Head Tax Protest: Redress: and a good time was had by us…Saltwater City reporting
Sid Chow Tan is the organizer of the BC Coalition of BC Head Tax Payers
and Descendants. He wrote this e-mail describing Saturday's
protest outside the NCCC conference
at the Chinese Cultural Centre. This was the conference where the NCCC
had flown their members from across Canada and put them up in hotels
with money from a $100,000 grant. Basically photo ops with
Raymond Chan and Prime Minister Paul Martin. Hopefully they don't use
the head tax redress payments for their conferences and organizational
costs.
Sid writes below:
Yo all
Simply,
the soul-suckers could not face us. The Prime Minister did not glance
at us. The Multiculturalism Minister and National Congress people snuck
out other doors. Set-up started at 10:30am. We remained together at the
CCC square, picking up numbers. A half an hour into leafletting, we
were a hundred and more. I'm hoping photos will start coming in.
We
could not attend the NCCC meeting and so held our own. Placards
appeared. After occupying the square for an hour, the group
spontaneously decided on walk through Chinatown with Global TV. We went
up Pender onto Main, down Keefer and back to the square.
This
was a visual feast and galvanizing moment. We took up a collection and
got buns and water, Some socializing and gabbing and a decision was
made to welcome the Prime Minister at 2:00pm at SUCCESS. The group
halved to the hardy.
Then somehow, we started picking up people, practised our chanting and
started to have fun. If nothing else, it was already a successful day.
At SUCCESS, the media following the PM started showing up. We
stared to suck up coverage with chanting and our numbers. Then a big
loud lion dance.
The PM was inside in three eye blinks,
looking straight ahead. There was quite a crowd by now. We spent
another half hour petition signing, answerings the public's question
and doing alot of smiling and laughing.
The day exceeded my
expectations by ten-fold. We got the names and numbers of a lot of
supporters. Lot's of multi-tasking. I can't begin to thank all the
people.
Our
banner looked good and most were feeling fine. We tried to do group
building and definitely sucked up media. At our level of organisation,
much more can be and will be done. We can have much hope and
inspiration at what our seniors and their families accomplished today.
This is only the end of the beginning. The legislation lasted over
three generations. It may take that long for a just and honourable
redress.
The subject line says it all. More later.
Take care. anon Sid