Lee Matasi was killed on December 3^rd of 2005, outside the Red Room Nightclub in Downtown Vancouver. He was killed because Dennis White decided to get wasted and go to the club with a gun. Lee had never met White, but when White was flaunting his gun, Lee told him that it wasn’t cool. The execution style murder occured shortly after Lee made this comment.

Despite fingerprints, over a dozen witnesses, and security camera footage, White received house arrest and didn’t get his full sixteen-year sentence until 2007.

December 27^th 2009 would have been Lee Matasi’s 28^th birthday. His friends gathered at the Astoria in East Vancouver to dance, listen to Wu-tang and eat birthday cake. It was a party that Lee would have loved. 

My most prominent memories of Lee consist of his hugs and his comedy. He would pick me up and spin me around until I was laughing. If a party was boring, he made it fun. If a party was fun, he multiplied the fun. The light he represented also translated into actions that made Vancouver better.

I remember seeing Ellen Woodsworth at Main and 33rd supporting residents as they protested against the demolition of their homes. As time progressed, developers became more aggressive with their "relocation" tactics, desolation expanded, and demolition began.

In February, I interviewed Red1of the Rascalz to shine light on this issue. In July, I wrote a dense essay-like article about the injustices involved. Despite public out-cry, demolition proceeded.

I sat down with Ellen Woodsworth on December 11th, to discuss the loss of Little Mountain.

604 Delite contained theatrical elements and entertaining narratives that pushed the boundaries of traditional dance performances. On Sunday at the Vogue Theatre Vancouver’s top dance crews received a standing ovation for their flawless performances. Although the crews within this showcase are often travelling and gaining recognition on an international level, they felt it was important to come together for the sake of building community.

Over The Influence was a central dance crew of this showcase. In the first half of the show, they became ninjas, representing fire, earth, water and air. They covered numerous urban dance genres that were seamlessly blended over Wu-tang samples and house music. In the second half of the show, they covered thirty years of Hip-Hop history in about fifteen minutes. These pieces are discussed further in the VO’s interview with Over the Influence.

Christabel Shaler continues her conversation with David Eaves about open source government....

VO: Tell me about the “Death of Journalism.”

Eaves: This subject is usually approached in terms of what it means for journalists, which is like approaching the discussion of the auto industry and talking about what’s good for automakers. We’re not looking at what is good for citizens and consumers.

It’s not about whether we can save the New York Times. It’s about how we can make interesting news. People assume that the infrastructure of the world would stay the same even if traditional media died, which isn’t true.

There is currently a decline in traditional media and an increasing distrust in journalists. You are seeing people demand a greater transparency from the institutions that govern them. It’s not only that we don’t trust the government, but we’ve also lost trust in the media to report on the government. We don’t trust any institution that’s opaque.