by Kshama Sawant and Mike O’Brien, Seattle City Councilmembers

Over the next week, members of the Seattle Education Association (SEA), the union that represents educators in Seattle’s public schools, will be voting on whether to take an important step in defense of public education.

If this vote is approved by the SEA membership, our city’s public school educators will hold a one-day strike on May 1, International Workers’ Day and historically a day of immigrant rights protests. Continue reading Sawant and O’Brien: “If teachers go on Strike on May 1, We’ll Have Your Back!” →

by David Sauvion

Historically, Rainier Beach has always been a place for health and wellness. Seattleites would ride the electric trolley for a day at the beach and take in the fresh air, maybe a dip in the lake and enjoy expansive waterfront views. Before long, the area was built up and a new wave of settlers found homes where the Duwamish had previously established their village. The “little Island” became Pritchard Island, and the forest trail through the valley that connected it to the salt water (Elliott Bay) was named Rainier Ave S. Continue reading Op-Ed: The Need for Food Innovation in Rainier Beach →

by S.A.F.E in Seattle

On Tuesday the Seattle City Council became the first city, by a 9 to 0 vote, to end an 18-year relationship with Wells Fargo over its investment in the Dakota Access Pipeline. We’ve already seen the ripple effects of this as the Davis, CA Council also voted unanimously to sever its ties with Wells Fargo. S.A.F.E. in Seattle applauds this historic move as a blow not just for climate justice but, for housing justice as well.

Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction (SAFE) in Seattle has existed since 2012 in the wake of the Occupy Movement and the rise of resistance to corporate greed in cities across the country. Since then we have fought against the theft of homes of our neighbors by big banks, vulture capitalists, and developers and we’ve organized in low-income communities to put people before profit, without apology, and through direct action. Continue reading Op-Ed: Divesting From Wells Fargo is Only a Start →

by Mirit Markowitz

Dear Erin Jones,

Hi, this is Mirit Markowitz. I am a white genderqueer, (TRANS,) former organizer of the King County Seattle Area.

We only met twice before, so I would not be surprised if you don’t remember me. Once was at a business conference at University of Washington where I was woefully underdressed and just there to hang out with my much more accomplished friend, the other time we ran into each other at the H&M downtown. Continue reading Op-Ed: A Letter to Erin Jones From A White Genderqueer →

by Myani Guetta-Gilbert and Giulia Pasciuto

On Election Day, Puget Sound residents will have the opportunity to say YES to a truly regional transportation system.

Sound Transit Proposition 1 on your November ballot is an essential investment in a full-scale, regional public transportation system. Proposition 1 also includes policy measures that put our region on track to make sure that transit communities are inclusive, affordable, and more equitable than ever before. Continue reading Op-Ed: Proposition 1 Delivers on Equitable Development →

This letter is a call to action.  It is time for the City to take a new approach in responding to people who are homeless and living outdoors – one that strikes an appropriate balance between the rights and needs of people sleeping outdoors and legitimate public health and safety concerns.

When thousands of people are forced to live in public spaces, addressing their needs as best they can, the City must not pursue policies that harm people and make it more difficult to help them.  The City must not continue policies which chase people from one place to another, without  effectively answering the question: Where can people go? Continue reading An Open Letter to Mayor Murray and City Council On Seattle’s Unsheltered Residents →