Tuesday, June 22, 2010

For 57 Days City Hall has Avoided Giving Barred Carnegie Member Reason "in writing"

A witness who has spoken up about the use of the City of Vancouver "security" database at Carnegie to make fraudulent entries about critics, has found herself barred from Carnegie Centre for 57 days now, with no end in sight. She is not allowed to enter the building, not even the Vancouver Public Library branch there. She was notified of the barring on April 25, 2010 and immediately asked to be given the reason "in writing". Her request was instantly refused by the security guard who informed her that she was "barred", a guard who identified himself as "Ty" only after she asked his name.

There is evidence that the ban was pre-meditated and politically-motivated. From the beginning of the process of being informed that she was barred, the fact that she had been one of the Carnegie members who made complaints to Penny Ballem was referred to by Ty as the "problem." [If I obtain a copy of the statement she submitted to police, I will quote Ty's alleged comments more completely.] A few minutes later, when Ballem's name came up again, Ty reportedly claimed he didn't know who she was. Toward the end of the barring, after he had followed the woman to the bathroom, Ty revealed that the barring was a result of pressure from Penny Ballem and Gregor Robertson to clear her out of the building. "I guess, they don't want witnesses around", says the barred woman.

Police have been made aware of everything from verbal abuse to assault experienced by this woman since coming forward as a witness to fraud and other abuses involving the City's "security" database at Carnegie. A male Carnegie member recalls eating dinner with this woman at Carnegie in the spring, when a volunteer took her photograph, using a flash, without her permission -- she would later be told that the photo had been taken on instructions from Tio, a City staff cashier on duty, a fact she says Tio did not deny when she asked him about it -- and then stood yelling insults at her at the top of his lungs, grabbing the attention of the crowd of diners in the cafeteria. "Why isn't security doing anything!" the witness demanded to know. A security guard stood beside the yelling man, just inches away.

She was also at Carnegie having dinner -- she had just finished -- on the evening in April when Ty told her she was now barred from the entire building and refused her request to "put it in writing". At a later point, she asked that he at least allow her to read the "Incident Report" so that she could counter false statements. He refused. He told her that he did not need input from her. She told him she wished to sit down and write her own incident report about what she was experiencing, but he refused, ordering her out of the building. Such biased practices -- including outright fraud -- had been previously brought to the attention of Penny Ballem, once during a meeting in January at City Hall. The Mayor was also made aware of these practices.

Shortly after being barred, the barred woman mailed a request to City Hall and requested, under the Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act, a copy of the incident report and a copy of entries made in the City's electronic "security" database. She then telephoned the Freedom of Information office twice to see if they had received it. She spoke to a male assistant to manager Paul Hancock. The assistant told her on April 29th that he had finally received her letter. She explained that she needed a copy of the incident report quickly so that she could appeal the barring; she asked him to keep in mind that for every day that passed without this Incident Report, she was denied access to City Services in her neighbourhood, such as the public library at Carnegie. She told him that there should be no reason for extensive delay in getting the incident report to her, as it was easily retrievable from the Incident Report binder which sits on the front reception desk at Carnegie for all staff to review. The assistant reviewed her request letter and said it seemed straight forward to him and he didn't anticipate it taking long. He said he would "send it out" that day.

Shortly after speaking to the assistant, the banned woman received a letter dated April 30th from Paul Hancock, Manager, Corporate Information & Privacy, City Clerk's Office. Hancock wrote:

"This will acknowledge receipt of your request dated April 26, 2010. . . for a copy of an incident report written about you by Ty, a security person at Carnegie Centre at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, 2010."

"Under the Act, we have thirty (30) business days to respond to freedom of information requests. The City received your request on April 29, 2010 so we are required to respond by June 11. 2010 at the latest."

I ran into her on Sunday, June 20th, at Sunrise market and she said she had not received it. Even if the City had mailed the Incident Report on the last possible day, June 11th, she would have had it last week as Vancouver has over night delivery.

Hancock ended his April 30th letter to her with,

"We understand that this is an urgent matter for you so we will do our best to expedite this request for you."

That was 52 days ago, as of Sunday.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why would Gregor Robertson want this person barred ?

What interest has he in all this mess ?

reliable sources said...

Anonymous,

Gregor Robertson and Penny Ballem are accused of knowingly allowing the City's "security" database at Carnegie to be used to maintain fraudulent records about critics. A meeting was held at the office of City manager Penny Ballem in January about this alleged "security" fraud, but she reportedly acted like a defense lawyer.

A criminal investigation was then requested into Ballem, Robertson, Ethel Whitty, and Skip Everall for allegedly knowingly maintaining fraudulent entries in the City database.

The barred member is a witness in the criminal case.

Anonymous said...

I guess the powers that be down at the Carnegie are throwing their weight around and trampling the civil rights of DTES residents. Where are Pivot Legal types? Seems to me due process should begin at home. And now allegations the mayor is involved?

The other day the National Post reported that DERA, under Kim Kerr’s care “allegedly misappropriated and misallocated more than $1.7-million in public funds”. Does it really have to get this bad before the Authorities will act?

The Portland Hotel began as a DERA project with Jim Green as boss, Kim Kerr as Portland manager and boss of Liz Evans. If that incestuous red flag isn’t headed what should? There have been repeated allegations against the PHS for practising the most vicious type of political psychiatry.

Now is the time for the Federal Government and the Police to investigate the entire bureaucratic structure of the DTES.

Audrey Laferriere said...

I sure would like to speak to comment No. 3. Can you arrange it: audreylaferriere@yahoo.ca 778-329-1250. The governments are not going to investigate anything. It is up to those that live in the DTES to expose whatever. There are claims that the PHS in a land developer and has millions of dollars worth of real estate. Where did this money come from.

audrey laferriere said...

I was accused by Kim Kerr that I was the one who destroyed DERA. Maybe I was a part as I am now convinced that BC Housing is covering up its lack of oversight. It doesn't want anyone to know what really happened and wants it to go away. This is evidenced to me by its failure to allow me to be named as a Defendant in the BC Housing v. DERAH action as then I would be in a position to ask for full disclosure of all documentation (examination for discovery of documents) BC Housing had with DERAH during Kim's reign and before. The lawyers for BC Housing objected to me having access to documentation.
audreylaferriere@yahoo.ca
778-329-1250

Anonymous said...

Did you know when volunteers apply to volunteer @ Carnegie and other city areas they unknowingly have their info taken to Vancouver Police for criminal checks? This has been going on for sometime now. Skip's son pretends he don't know anything.
Bob

reliable sources said...

Bob,

"Skip's son...."

Can you say with certainty that it is Skip's son?

Anonymous said...

He nods if you ask right

Bob

Anonymous said...

Volunteers are all ok we do so we can do. What do you do? less than what you an do? sit on your ass? I just came back from mexico so what? remember the volunteer shake. Please tell all as i must leave to columbia soon.
bob
this is not funny

Anonymous said...

Today I saw an application for volunteering left at the 44 cafateria on Alexander St. On the 2nd page was a Criminal Check form for the applicate to sign. Are we in Communist China?

Anonymous said...

No updates lately!
Have you jetted off to some luxurious locale for a vacation?

Anonymous said...

The carnegie centre does NOT do criminal record checks on the volunteers. However, they are the only city managed centre that does not require this.

Rachel Davis said...

I, too, had to go to the Freedom of Information act to have access to the charges that Carnegie had made against me. I was accused of staff harassment, but not barred for it. I guess I was never supposed to know that this charge was made against me in the Incident Report Book. Lucky for me I had one friend on the Security Staff who let me know of it's existence.
No mitigation of this scurrilous document was permitted of course. I was only allowed to write my own version of events and staple them into the Incident Report Book. And, of course, my name was in the computer for three years as "Rosetta Stone, staff harassment". That's why I stopped using that name. Because there was allegedly no way to change the computer entry, so I had to change my name so it no longer applied to me. And I made sure every staff person who asked why I wanted to be called Rachel now knew exactly WHY I'd changed my name.

Anonymous said...

Isn't Quest for poor people. just saw john from Carnegie security load up on food for himself.

Anonymous said...

If the Carnegie staff people are helping themselves to resources and services intended for the poor, you should report it to the City of Vancouver. Thats bad.

Anonymous said...

John's not the only one taking advantage of Quest. a teacher has been shopping there since it opened a couple of yrs ago. she used to work at Carnegie Learning Ctre. Transferred to VSB. short auburn hair. in her fifties.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Just now in Central Library 2:43pm 27 Aug. Lots of poorer/wandering folks like that Lower Level washroom. Was just in there and was literally taken over by Muslims including washing their feet in the sink. I find this hypocritical because there is a sign in there that says no sponge bathing etc and I know has been enforced against poor/traveller folks. Check out this link for confirmation:
http://www.muslimcommunitycentre.com/

Rachel Davis said...

Hey, speaking of free stuff....There is something called the "Endless Summer" Festival at Oppenheimer Park this Sat. the 28th starting at 11:00 AM.
There will be LOTS of different entertainment, music, poetry, kids stuff, and a free kids movie in the PM.
The Social Outcasts are on about 2:00, for all your hard rock needs, and Rachel Davis and the Banned are on at 3:45!
Come on down and have fun! Check out the Park Reno's.......Dance....

reliable sources said...

"Rachel Davis and the Banned"

Great name!