Busking in Nanaimo

[kickidee]

Can you get some physiotherupy for that hand piper? Bodies heal in their own due time and the motions your hand needs to make are patterned from decades of use through your neural pathways. It takes time for the mylon and pathways to regroup.. It is imposible to be patient when you have lost a most meaningfull skill. (and one that has made you a living)
I admire your dedication to a related activity and your choice to keep going with your busker advocasy. It will allow you to slide back into being a street entertainer once more when the stoke damages heal. Life knew what kind of challenge to throw at you to test you out, that is for sure. Wishing you a sooner rather than later return to your favorite occupation. None the less I am happy you continue the endeavor to benifit all buskers.

[queen of the waterfront]

I think you are becoming an advocate Piper.

Again we come ack to the use of PUBLIC SPACE.

Who owns it? Who controls it?

Does PUBLIC not mean belonging to the community be it city provincial or federal?

Panhandlers and buskers have different definitions. Some people see both as looking for a handout. I couldnt panhandle even when i was a homeless teenager. i would do anything other than beg.I want to give something for what I get. I have always considered busking to be work. i dont stand on a corner with my hand out. i dont ask for money.

That said , our society has more panhandlers and buskers than I saw in sixties. If I could not play music what could I do? Why do we have so many people who have chosen the streets to find money for food, or to fuel addictions? Have we raised a whole generation of people who dont fit in or cant cope with so called normal life? Something is wrong with the whole picture. It has become an us and them.

Business people , merchants and the working general public must resent the fact that buskers and panhandlers are somewhat like gypsies. After all they have had to work all of their lives to get what they have. Why should a busker be allowed to play when he or she feels like it? Why dont they get a real job?

Perhaps they cant. Our generation is the first to have so many single parents raising children on very little money. Many of those children who are now adults havent had the advantages that two parent families do. How many children were latch key kids because both of their parents were trying to make ends meet?

Instead of looking at our street people as degenerates and freaks ,we should be thinking about why a rich country like Canada has so many poor people. Why do we have so many foodbanks and homeless people? how can we turn things around and make these people useful in our society?

[Piper]

Lets look at a busker in Nanaimo; First of all you must get a license. Next you must do an audition, next you must take a buskers workshop then you are licensed and given places to play some are good and some are not. When I have gone through the process of being a licensed busker I look at busking as my job for many reasons, I love busking, I am good at it, I make money, I am a disability client who met the provincial criteria to have the status as a disabled person, I am more disabled now than I was 6 weeks ago when I lost the use of my left hand. After my rent is paid I support 3 people on $588.00
per month (peanuts) As a busker I have the potential to double that amount if indeed I don't have to deal with a bylaw that stops me from helping myself to support my family or having to deal with stakeholders in Nanaimo who demand that buskers need a whip behind them to adhere to their rules.
I have been told that busking is the 2nd oldest profession in the world and we all know what is #1 it starts with the letter (P) It's not easy when you try to do good for yourself and others when you are stopped by simple minded people who don't have a clue about busking or buskers. If you want to be a doctor you go and learn till you get where you are going and the same applies to other professions including busking. Let me give you an example of one of the many challenges I face as a busker everyday.
A couple of months ago I pulled into a disability parking spot at Swy-a-lana with my disability pass displayed on my vehicle which I pay for and was told to move as I'm not disabled now how do you think the rest of my day went?
Many disabilities are not visible as at least one person thought. It's a proven fact according to a magazine I read that service providers are the worst offenders of people with disabilities. I strongly believe that most of the stakeholders involved in the review of the street entertainers bylaw are service providers including bylaw services. Need I say anymore?

[Piper]

2009, this is the year for buskers to come together, it appears that buskers are now more united than ever as you check out busking on google. There are so many buskers groups all over the world who are now teaming up with each other to spread the word about the meaning of a busker. I have joined a few of these groups and also have met many buskers who are now on my face book many of them are such talented people who are looking for the same thing as I am, the right to perform on the streets without harassment.
I have been invited to buskers festivals in Calgary and other places which I may attend to gather information about the challenges buskers have to deal with in other cities. The hurry-up and wait game is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Let's see what happens as buskers unite around the world.

[queen of the waterfront]

Lets start right here in Nanaimo. Lets start with geting rid of an ILLEGAL INJUNCTION

DISCRIMINATION AT THE PORT AUTHORITY

A BYLAW THAT IS UNENFORCABLE AND ONLY ENFORCED ON LICENCED BUSKERS

WHY ARE WE PAYING TO BE HARASSED AN CRIMINALISED?

[Piper]

I noticed on another thread today that the topic was about a waterfront for the rich, How true it is as I remember our busking meeting December 4th 2008 there was a bit of discussion about a new group of stakeholders who are moving into the new condos at the waterfront and how it so happens that input from them must be heard. The way I see it is that they will make all decisions on who can access the walkway and when. I'm not a person that can see into the future but in 8 months I can come back on this thread and say I told you so.

[kickidee]

Well it just figures dosnt it? I can hear the words of the always wise support the present system proclaimers saying, yes they have invested and they will live there so it is only fair they have say. I say they can have their say in their lofty condos and they can chose many things but leave our waterfront alone!! It belongs to all citizens of nanaimo, and when you move somewhere you must take it as is. Do not try and take the color texture and soul from the city of Nanaimo. We are different and we want to stay that way. Oh well enough things to get our dander up about today without projecting more worries. I sure hope we dont have a whole group of fat cats comming in being allowed to change everything because they have money and can pay to get their way!!

[neecy2k]

Unfortunately we live by the Golden Rule - they who have the gold make the rules.

[kickidee]

Gold comes in more forms than money. Well just have to help them understand that the soul of a community and all of its talents need to be expressed in the way artists do. We will convince them that Nanaimo was a good move because now they have privilaged access to its soul too. Or....sigh am I just somewhere over the rainbow?
Speaking of which, piper my friend I hear that old hand is begining to move again. Please let us know. I could use a good and positive thing to smile about!

[Piper]

You know back in 2001 through to 2003 while we were busking there was a lady in the apartment block on Front Street who continuously called the police and bylaws on us just because she didn't like our music. (It's a fact I have a copy of her complaints to the bylaw office) The Black velvet band was the song she hated and would call the law on us everyday we played it. This lady was a stakeholder, a resident of an apartment who believed that she had the power to get rid of us from busking on our waterfront. She also made her way to where we were performing to start an argument with me. I have not heard a word about her since the city stopped the court proceedings against my family and me. I do have a couple of choice words for her. I also had many troubles with the city of Nanaimo’s Tom Hickey (Parks & Rec) dictating a bylaw to me that had not been passed at council yet. He still works for the city and can be seen on city council during meetings. Now lets assume that foreshore property at one time came all the way up to the Tally ho and was filled in with rocks and grass planted on top. Is that no longer foreshore? And do all the Federal rules relating to Foreshore get eliminated because someone decided to fill it in and call it city property? Because they done all the work with your money? I rather doubt it Foreshore property is Federal land, which belongs to all Canadians, and all Canadians should have the right to use the property, which belongs to them. Once again I will challenge the city if I have to and this time I am more educated than I was before and I am ready. Is there more about my busking experiences in Nanaimo? You bet and I have lots to tell.