Date: Thursday-Oct-27-2005 Subject: Picasso, Carr and Racial Slurs Security: Public Mood: irritated Music: TSN Sports News Tags: art gallery, racism, sean, trev, vancouver

We just got back from an evening at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which was having a Picasso Exhibit. Sean, Trev and I were looking forward to a night culture and pretty colors. The Picasso exhibit was really cool, he was an artist I never gave the time of day but tonight I saw how much talent and the man had. I got a little bored with his neo-classical sketches and was more interested in his paintings. The Emily Carr floor was also really cool. Her work is so beautiful and just reeks of BC. Do we Maritimers have any artist that we can look to?

Moving on, Trevor was hungry so we stopped at the A&W located at the Commercial/Broadway skytrain station. Steve, you know the area we're talking about. A native woman (I'm using race here because it comes into play later on, otherwise I wouldn't include it) and asked to use the washroom. The Supervisor agreed and she went in while her friends waited. A couple of minutes later she came back and said there was no toilet paper, so the Supervisor gave her two napkins. Two. She looked at him funny and I believe one of her "colleagues" yelled something out about not giving her enough "ass wipe". The woman and the supervisor were both getting agitated, he said the toilet paper would be replaced in a few minutes and walked away. She got angry.

Another couple of minutes later and she's still there waiting to use the bathroom and she starts to get louder, the supervisor then changes his mind and says "Customers Only", she retorts saying she'll be purchasing something once she can wash her hands and use the washroom. No the Supervisor is saying "I'll give you something to wash your hands, order now." . Eventually she and her friend began arguing, nay, YELLING obsenities at the Supervisor. If I were the Supervisor of a professional establishment that had a large number of customers on the premises I probably wouldn't have reacted the way he did. He too joined in the yelling and while the Native woman started threatening him, he started to yell "I'LL SEE YOU IN HELL."... and "GO BACK HOME TO WHERE YOUR HUSBAND WORKS FOR YOU!" This is where she gets very riled up and starts yelling about his race, and "he should go back home" and "it's assholes like you who are taking over the country..fucking faggot.." etc. etc. Meanwhile, the rest of the customers are sitting there, some laughing nervously, others looking on in disgust, and others with their heads down, or just plain leaving the store. Eventually the two women left the store and things returned to normal. Needless to say there were a few snickers when someone came in a few minutes later asking to use the washroom.

It's really gross when people use race and stereotypes as a means of defense or insult. It's disturbing and gross, and just wrong. I felt bad for the Supervisor, but again, I think he could have handled himself a bit better (for the other customers sake) and just given the woman a couple more napkins to begin with. She was drunk and needed to piss and none of this would have happened. The customer is always right, or maybe that doesn't hold true at the Commercial/Broadway A&W.