I sat in the backroom of a business in Southeast Seattle, waiting for Robert to arrive. Known by his friends as “Bobby,” he walked in with a smile on his face and joy in eyes. The smile didn’t hide the tough life he’s had. I couldn’t help but notice his matted-down hair and torn jeans. He carried garbage bags full of his possessions and gave a loud, “Whew!” as he placed them on the counter. Continue reading ANALYSIS: Safety Underground: Waiting for Safe Injection Sites, Users Seek Spaces and Professionals Discreetly→
With challenges to abortion rights coming up in multiple states, and some alarming new laws taking effect in places, it’s hard to find a silver lining amidst the dark foreboding that Roe v. Wade might be next. However, it’s good to know that here in Washington, our right to control whether we give birth is currently not up for debate in Olympia. But how accessible is abortion in the Seattle area, and to whom? What else should we know about the state of reproductive access in Washington?
In an Op-Ed for the Seattle Times August 29, Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes wrote that he would no longer be “turning a blind eye” to protesters who invoke their First Amendment rights by using non-violent protest tactics that block city traffic, in reaction to recent protests earlier this year held by activists from multiple movements.
African Americans, especially children, are far more likely to be kicked out of Seattle libraries than patrons of other races, according to data the South Seattle Emerald obtained from the Seattle Public Library (SPL) through a public disclosure request.
Conversations around what the City of Seattle is doing to combat its burgeoning affordability crisis have been dominated by discussions of Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) and Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) policies. Some neighborhood groups are concerned these projects will not create the expected amount of affordable housing, while worsening the effects of redlining –– and a report from the City of Seattle supports the notion that the effects of MHA have the risk of disproportionately impacting communities of color.
(This article originally appeared in Real Change and has been republished with permission.)
Never is America’s hypocrisy and exclusionary nature more visible than on the Fourth of July. Since its inception, this country has largely disregarded the highly aspirational human rights decree, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Are these renowned words from the Declaration of Independence truths? Are they self-evident?
This is the first of a three-part series analyzing last week’s reports on Seattle’s homelessness crisis coming from City Hall. This week looks at Barbara Poppe’s recommendations (70 pages long), next week will look closer at Focus Strategies’ data findings (134 pages), and the following week will hone in on the Pathways Home report (68 pages) that was produced by the Human Services Division. South Seattle Emerald feels each document deserves the time to be combed through and scrutinized such that it may be reported on properly.
The recent recommendations on homelessness call for a complete overhaul of Seattle’s system. This means some drastic changes, program cuts, and new forms of evaluation. Though that sounds grim — and it very well may be for some — it’s needed.Continue reading Homelessness Report Calls For “Narrowing the Focus”→
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