Wendy Poole Park is a small triangular plot of parkland near the waterfront in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, British Columbia. The land is at Alexander Street and the Main Street Overpass, and it was named by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a young aboriginal woman who was murdered nearby in 1989.[1] The park contains a memorial boulder inscribed with information about Poole.
Wendy Poole was a member of the Tsay Keh Dene ("People of the Mountains") a First Nations group from Northern B.C., near what is now the city of Prince George, British Columbia. She had moved to Vancouver, and was murdered on the second floor of a Downtown Eastside housing coop on January 26, 1989. Her body was later found in a nearby garbage dump. A man was arrested in connection with her death and was later acquitted. The murder case remains unsolved by police.[2][3]
History of the memorialedit
A coalition of First Nations, community groups, and individuals from the DTES campaigned, along with Roslyn Cassells, the then Party Commissioner of the Green Party of Canada, to name this small waterfront park after Wendy Poole. The proponents of the proposal hoped that the park would bring awareness to the unsolved cases of the missing women in the Downtown Eastside, and contribute to a healing process with First Nations people in the city.[4]
The official dedication ceremony was held on February 14, 2001, with representation from Wendy Poole's family.[5] The February date was picked to coordinate with the Annual DTES Women's Memorial March held on that date.
The 'Spirit's Rising Memorial Society' is joining women and youth at risk in a totem carving project, to be displayed in the park.[6]
Downtown Eastside activist Don Larson was involved in the campaign from the beginning. Larson is a well-respected Vancouver social justice activist.
See alsoedit
Finding Dawn, a documentary about missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.
^Cultural Memory Group (Bold, Castaldi, Knowles, McConnell, Schincariol). Remembering Women Murdered by Men: Memorials across Canada, Sumach Press, 2006, ISBN1-894549-53-8
^Rolfsen, Catherine. Healing to move on: Native women and youth learn life skills and carving to remember the missing women, Vancouver Sun,Thursday, August 09, 2007
^MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE VANCOUVER BOARD OF PARKS AND RECREATION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2000, seen at [1]
^MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE VANCOUVER BOARD OF PARKS AND RECREATION, MONDAY, JULY 16, 2001, p6 seen at [2]
^Cultural Memory Group (Bold, Castaldi, Knowles, McConnell, Schincariol). The politics of remembering women murdered by men, Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN) Magazine, Spring/Summer 2007 Volume 9, Number 3/4
wendy, poole, park, small, triangular, plot, parkland, near, waterfront, downtown, eastside, vancouver, british, columbia, land, alexander, street, main, street, overpass, named, vancouver, board, parks, recreation, young, aboriginal, woman, murdered, nearby, . Wendy Poole Park is a small triangular plot of parkland near the waterfront in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver British Columbia The land is at Alexander Street and the Main Street Overpass and it was named by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation for a young aboriginal woman who was murdered nearby in 1989 1 The park contains a memorial boulder inscribed with information about Poole Wendy Poole ParkA dedication in the parkTypePublic ParkLocationVancouver British ColumbiaOperated byCity of Vancouver Contents 1 Wendy Poole 2 History of the memorial 3 See also 4 ReferencesWendy Poole editWendy Poole was a member of the Tsay Keh Dene People of the Mountains a First Nations group from Northern B C near what is now the city of Prince George British Columbia She had moved to Vancouver and was murdered on the second floor of a Downtown Eastside housing coop on January 26 1989 Her body was later found in a nearby garbage dump A man was arrested in connection with her death and was later acquitted The murder case remains unsolved by police 2 3 History of the memorial editA coalition of First Nations community groups and individuals from the DTES campaigned along with Roslyn Cassells the then Party Commissioner of the Green Party of Canada to name this small waterfront park after Wendy Poole The proponents of the proposal hoped that the park would bring awareness to the unsolved cases of the missing women in the Downtown Eastside and contribute to a healing process with First Nations people in the city 4 The official dedication ceremony was held on February 14 2001 with representation from Wendy Poole s family 5 The February date was picked to coordinate with the Annual DTES Women s Memorial March held on that date The Spirit s Rising Memorial Society is joining women and youth at risk in a totem carving project to be displayed in the park 6 Downtown Eastside activist Don Larson was involved in the campaign from the beginning Larson is a well respected Vancouver social justice activist See also editFinding Dawn a documentary about missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada Highway of Tears murders The Unnatural and Accidental WomenReferences edit Cultural Memory Group Bold Castaldi Knowles McConnell Schincariol Remembering Women Murdered by Men Memorials across Canada Sumach Press 2006 ISBN 1 894549 53 8 Rolfsen Catherine Healing to move on Native women and youth learn life skills and carving to remember the missing women Vancouver Sun Thursday August 09 2007 Missing Native Women MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE VANCOUVER BOARD OF PARKS AND RECREATION MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25 2000 seen at 1 MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE VANCOUVER BOARD OF PARKS AND RECREATION MONDAY JULY 16 2001 p6 seen at 2 Cultural Memory Group Bold Castaldi Knowles McConnell Schincariol The politics of remembering women murdered by men Canadian Women s Health Network CWHN Magazine Spring Summer 2007 Volume 9 Number 3 4 49 17 03 N 123 05 59 W 49 28429 N 123 09972 W 49 28429 123 09972 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wendy Poole Park amp oldid 1046217544, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
