Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, BC is infamous for being one of the poorest neighborhoods in the world. Nicknamed “Canada’s poorest postal code”, it is a poverty stricken neighborhood filled with prostitutes, drug addicts and homeless people. When people hear the words “Downtown Eastside” it instantaneously makes them think negatively about the place. I actually had the opportunity to visit the area (it was 10 pm and I was waiting for a bus on W. Hastings), and found myself constantly looking around nervously for signs of trouble. Two minutes into my visit, whaddaya know, ambulances and police cars raced past me and stopped a block away from where I was standing. This absolutely terrified me. After another minute or so, my bus arrived. I darted forward into the bus, thankful that I wasn’t outside anymore.
Many stolen shopping carts being pushed around in the Downtown Eastside (PC / Jonathan Hayward)
This is the life narrative on the Eastside we are presented with everyday; crime happening everywhere and the constant blaring of emergency sirens. Everyone hears it, so everyone believes it. Even for me, my experience solidified the stereotypes that came along with the area.
I recently came across a short documentary in my urban studies course called “Survival, Strength, Sisterhood: Power of Women in the Downtown Eastside”. The 34-minute video pays tribute to the countless women who are either missing or were murdered in the Downtown Eastside and documents the first person experiences of the neighborhood from the perspective of the women who currently reside in the area. It is interesting to see that out of all of the stories told throughout the video, none of them express the neighborhood to be dangerous, problematic or violent in form. Their stories focus on the unique and empowering community they are surrounded with, and the opportunities they have received through this tightly-knit community. None of the stereotypes seemed to be true.
By looking through the lens of the residence, we are able to better understand the social and cultural situation of the neighborhood. Without their personal narratives, we would be stuck stereotyping that the Downtown Eastside is just a poor, dangerous slum. I believe that understanding different perspectives of a story is one of the most important factor in creating an authentic life narrative.