Community Garden
Sara Falconer and Megan Butcher
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The Haitian Sensation: Oni headlines the B2P and SHAC show
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It is not every day an Ottawa stage hosts three politicized musical-lyrical acts. Books to Prisoners Ottawa has organized a benefit show at Irene's Pub on Friday, September 21 (at 8 p.m.), that will feature local rockers Mile Over Mecca and outlaw country artist Joey Only, as well as spoken word and poetess Oni the Haitian Sensation (Ghettostocracy).The Ottawa chapter of Books to Prisoners (B2P) was initiated by members of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group at Carleton University, which was inspired by the prison activism of other B2Ps. Their aim is to utilize the resources of the Ottawa community - namely books - and deliver the donations to prisoners. Books are mailed out to prisoners in Canada and the U.S. according to requests that have been mailed in.
"B2P ties together research regarding prison regulations, education of the public about these conditions, and good local activism," says B2P member Pete Pants. B2P also has a children's book project in operation with the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre, where mothers are recorded reading and the recordings are sent to their children.
The Irene's show is also a benefit for Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, or SHAC. SHAC activists use a diversity of legal tactics to draw attention to what SHAC views as the unethical (and sometimes illegal) practices of Huntingdon Life Services (HLS), one of the world's largest contract research organizations. According to SHAC, HLS conducts vivisection and cruel forms of animal
testing. In November 2006, several members of SHAC Montreal had serious charges laid against them, charges that SHAC alleges are bogus. Many are facing court dates and possible jail time. The show is $10 at the door, or $8 if you bring a couple newer books (fiction especially) for the Books to Prisoner cause. For more info, email books2prisoners@hotmail.com.
It's easy to tell which offices belong to the feminist law practice of Galldin Liew LLP: Look for the rooms with the pink feather boas. Karen Galldin and Jamie Liew aren't what you would expect of most lawyers either. Not only are they stylish, hip and young, they are also committed to making the law accessible to everyone. "We want to dispel the myth of the law as privilege and power, and we think it's important for women to have as much information about their legal rights as possible," Galldin says about a way of practising law that gets them out of their office and into their community. Recently they launched their business with a bang-up party at La Petite Mort Gallery, raising $500 for the Dancers' Equal Rights Association in the process, and they've spent time every week doing drop-ins at community organizations such as Centre 454 and the Elizabeth Fry Society.
This Saturday, you can find them at Ladyfest Ottawa giving a workshop called "What the Eff Am I Signing? The Clever Girls' Guide to Copyright and Contract Law." The first part of the workshop will speak mainly to artists trying to protect their work or use the works of others fairly. The section on contract law will define what a contract is as well as your rights and responsibilities once you've signed one.
However, copyright and contract law are only a small part of what they do. Their website (www.galldinliew.ca) states that they are "guided by the principle of security as a holistic issue for women" and lists legal specialties as varied as criminal defence and immigration law. Though at Galldin Liew, these specialties are more closely tied than they might seem. "A woman might be in conflict with the law for various reasons," Liew explains. "For example, a woman charged with a criminal offence might have her immigration status at risk because of it. We want to provide advice so that she can make choices regarding her whole legal picture."
And as for calling what they do "feminist legal practice"?
"The whole idea behind us calling ourselves feminists is to create a dialogue about it again," says Liew.
The workshop takes place on Saturday, September 22, at the Jack Purcell Centre (near the corner of Elgin and Gilmour) at 3 p.m. The suggested donation is $5.
Oni was electrifying. What an amazing performance! Don't ever miss another chance to see her. One of the best acts I've ever witnessed. Ever!! Books to Prisoners Ottawa raised a couple hundred bucks for Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty legal defense. We received a lot of books. Mile Over Mecca was also great, and everyone was really happy with the way things turned out. Wow.
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Kevin Walby
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I agree with Kevin... Oni was one of the best acts ever! Mile Over Mecca were also awesome and put together a great set of tunes. Can't wait for the next Books to Prisoners event... should be a real humdinger!
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Peter Vance
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