VANDU's 'yuppie gazing tour' takes aim at Downtown Eastside walking events

"Yuppie gazing" toursorganized by the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) wereheld this weekin response to a neighbourhood walking event last week that wascriticized as promoting poverty tourism.

Area tours organized byguide Jenn Potterof Socially Responsible Vantookgroups of people through the city's downtrodden neighbourhood.

Potter previously told CBC News that the tours were meant to promote social enterprise in the area, butVANDU board memberKaren Ward said that's not the case.

"The bulk of the tour and what people are apparentlyactually looking for is walking the streets and gawking at people who are homeless," Ward said.

"Basically you'recommodifyingthe experience ofpovertyand distress. It's certainly something that we felt theneed to take some action against."

'You're pushed along'

Ward said she haslived onthe Downtown Eastside for a decade withdisability payments that only cover $375 per month for rent. During that time,she haswatched gentrificationsweep through her neighbourhood, block by block.

"There'sa couple [of businesses]that have opened up thatcater to the higher-income community, selling ice cream cones for $6 and lunches for $15 and up places thatobviouslyexclude low-income people," she said.

"You're pushed along, either implicitly orexplicitly, from thosehigher-incomeplaces."

Ward said about a dozen participants were guided through Chinatown and Main Street on Tuesday, ending up at the Carnegie Centre.

When onlookers took photos of the participants, Ward said, members of thegroup took photos of them in return.

"The idea for our members was to turn the conversation about the gaze, about looking at people, andthinking about how it feels when it's done to us without our consent."

She said most of the people the group encountered were supportive, with a few exceptions.

"Someone from one of the new buildings felt the need to give us the finger and yell at us as we were walking in our own neighbourhood," Ward said.

With files from Chantelle Bellrichard