began in a political\/rhetorical atmosphere<\/span><\/p>\n of depraved indifference<\/span><\/p>\n regarding overdose deaths and pandemic emergency<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n horrifying ghosts of human beings<\/span><\/p>\n calling radio talk shows and actually telling me:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cwhy don\u2019t they just string barbed-wire<\/span><\/p>\n around the downtown eastside<\/span><\/p>\n and let them infect each other to death?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n or<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cthe only good junkie is a dead junkie\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n comments like those heard in nazi germany<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I remember one welfare week<\/span><\/p>\n eleven years ago<\/span><\/p>\n sirens screamed lights flashed red and white<\/span><\/p>\n all day all night<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n one hot afternoon that same week<\/span><\/p>\n I met a friend of mine<\/span><\/p>\n on the corner of cordova and main<\/span><\/p>\n she\u2019s a first nations woman and activist<\/span><\/p>\n who told me when i asked<\/span><\/p>\n how she was<\/span><\/p>\n that her family was gathering<\/span><\/p>\n to make another crucial decision<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n her cousin had fixed alone Wednesday evening<\/span><\/p>\n in a sro room<\/span><\/p>\n and when her husband returned<\/span><\/p>\n found her dead on the floor<\/span><\/p>\n he made a noose<\/span><\/p>\n with a long piece of cloth hanged himself<\/span><\/p>\n and soon was dead<\/span><\/p>\n and because the couple had an infant son<\/span><\/p>\n the family was gathering<\/span><\/p>\n to determine the best disposition<\/span><\/p>\n for the suddenly orphaned child<\/span><\/p>\n and this entire unjust and tragic situation<\/span><\/p>\n might well never have happened<\/span><\/p>\n if insite was open<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n but as my friend and I were saying goodbye<\/span><\/p>\n a flame burst inside me<\/span><\/p>\n fuelled by grief and rage<\/span><\/p>\n like a fierce spontaneous combustion<\/span><\/p>\n flashing up through my nervous system<\/span><\/p>\n and roared in my head like a psychic explosion<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n because of another<\/span><\/p>\n because of too many<\/span><\/p>\n because of an unnecessary<\/span><\/p>\n overdose death<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n yelled<\/span><\/p>\n two words repetitively in my head<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n no more! no more! no more!<\/span><\/p>\n of this heart-breaking family-shattering community-diminishing<\/span><\/p>\n pain of overdose deaths<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I immediately ran from that conversation<\/span><\/p>\n to see mark and liz and kirsten at the old portland hotel<\/span><\/p>\n and with dave diewert ann livingston<\/span><\/p>\n and several others<\/span><\/p>\n planned a day of action<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n we pounded 1,000 crosses into oppenheimer park<\/span><\/p>\n blocked main and hastings with a heavy chain<\/span><\/p>\n and distributed statistics of misery<\/span><\/p>\n to commuters unable to get to work<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1,000 crosses memorializing just three years of overdose deaths<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n a cross is a symbol of political execution<\/span><\/p>\n a cross is a symbol for social revolution<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n and form that afternoon<\/span><\/p>\n the battle to save lives was declared<\/span><\/p>\n the battle to save the lives of those<\/span><\/p>\n so many other wanted to die<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n and from that afternoon<\/span><\/p>\n to insite\u2019s opening<\/span><\/p>\n we\u2019ve never ceased in our efforts<\/span><\/p>\n to save lives and bring peace<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n because everyone suffers<\/span><\/p>\n when compassion is undone<\/span><\/p>\n insite vigil poem by the late Bud Osborn <\/p>\n\n\n Last week, for the National Day of Action for the Overdose Crisis, we marched with 922 feathers, one for every life lost in BC in 2016. Our Executive Director, Donald MacPherson, vividly recalls being in the same place 20 years before for the same reason at Oppenheimer park with 1,000 crosses and his friend Bud Osborn. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"yoast_head":"\n
an excerpt from the book Raise Shit! Social Action Saving Lives<\/em>
co-authored by Donald MacPherson, Susan Boyd and Bud Osborn
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Bus](\"https:\/\/drugpolicy.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_1097_bw-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"