.....In the three weeks I spent living and volunteering in the Downtown Eastside, I learned that those most marginalized in our affluent nation have so much to give, and so much to teach. Yet, as they struggle on the streets for survival, they bear the weight of stigma and scorn, enduring the fear, loathing, and voyeuristic curiosity of those more fortunate. They are sometimes considered nothing more than their labels: hooker, bum, junkie, runaway. However, those caught in the the deteriorating environment of the DTES are above all just human beings, and deserving of respect.