January 3rd to 9th, 2021
Sunday January 3rd
Red Braid Coordinating Committee
Bi-weekly meeting of Red Braid’s elected, 8-member Coordinating Committee, tasked with planning organizational work over the coming week
After an organizational break from December 21st to January 2nd, we held our first meeting of 2021.
Monday January 4th
Praxis Committee
Weekly committee meeting to plan Red Braid’s internal and public education work
We discussed how to make our bi-weekly new member education classes more relevant and accessible to street kin members. We also finalized the syllabus and presentations on gender politics in the Cuban revolution for a political education series on gender and socialism.
Tuesday January 5th
Maple Ridge Resistance
Weekly campaign meeting of a street community group in Maple Ridge
Over a meal of beef chili, we discussed the problem of “Behavioural Agreements,” which Coast Mental Health is trying to force its supportive housing tenants to sign. We also talked about the sweeps that bylaw officers are constantly doing on the streets, which have stepped up with the bad weather.
Eviction Defense Network
Weekly campaign meeting of members of the Eviction Defense Network
We discussed ongoing advocacy and organizing with tenants in Maple Ridge, Surrey, and Burnaby. We also created an outreach plan for developing and distributing posters and our regional newsletter, Eviction Notice.
Thursday January 7th
Bread, Roses & Hormones
Weekly meeting of Bread, Roses & Hormones, a campaign led by trans and non-binary people
We planned three small outreach actions for January and discussed following-up on a human rights complaint we filed with a public action in Nanaimo.
Friday January 8th
Queer Youth Defense Network meeting
Bi-weekly meeting of a small group of high school students in suburbs outside of Vancouver
We finished developing a survey that we want to distribute to other queer youth to find out more about their needs and struggles. We also created a plan for distributing it online and in schools.
Whalley People’s Resource Centre
The Whalley Centre is a street-run space in Surrey, open every Friday from 11pm to 7am
About 30 people dropped in throughout the night. We fed 20 people with homemade chili and when that ran out, we made hotdogs. The Whalley Centre needs ground coffee and our donation room needs blankets, coats, gloves, and socks.
Saturday January 9th
The Volcano Editorial Board Meeting
Meeting of editors of a newspaper affiliated with Red Braid Alliance
We discussed distribution of the recently printed January issue of The Volcano and created a plan for the upcoming February print issue. We also discussed upcoming online publishing on our website, thevolcano.org.
Publishing done in this period
Besides the various leaflets and local newsletters, we also published the following Volcano articles:
Ivan Drury, Two observations about the 2020 BC election
Wanda Stopa, Stop framing tent cities for murder