for is the well-meaning cause facing adversity and exclusion. This idea came out of a lesson I'm doing, at my real job, for BC Recreation/Parks on Social Inclusion and I think it's a good way to set off an alarm to the board if they think the community is facing exclusion.

The letter isn't my main case. It's something that the board reads ahead of time, if they have time. I have one minute to officially state my case to the board and that's what really counts. I'll try to come up with a quick outline ahead of time for you guys to approve. If anyone has mandatory points, please post them. Zach's point of needing an alternative to bars for live music can be quickly summed up and strongly help the case while contrasting the innocent nature of all ages shows to the sliminess of bar culture.

Thanks for the input so far. I'm asking if the meeting is open to the public and if like-minded acquaintances can come in support, but haven't heard back.

[tylerp]

Tyler,
Yes, you can bring your acquaintances –the meeting is open to all. The meeting is scheduled for Monday September 12th 7-9 , here at The Place, 1330 Fairfield Rd. The ‘Community Voices’ portion will be near the beginning of the meeting & you are welcome to stay, or leave after your piece.

[Human-Demise]

should I attend? tyler would I be helpful to have there?

[ZACH ATTACK]

Can anybody speak?

[tylerp]

again, I don't know. I would believe that anyone can speak since it is the "community voices" moment of the board meeting. we could just feel it out.

I'm sure anyone who can make it and feels strongly about this should attend. I've been active in getting the board and city councilors to notice but it might be nice to make it clear that it's not just my issue and that other perspectives on it are important.

[Human-Demise]

if I can think of any thing important to say I'd love to come to this.

[Token]

I don't think you have to have something to say, even a presence would be noticed. I've penciled it into my planner... Off work at 6:30 so hopefully I can speed down there afterwards haha.

[tylerp]

So this is tomorrow (today? Monday.)

I still have no idea what to really expect. Do I show up with a handful of friends, complain to a panel of old people for 60 seconds, then get brushed off and debate whether or not to sit through the remaining two hours of totally unrelated material?

Or will I show up and state my case alongside supporting friends, gaining sympathy from a cross-section of the community who now realize the need for all ages shows?

I guess we'll see.

[tylerp]

So this happened. It wasn't as beneficial as I hoped. I stated the case for all ages shows, making it clear that they don't really have many venue options and that they can be done well/responsibly. One or two members of the board countered it, saying that they can be loud and disruptful to the community and draw too many kids. I said that most shows go well and it's just the loud/overpopulated ones that cause perceptions like that, resulting from poor planning and over-advertising. They said that they tried to work with past promoters over a period of 2.5 years while the neighborhood complained, and ended up not being able to find a solution, and that they're already understaffed and can't really lobby with the neighborhood to go back on the current "promise" they have with the neighborhood - that all ages shows won't happen anymore. I said something along the lines that they're in control of their policy and it's reasons like this that all ages shows can't happen and that if nobody on their board takes on the issue, that every single place will have similar answers and nothing will be done to fix this huge gap. They suggested that I join a city youth council or something and I said that I feel like I'll just be going to board meetings and writing up letters and nothing will be done about it if someone doesn't take the initiative to change it, and that shows at the Gary Oak Room were a prime example of shows done well in a perfect space, when they happened in the early 00's. They asked if I'm profiting from it in any way and I said that I put shows on because I love them and know they can be done safely and respectfully. I mentioned the Victoria Arts Scan and most of the points in my letter (minus what was discussed on here as not good things to bring up).

This carried on for 45 minutes and didn't really go anywhere. I ended, saying something like "it just comes down to the fact that these young bands have nowhere to play." They're sending me some alternative resources to explore for initiating change at a higher level with the city, but essentially concluded that they've already explored the idea of all ages shows and don't think they can be done in a residential neighbourhood in a room with little soundproofing and families across the street. I think I gave them something to think about and, while two of them were dead set against all ages shows, I tried to convince some of the others that maybe there were ways of making it work, so maybe they discussed it more after I left.

I did my best. Was bummed that nobody came but I didn't know what to expect anyway so I don't blame anyone.

[Token]

I totally though some people would have shown. I got caught up at work and ended up working overtime for 4 hours. Glad you went and spoke though, Tyler! Bummer that they didn't seem to be very understanding though (the two who were dead set against it at least).

[Human-Demise]

I wanted to go but I got stuck spending the day with my dad.(which was fun but still would have liked to have been there)

[Noelle CDP]

Tyler i'm really stoked that your getting involved and trying to change things. Scenes more people like that. If I was in Victoria I would have gone and supported this.

I've done this in Chilliwack when all of our venues shut down. I mentioned things like in a small town where there is already very little for young people to do so majority of the youth population are going out in the bushes consuming large amounts of drugs and alcohol looking for fights and trouble. All ages shows provide a positive inclusive creative environment for people of all ages to come together and express their love of music together in a safe setting free with a zero tolerance policy on consumption of alochol or drugs on the venue property. I wanted to get into all the great ethics that punk and hardcore support such as unity and diy but the seniors halls I was dealing with are run by cranky retired seniors that would have not have understood the concept of straight edge, diy or the unity that exists in our culture. So I told them all the positive things that have come from local music scene that iam a product of. Promoting shows and playing in bands teaches team work, responsibility, gives people ocnfidence. It gives people who might have not alot else going for them something to work hard at and place to belong and feel accepted. I reminded the hall that I booked at some of the stories of the great lengths I have seen bands go to play a single show and the community rally to support them.

Some good examples of this are:

Rebel Spell and The Restarts trip to Victoria in April. I seriously felt bad for those guys. After we drove half way across the Lower Mainland waited hours for ferries we had to back track 2 hours back to Victoria from Nanaimo. They still made it in time to be on stage right in time to get on stage.

Broadcast Zero and End Program had pretty much the same thing happen to them coming from Courteney to Chilliwack. Accept some moron spread a rumor that the show was cancelled so they hardly anyone came. When word got around what happened. 20 people dropped what they were doing rallied up their friends and came down and showed the touring bands a good time and then generously donated gas money to all 3 touring bands. It was the best display of unity i've seen in a long time.

I personally know about 25 North Van kids who used to spend 3 hours on transit to go to shows at Bullys in New West because they didn't have anything in North Van. Infact the kids in Desecrated Youth had alot to do with getting involved in the Seylynn Committee to get that place resurected so they could have a place of their own to play.

The time I hobbed my ass out on crutches with a dislocated knee 2 hours on the Greyhound from Chilliwack to Vancouver to do 5 shows around the lower mainland with Rebel Spell, Broadcast Zero, Subsistance, The Pissoffs, All For The Best, The Killed Spirits, Old Problems, Fuck I don't even remember who else because I had cabin fever and absolutely positively do not believe in cancelling shows.

Or the old Grind House and Hoperiver Lions Hall days in Chilliwack whenever the pa broke we'd just rig up a new one. Whenever the cops came finding creating ways to get rid of them. Oh how I love that the cops have no juristriction on native reserves.

[canon.docre]

fuckit, illegal venues until we open our own shit. fuck those middle-aged bureaucrats they will never care about us, or the marginalized youth we represent.

[Human-Demise]

Two thoughts.

Promoting shows and playing in bands teaches team work, responsibility, gives people ocnfidence. It gives people who might have not alot else going for them something to work hard at and place to belong and feel accepted.

this: playing shows has been the high light of my life these days. the difficulties that come with getting or promoting shows has been really burning me out these days.

and

fuckit, illegal venues until we open our own shit. fuck those middle-aged bureaucrats they will never care about us, or the marginalized youth we represent.

as a marginalized youth I agree I'm sick of this nonsense. next show I'm putting on Is outdoor and illegal.