Description: Urban Indigenous Health and Wellness Cooperative
Kílala Lelum (Urban Indigenous Health and Healing Cooperative) aims to partner Indigenous Elders with physicians and allied health professionals to provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual care to the community in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Beginning on April 5 & 6, 2023, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) led a large-scale, forced displacement operation planned by the City of Vancouver (CoV) to remove people and their belongings from East Hastings street. As a Downtown Eastside (DTES) Indigenous healthcare organization, Kílala Lelum stands against this show of force and blatant disregard for what we believe is the threshold for basic human rights.
Kílala Lelum frontline staff witnessed numerous instances of physical violence, arrests, unprovoked escalation, intimidation, and verbal abuse by police officers. At least one of our workers was shouted at by an officer for attempting to help a resident decamp in a safe way. We witnessed significant damage and theft of property, such as tents and personal belongings. For many of the impacted individuals, these were a majority of their belongings. Several of our staff witnessed police officers shamefully pus