The Human Face: Stories from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

[MrSupertwo]

Another fucken bum... There's no helping these people.

[hennessy122]

Jay z

[ZakYFresh]

whats the first little instrumental in this video? ive been looking for it mad

[corol33]

this guy is a fucking genius fuck id give him my bed

[sunset40ify]

Someone HELP this lady!!! She is asking for FOOD!!!

[PuffSmelly]

canadian bums are smarter than americans

[TheSunmanho]

@PuffSmelly

USA is a nation of bums, in Canada they are rare exceptions.

[ZakYFresh]

@PuffSmelly No doubt. No matter how you look at the DTES, these people are still fucking vancouverites. Vancouverites are usually pretty fucking smart people. Don't underestimate someone just because they look like a bum. Second dude had a psychology degree under his belt. What are most Americans doing?

"Hi mam, may I please take your order?"

[R0B0stairs]

I like the sister at the end, someone help her the fuck out!

[titties374]

y'know y'know y'know y'know y'know y'know y'know y'know

[jaisin17]

that black man at the begining was way smart- messed up couple times - but really smart...

[jaisin17]

I KNOW JESUS LOVES US ALL- THESE PEOPLE ARE SICK SICK- THEY GOT HOOKED ON THE FEEL GOOD- SELFISH ACT YES, BUT ALSO 100% SELF DESTRUCTIVE....

[funmakinmoney99]

@jaisin17 There's no god you may wanna get your head examined...I am afraid you might actually be crazy. Undiagnosed this can lead to further delusions. 

[matthewgroen]

These people are (mostly) descent, intelligent , peacefull men, i feel sorry for them. May their life be more pleasant in the nearby future.

[TKollaKid]

That fellow at the begging had incredible communication skills and was fairly charismatic. I enjoyed listening to him speak.

[hippyable]

God Bless all these people. That could be me. I'm not perfect that's for sure.

[TheIceman515069]

anyways, just out of curiosity, does anyone know where Kristan is nowadays?! hopefully she is doing much better now because she definitely deserves it! all she wants is food for herself and her child, she is not out to rip people off or steal from everyone, she seems like a very honest hard working woman who, again, is or was going through really tough times. i would really like to know where she is nowadays and see what her life has become. anyways, take care Kristan, i still pray for you!

[TheIceman515069]

to watch videos like this, you cant help but feel sorry for alot of these people?! most of them are decent people who are going through really hard times and they just want to eat and survive so that maybe some day they can get back on their feet and lead a nice normal life?! especially Kristan Woodhouse, she seems like such a nice woman, i feel so sorry for her and her situation. she is pregnant and all she wants is to heep herself and her baby healthy, and yet people still treat her like shit!

[GoodG4U2]

The Politicians need to listen to these Guys more to solve the social problems in Vancouver BC.

[vliuhk]

Lets do some volunteer work in DTES, lets do our part in the community.

In fact, DTES is not that horrible... there are still lots of LOVES in the community.

[nottzg]

holla to the nigger at the start,,hope it works out 4 tht guy..hes trying atleast

[samymasta]

This guy should do radio with the other homeless guy who is now famous,they'd make a duo

[TheAgwoodliffe]

Damn, if that guy wasn't addicted, he would be a great politician!

[keilaknightxox]

i wish i could take the pregant women in thats sad :(

[dourhmwrk]

awesome video, but the editing is a bit abrupt at the end of interviews - can never quite catch their last sentence.

[javstar2011]

i would buy this man some crack if eva see him.

[badsign1980]

i usually dont like blacks about 99% but this guy seems ok

[nottzg]

@badsign1980 haha so true

[lmollot]

u try 2 use roundthe clock magnesium/calcium?gives back the minerals to nerves that drug took out-it relaxed so LESS CRAVINGS-hope u do well-keep on-no withdrawal cramps-b/c magnesium RELAXESmuscles-a study used magnesium/calcium-to stop suicidal compulsion IN ONE WEEK-patients felt relief-happier-is there interest among your friends for this type of nutrition project?also mag/calc will help even when using-especially cures constipation-it takes the drug poison out of the body-TRY IT

[jennifer52566]

wish I could get an update on how this guy is doing now

[lmollot]

should have called it- the faces of adult survivors of foster care and residential schools

[wannaknowit]

This guy seems to be extremely intelligent..amazing....why on earth is he that low? He sounds and looks like a University professor! I feel sorry for him...he could not look more sober than this...

[Misssilverbullet]

I really like this video it does show more than most. People have to live dt to completely know dt... the ones who choose drugs will not be hired.THEY KNOW THAT

They shut down 2 of my work places 1 for low income housing and the other for condos. My sons schools have CUT the lunch, sports, and music programs and i PAY MORE IN TAXES so these ADULTS CAN HAVE FREE NEEDLES, METHADONE, HOUSING, CLOTHS AND FOOD???? we as this generation need to WAKE UP and stop this from happening to our children

[AidaKhanoom7]

Thank you for creating this video, sharing with us their perspective.

[taylor4canucks]

if i see that black guy downtown im gonna try to give him a break. some way, i dunno how but he's a smart guy he deserves a second chance

[c99sativa]

yes the first man is very intelligent , i wish him well, and send good karma his way, the second man is very real and i like them both, the girl too, this is much more then a drug problem, and mental health issues ,,,i dont have all the answers , but i do wish the powers to be to do alot more then they are doing . my heart goes out to them all, god bless you guys

[deathbythestairs]

Roll the joint. Light the Joint. Inhale the herb together now. Breathe it in. Hold it. And 3, 2, 1, Exhale. Crack a big grin! All together now... Breathe it in. Hold it. And 3, 2, 1, Exhale. Exhale. Stop that coughing. The tension leaves. And yes, you’ve done it! You're high on weed.

[LaLiLuLeLo1991]

The black guy sort of looks like Eli Vance from Half-Life 2.

[purplekush604]

watch: "streats of plenty"

[PuraVid4]

Ive met the first guy while he was high a few months ago. He stopped my friend and I and asked us for 10 bucks.

[Istina52]

The face of humanity can be soooooooo SAD!!!

Can't believe anyone could deny someone food when they are well within their means to provide it. That is plain EVIL!!!

[thorfoxxx]

is anyone elses videos keep stopping like an 1/8th of the way thorugh

[boussou]

i hope that all of you non Muslims see why we Muslims reject your democracy and your liberal way of thinking (insanity) !! because this is unfortunately the result ! where are your billionaires, where are those who you elect, where that so called elite that promises you freedom, equality and fraternity ? is this the so called freedom of choice ?? my heart is with these poor victims of the system !! hopefully, the clever of you understands why we want to be ruled by our Islamic law !!!

[wattapassa]

@boussou instead, i have a much better idea! lets let a very small group of people decide FOR us what choices we should and shouldnt make in life!

[boussou]

@wattapassa in islam nobody decides for you !! the law of a GOD is clear and easy to follow, unlike that bunch of man made law that barely people understand !! everyday a new law is added to suit your elite's desires ! if you think that you decide for yourself in the so called modern west you've got to be kidding me !! and unfortunately you've contaminated our society but putting dictators ruling over us without our consent !!!

[wattapassa]

@boussou i have heard from many friends that the whole middle eastern region is just set back a few years. we, the most succesful nations, have gotten to the point that we have laws ENSURING the equal treatment of man and women. you talk about us making laws to suit the elite of our country, well you have laws ensuring that men can have 9 wives, and adultery is punished with death? take care of your own equalty issues before trying to SOLVE the worlds problems in an internet comment.

[boussou]

@wattapassa well my friend u've definitely heard wrong! the woman in islam is like a jewel, unlike in the west, for you to sell a tire you have to put a naked women beside it, your so called "successful nations" are, only in what's materialistic, when it comes to morals, it's another talk, people have sex in the streets nowadays !! this is animal behavior not human's ! in Islam, polygamy exist, but under conditions and by the way the # isn't 9 ! it exists in Christianity 2 !keep reading ..

[boussou]

@wattapassa if equality for you means that a women can become a high govt official for example, well, we have that 2 , we have women ministers and so on ..! however when it comes to the nature of the 2 genders , this is a different story ! the majority of women in the west work degrading jobs to be able to provide for a family without a father ! if shari'a law is applied such dehumanization wouldn't be allowed !! and keep in mind that our govts are not islamic they're a smaller version of urs

[mapleleaf79]

how about canada stop giving all the $ to the Indians and start looking after the homeless??

[thegirl44]

@mapleleaf79

Why pump money iinto social programs for the homeless if the rest of society wont let you do anything with it? Halfway houses, low income housing, clean injection sites, methadone clinics, free clinics all depend on the good graces, or lack thereof, of the surrounding community. When is the last time that you've heard about low income housing being proposed in an area that wasn't protested by the existing inhabitants? We have too much of an "us and them" mentality to change.

[Xeidasx]

@mapleleaf79 have you seen the downtown eastside theyre full of indians!! get rid of the indians and there would be 50 people down there!! i drive by everyday

[redriverboater]

That colored guy should have obamas job. Bending over for bp oil.

[adv1k]

I LOVE INTELLIGENT JUNKIES

[xlilcutie93x]

Canada should stop investing so much money in gonig to Afghanistan and start investing money in helping people in it's own country. Taxing higher income even more heavily will just cause people to end up moving to the states.. o.0

[Tevujin]

This is such a hard topic to deal with. I dont know what I think is right. It seems like its a never ending problem, and it keeps getting worse. All I know for sure is that these are human beings, who deserve to be treated like a human and have a right to life just like everybody else.

[dubbymacky]

thats obamas canadian brother

[cxbra]

The first brotha' man that they were talkin to knew a lil bit, he could give some politicians a run for their money (or their lives).

[greenkhan]

hilarious how all the homeless and underachivers are all white or black and the people who made the video are from asian countries, shows a big difference in cultural, family support etc. very depressing. The homeless are lower income people in Japan are so different than the 1s there. nice videos guys

[sm0kd0g]

dont be fucking ignorant. your complete idiot. go to the downtown east side walk from west to east all the way through thne make that same statement. It is in no way shape or form hilarious.

[greenkhan]

I lived in Vancouver for 23 years and grew up in East Van :) I didnt mean it was HIRLARIOUS. I meant the fact that all the immigrants are more successful than LOCALs is hilariously, which in turn = sad :( U missed my meaning. Either way, you shouldnt talk to people like that :( It makes me sad.

[sm0kd0g]

your a fuckin retard! i know exactly what you meant. if you grew up in east van.. head over to where im from. go to strachcona look around and see if EVERYONE you see isnt fuckin asian. dont parade around with your racist shit about how much more family oriented you THINK your people are and you stupid shit about how depressed you are... GO THE FUCK HOME. go back to your family and tell everyone whos plannin to comin here to fuckin stay home to.

[greenkhan]

dude Im WHITE! lol

sorry that you dont want to discuss normally. reality sucks. :( Please dont argue with me or get mad...only discuss please

[FikiNom]

The black dude knew what he was talking about and I do not know what that has to do with anything. People who see race are losers. This is a problem that affects people. Grow up

[greenkhan]

Yeah he was pretty smart, fun to listen to. Peace and have good day. ;)

[JogBird]

They should hire these folks to run the Olympics.

[cxbra]

@JogBird LMAO

[JasonKlassenMusic]

A few bad setbacks and I believe this could happen to anyone of us.

[jebus0000000]

I have been to Vancouver and I know a lot of Canadians. Quite frankly I think that this problem is caused by the north american approach to life. Those Canucs do nothing to solve this problem. Why doesn;t shit like that happen here in Europe? Don't get me wrong, we do have drug addicts here but we try and take care of people who have problems, not just let them die on the streets. I think this is despicable!

[freddycat54]

I wouldn't say "north american approach to life" is accurate. The truth sits in american drug policy and the control that the U.S. policies hold over Canadian govt. drug policies ( let alone foreign policies, trade policy, etc. ) Peace from Canada

[swansonlloyd]

The gov't should star investing in the people that God gave them commission to do

[ringwr4ith]

9:01 i seen that guy around 7/11

[mrpopenfresh]

The second guy sure is enjoying his situation.

[JacobDeleuran]

julietteiluj- Who cares if you don't believe her story.  She obviously has a rough and tough road to walk - you stupid dumbass bitch :(

[skumbum209]

its not dangerouse. just kind of depressing

[TrandomnesstwO]

Haha 8:52 POS tag.

[BloggerMusicMan]

I went to Vancouver in 2008 on vacation. After I went to Gastown I walked down the Downtown Eastside, what an experience going through that area of Vancouver. It was sad but incredibly enlightening.

[ryancs1982]

that guys on coke. watch his jaw swivel and he cant get his story out fast enough

[AMXAMXAM]

SONG?

[eb352mm]

is this washington state?

[lesterclaypool1]

The Canadian version of Washington State. All pacific west coast major centers are pretty much the same.

[VMT450]

Omg eb352mm .. vancouver is in canada

[dknight416]

@eb352mm lol this is canada bruh

[Monstrance23]

Thanks for making this very illuminating video. It increases my awareness that the people in this situation are very much like the rest of us just with the addition of their own personal tragedies, mistakes and life circumstances. The way that the people in this film explain how they got where they are really encouraged me to re-evaluate my assumptions about the street people of that area.

[gmhoward]

Naive much?

[vermonofdeceit]

graduated my ass

[lagang832]

CANADA BITCH

[soowoopdat410]

eloquent crackhead

[mannynunes]

I think that the tristan woodhouse is full of shit. please going to church every sunday and the church couldnt help her.please maybe she should have study harder in high school

[ivanaman]

You're right.

[julietteiluj]

She had drug ravaged teeth. I don't believe her story.

[TheGerg333]

even that first homeless fellow makes the mistake of putting the economic importance of the olympics ahead of the well being of people in british columbia. the olympics may pay for itself in 20 years but what about education environment and the homeless epodemic. even now that we have extended ourselves into this expensive project we can not forget our obligations to the welfare of our brothers

[dubbymacky]

@TheGerg333 if it wasnt for the olympics vancouver wouldnt be doing as well as it is now

[Gazooo29]

Where the Hell was she sleeping where they robbed her(East Side).

I know for a Fact I will be staying away from the East Side.

[presencamemorias]

how does example can foreign junkies move to that area from columbia? looks safer and the drug is still all around

[Guruman17]

what is the opening song called?

[osn4p]

jay z- heart of the city

[NeutralExistence]

@osn4p

Thanks for the video man.

We need more info about this situation to get out.

I live in Calgary, Alberta (so not to far from Van), and I have never heard of this immensity of this situation until I started finding videos on You Tube about this. I really wish I could do something to help these people, but unfortunately it seems like its a situation that we have to deal with on a more global level.

Thanks for the video again.

[jceudge]

nice video. I wonder what will happen in the months/weeks/days leading up to the Olympics.

[SilentBud420]

RIOT 2010!!!!!!! lmao

[snowsk8steez]

really good job with your vid guys!

[tubesteakbooky]

this black fellow is very intelligent,someone should give him a break so he can find a good job. Maybe give him Gordon Campbell's job,he has some good sound ideas on helping the folks in the downtown east side.

[stutterAF]

@tubesteakbooky you have a good point but why do you have to put 'black fellow' in your statement?

[tubesteakbooky]

@stutterAF point taken,didn't mean to offend.I like black people.

[stutterAF]

@tubesteakbooky it's all right. im not black tho, im filipino, but when i hear someone say 'black' or 'coloured' it reminds me of uncle tom's cabin.

[shadowalker00]

@stutterAF so we knew he was talking about the black fellow! were you so stupid you couldn't figure that out?

[stutterAF]

@shadowalker00  he could've put 'the first guy' instead of 'black fellow'. congrats on showing your racist side.

[shadowalker00]

@stutterAF my racist side? i have black and white in me which side was being racist?

[shadowalker00]

@stutterAF ps, your the fucking racist cunt by pointing out that someone said 'black fellow' as if it was a bad thing, do you consider it a bad thing to be a 'black fellow'? are we supposed to pretend that he's not black? why would we pretend that he is not black? is being black a bad thing? i really must know if being black is a bad thing cos i was always kinda proud to be coloured but now u seem to think that its bad and we should never mention it ?!?!?!!?!?

[stutterAF]

@shadowalker00 wow. clearly you're the one with the problem here. look, tubesteakbooky isn't even trolling me right now because he gets it. he is what you would call an EDUCATED person. sadly, you're not one.

[shadowalker00]

@stutterAF haha you just claim that i would call him an educated person, how about letting me speak for myself haha. btw do my high distinctions mean im uneducated hahahaha

[shadowalker00]

@stutterAF so we knew that he was talking about the black fellow! were you that stupid you couldn't figure it out for yourself?

[jaggertone]

@tubesteakbooky Seriously, it's ridiculous that someone like this has to be homeless.

[aszxdfcvghbnjk]

props to this guy he admits his problems, and supports his habbits in a honest way, good karmas going ur way bro

[jawday12345]

Amazing that so many don't understand the causal relationship between social welfare and places like this that enable and perpetuate the very behaviors they purport to remedy. Of course the first gentleman is a "liberal through and through." He understands that liberalism means money, housing, etc. so that, should he choose to relapse, he would still be taken care of. The mitigation of consequences always produces irresponsibility.

[DellaFitzgerald]

Great video. Really, well put together. I don't believe her though, if she really wanted food, there are so many places to get it, you can get nearly three meals a day if you make yourself aware to the food programs out there and the times/days. I often had homeless people scoff at me when I gave them food or offered to buy them a slice of pizza.

[TypeSly]

Yes, I agree. I don't believe her either... who goes to businessses and asks to work for food? Also, one time a guy came up to my car to asking me for money because he was hungry. I realiuzed I had a (packaged) turkey sandwich and I offered it to him.  He gives me "the hand", and says "No thanks, I don't eat turkey. WTF?

[holcur]

yeah i definatly did NOT believe her lol...the fact that she kept saying she didnt want money just food made it obvious. But there are a few of them out there that are starving and aren't drug addicts which is the part that makes me sad...i would love to help them...specially the older guy that draws amazing pictures!

[johnnyhubum]

hi i live on vancouver iland

[ladybug138]

excellent work...

very moving...

g

[mgsulkis]

hey thanks so much for the video. i'm a student in vancouver and have been wanting to do something like this myself for a while now. there needs to be more of this and it needs to be seen by a wider audience. so many people out at UBC where I am have no concept nor do they seem to want to know a lot of the time.

thanks again.

[osn4p]

hey, thanks for the feedback! there's definitely a widespread misconception about the issue, but education is the first step to action. feel free to show this to your UBC friends :)

[punkyyygirl]

excellent video