Le Réseau d’usagers de drogues de la zone de Vancouver revient sur 20 ans de lutte pour les droits humains
Par Travis Lupick
En 1997, les habitants du Downtown Eastside ont tenu des réunions hebdomadaires pour débattre d’une idée radicale : une union des usagers de drogues qui se battrait pour les droits humains de ses membres.
Plus d'informations, en anglais, sont disponibles ci-dessous.
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The drug-users union known as VANDU marks its twentieth anniversary at a time when B.C. struggles with an unprecedented epidemic of overdose deaths.
In the late summer of 1997, a poster with a message aimed at drug users appeared on electrical poles around the Downtown Eastside.
“Meeting in the park,” one read. “Discussion items: police conduct, violence and safety, ‘Is this your home?,’ washroom facilities, neighbourhood relations....Let’s talk about a community approach.”
It was a revolutionary idea, that people who use drugs should gather and organize around shared challenges and interests.
On September 9, 1997, a few dozen people took note and met at the east end of Oppenheimer Park.
Donald MacPherson was there that day. He was working at the Carnegie Community Centre at the time and the plight of drug users who congregated on the corner of Main Street and East Hastings had caught his attention.
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Thumbnail Flickr CC Chuck Grimmett