Jamming Philosophy

my land. not my city.

This jammed version of the ad reveals the underlying intentions of the City of Vancouver’s inclusion of an Indigenous man in the election campaign. As the speech bubble says, he is being tokenized as a member of a marginalized community in order to garner attention from the voting population and make them think that the city cares for Indigenous issues. Vancouver is great at adding works of Indigenous art (totem poles) across the city and having Elders give a traditional welcoming at large-scale events, but has been severely lacking in actual support for Indigenous people. The City of Vancouver itself has not implemented any systemic changes for the protection of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) even though a fair percentage of these women lived, worked and disappeared in the Downtown Eastside (DTES). There is a stigmatization of women living in the DTES and their relation to sex work, which is another reason why I think the ad depicts a man instead of a woman; there is a risk of her becoming a target of violence or abuse in such a public campaign. Election times always spark public debate around the larger social issues but they rarely deliver for marginalized groups in the city, but especially Indigenous groups (see: Justin Trudeau election campaign).

It is not clear where this man is from, but it is clear that this city does not represent him or his people. It is a city built on the unceded (stolen) lands of the Indigenous people that still live here. A city that ignores their grievances and does not involve them in city planning or council meetings. The elected representatives do not represent the Indigenous population until they address the systemic racism that exists in the police system, the housing problem or the larger act of reconciliation which would include giving the Squamish, Tsleil Waututh and Musqueam peoples ownership to larger portions of their land. The political system will represent the Indigenous population when local chiefs and councilmen are included in municipal governance decisions in what would be the most meaningful act of inclusive governance and reconciliation.

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