PIVOT granted $15,000 worth of credibility

By Mike Howell-Staff writer

Despite being described by Police Chief Jamie Graham as having no credibility, the Pivot Legal Society has received a $15,000 grant from a government-funded organization.

The grant, shared with local cultural magazine Geist, is courtesy of 2010 LegaciesNow, an organization created to support arts, culture and sports leading up to the Olympics.

Lori Baxter, director of ArtsNow at 2010 LegaciesNow, said the money will fund a calendar and writing and photography projects that will appear in Geist.

More than 150 writers and photographers will participate in the projects that will also likely end up in a book published by Arsenal Pulp Press, Baxter said.

The projects will focus on the Downtown Eastside, but Baxter said it will be up to participants to determine the topics and scope of the work.

"As far as I'm aware, there's no intent to control the content. The contract will be very much participant-driven."

LegaciesNow, which receives funding from three levels of government and corporations, announced the grants Monday. More than 25 arts organizations in B.C. will share close to $800,000.

The announcement came five days after Chief Graham attacked Pivot for its 56 allegations of abuse against Downtown Eastside residents by police.

The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner ordered the RCMP to investigate the claims. Graham reviewed the report and made a statement to the media March 31.

Graham said the RCMP investigation of Vancouver police concluded that there was "not a single case of criminal activity by a Vancouver police officer...I find it very disturbing that this protest group purposely chose to make these far-fetched accusations with little or no evidence to substantiate them."

Graham called Pivot a "political activist group" with a campaign "to discredit the VPD" and "hijack" the justice system. "I do not believe they are a credible organization," he said in response to questions.

Pivot has since disputed the chief's comments, noting nine of the complaints were substantiated by the RCMP. Pivot is now calling on Graham to release the RCMP report.

"The chief is not in a position to comment on the credibility, generally, of our organization, given that he doesn't know the full extent of the work that we do," said Katrina Pacey, president of Pivot's board. "If he wants to comment on the credibility in relation to our policing work, then I don't think he can do so honestly without disclosing the RCMP report."

Pacey, winner of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, doesn't believe the chief's comments will hurt Pivot's funding, which comes from various organizations. They include the Law Foundation of B.C., the Canadian Bar Association, VanCity and Status of Women Canada.

"We feel very well supported by a number of high-profile private and government funders, and that support is ongoing, and is not threatened by the comments of the chief," she said. "We feel that our credibility is strong."

Baxter said Pivot and the other successful applicants were chosen by a five-person panel, including Gina Sufrin, executive director of the Assembly of B.C. Arts Councils and Lydia Marston-Blaaw, general manager of Massey Theatre in New Westminster.

Baxter said the chief's comments came after the panel had decided to fund Pivot, but noted it wouldn't have made a difference if the comments were made earlier.

"Pivot Legal has knowledge of the Downtown Eastside, and that was seen to be important because this project is happening in the Downtown Eastside, and we didn't want to have a situation where something was being parachuted in."

Added Baxter: "And certainly, I don't think anyone could say anything against Geist magazine. It's a very credible magazine."

posted on 04/12/2005