There was no marching at Monday morning’s Unity March Against Poverty in Vancouver because downtown’s slick, icy roads and sidewalks were deemed too dangerous. But, the frigid conditions also helped drive home the message.
“People live in this weather,” said James Tolson, who organized the event and leads the Vancouver-based group Concerned Humans Against Poverty, or CHAP. “Some of our neighbors, they slip through the cracks and it’s incumbent upon us to pick them up.”
Dozens of people turned out to rally in the courtyard next to Vancouver City Hall, commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day by recalling his Poor People’s Campaign. He was working on the campaign that aimed to force the government to do something about poverty when he was assassinated.
“What he was simply saying was we want jobs and we want justice,” Tolson said.
King is quoted as saying, “I choose to identify with the poor.”
A handful of community leaders addressed the audience to reflect on local poverty. According to the U.S. Census, 11.2 percent of people in Clark County, or about 50,000 people, lived below the poverty line in 2015. About half of those people lived in Vancouver, where 14.8 percent of people were below the poverty line.
Veteran Rob Frisina, who volunteers with CHAP, has been shuttling homeless people to the overnight warming center at Living Hope Church in central Vancouver.
“The temperatures have been below freezing for the last week. For many, that means enjoying snow days, hot cocoa, fire logs and extra time enjoying gifts they received during the holiday season,” he said. “Our homeless neighbors aren’t enjoying the same luxuries.”
Rather, he said, the weather becomes a matter of life or death. He’s surprised by the number of people who don’t know about the “tent city” in downtown Vancouver, but said he believes that poverty is a solvable problem.
Throughout Frisina’s speech, he told people to “stand up and speak out” — a mantra that the audience repeated back to him.
Vancouver mayoral candidate and city Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle gave the keynote speech. As she talked, melting icicles dripped onto her jacket.
“Despite five years of economic recovery, poverty is still with us in Vancouver. We know that,” she said.
She said she recognized “quiet heroes” in the audience who “try to ease the burden of being poor.” These service-driven people have defined the community, she said, which is home to more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations geared toward helping the poor, hungry, homeless and weak.
“That number is an expression of our diverse needs and our community’s direct response to those needs — people of all ages of all conditions coming together to determine and concentrate efforts to effect change in Vancouver and Clark County. Are there needs yet to be met? Absolutely.”
She encouraged people to get involved in a local effort, whether that means taking part in a neighborhood association, volunteering at a shelter, being a Lunch Buddy for a child or addressing some other unmet need. The spirit of service thrives here, she said.
And she said, quoting one of King’s most well-known quotes: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’ “
