by Jamil Suleman
We left our city in the wrong hands, and now it’s showing with the militarized corporate takeover we are attempting to combat.
It makes sense really; Seattle will be a bastion of economic growth amongst a slowly declining nation. Add the geographical positioning in the current assessment of the effects of climate change and it’s even more obvious why we truly are the “Emerald City”. One of the last jewels in the crown of the American Empire, as it implodes from within due to neglect and violence.
Our city will thrive while whole states within the union will essentially decline and collapse, leaving people jobless and homeless, left to their own disposal as trade deals like the TPP move multinational corporations overseas to pursue the bottom line.
In the PNW, we will go through a relative boom. Increasing development coupled with the expansion of tech companies will create a bubble city, similar to the new construction in the Amazon sector. For those who can afford it, or who are allowed to stay, affleunce and “progress” will be more and more evident. The streets will be swept clean, as the homeless are annexed out to the perimeter of the city and eventually the county, creating new suburban slums mixed with displaced Seattlites and working class families. Immigrants. People of Color…
The Meek.
It begs to ask the question, where do you really want to be in that type of situation? Comfortably nestled amongst the opulent and yuppish, or stranded amongst the people as we become increasingly more policed and forced to fend for ourselves. If we can envision a model of progress that sees women leading alongside men equally, people of diverse heritages leading together equally, respecting and listening to the voice of the oppressed, the Indigenous, in tune with the natural environment and in harmony with the flow of nature… It can be done.
It is gardens and tiny homes, clothing swaps and neighborhood cleanups, potlucks, park jams and block parties. It’s the People, coming together, appreciating one another, accepting each unique contribution, and being content with living lightly on our Earth as we attempt to triage the damage we caused when we were (are) more carnal and unconscious. As we awaken, we can see the beauty and bliss in just the little things in life, the pleasure of family and good food, animals and clean water. These things are truly the highlight of creation, and in our unawakened state we left it in neglect to die off. But this can change…
It changes when each one of us takes responsibility for our own personal power. When we give ourselves the go ahead to stand in it, appreciate it, love it, and share it with pride without fear of rejection or death. To face those fears, and still carry on with your purpose, which is to grow to a point where your unique expressions are finally given their full blossoming. It awaits us all, whether here or in another dimension, but in this time, and in this place, what a unique opportunity…
To blossom in a time of decay, to grow out of the ashes of the old and to re-imagine ourselves as the true stewards of the Planet we were always intended to be. It’s about responsibility. It’s about choice.
What will happen to this City? We don’t know yet. As it stands, the people are actively organizing to stop this militarized corporate takeover, to stand up to our corrupt mayor and city council, and demand justice. Not for ‘just us’, but for ALL of Us.
We are the ones we have been waiting for, but time is running short, and their cranes and crews are coming to displace us once again.
Will we be the Rose from Concrete that grew out of rubble of a broken idea of industrialization as a new community of unified people? Or will we be pushed out, as the rich fortress themselves with police tanks and violent, fear based policy…
That will be up to us.
But time is ticking…
Mount up.
Featured image is a creative commons photo attributed to Maciek Luiko
“It changes when each one of us takes responsibility for our own personal power. When we give ourselves the go ahead to stand in it, appreciate it, love it, and share it with pride without fear of rejection or death. To face those fears, and still carry on with your purpose, which is to grow to a point where your unique expressions are finally given their full blossoming. It awaits us all, whether here or in another dimension, but in this time, and in this place, what a unique opportunity…” this whole paragraph is fire bro.
What do you think it’ll take to unify different groups of people to build a new community in Seattle?
It’s going to take a unified vision and a sense of urgency, I think inevitably the forces of displacement will meet those forced to remove in a battle for our city. This may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back… let’s just hope we’re not the camel.
4 Points for Affordability
1. A progressive income tax on high-end earners. This reduces demand and inequality which is at the heart of the problem. (the state would have to do this one)
2. Increase zoning capacity to concentrate regional land value within the city of Seattle (and also under the city’s jurisdiction so you can…)
3. Tax the value of land when property sells. This can be done with a development fee that scales with the size or cost of the development (which is proportional to land value) because developers will pay less when they buy land to develop. Linkage fees and inclusionary zoning are examples of this.
4. Spend the new income tax and land value tax proceeds on building government or non-profit owned housing that is designed for middle- and low-income earners not presently served by new development.