by Ryan Calkins
KOMO’s Eric Johnson released his Fight for the Soul of Seattle, a follow-on to his earlier Seattle is Dying. For 90 minutes, Johnson alternates between his narration of scenes of people in crisis on our streets and interviews with people who support his overall thesis that drugs — and our laissez-faire approach to addressing their impact on the residents of Seattle — are the problem.
Continue reading OPINION: We Can’t Win the Fight for the Soul of Seattle From the Sidelinesby Paul Kiefer
(This article originally appeared in PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement)
On Monday, the office of City Attorney Pete Holmes asked Federal District Court Judge Richard Jones to reverse his Dec.7 ruling that the city acted in contempt of a court order restricting the Seattle Police Department’s (SPD) use of force at protests. In a motion filed with the Federal District Court of Western Washington, Holmes argued that Jones’ initial ruling held the city to an unreasonable standard for compliance with the court’s orders, and that the court lacked strong evidence to support the contempt ruling.
Continue reading Seattle Asks Court To Reverse Contempt Decision In Case Involving Use of Force Against Protestersby M. Anthony Davis
The last time the Emerald caught up with Black and Tan Hall (B&TH), the South Seattle performing arts and restaurant space deeply rooted in the history of Rainier Valley, we spoke with co-founder Ben Hunter about their Hall-i-Day Party. During that conversation, Hunter mentioned some of the struggles B&TH had been having with leasing their space.
Continue reading Grant Empowers Black and Tan Hall To Purchase Venue and Chart a Path to Reopening in 2021by Marti McKenna
Beacon Hill’s The Station coffee shop has long been a hub of community activity and advocacy, hosting everything from meetings to artwork to a free pantry. Now it’s home to Washington State’s first Short Story Dispenser, courtesy of the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and French publisher Short Édition.
Continue reading The Station Cafe Hosts Washington’s First ‘Short Story Dispenser’ — and It’s Freeby Melody Ip
Whether Kim-Khánh Văn is serving on the Renton City Council, advocating for clients as an attorney, leading as co-president of the Parent-Teacher Association, volunteering with numerous community organizations — and now running for King County Council — she boils her motivation down to this phrase: “acknowledging privilege, being grateful for opportunities, and paying it forward.”
Continue reading Kim-Khánh Văn Aims for King County CouncilThe Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.
We’ll also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.
Today on the show:
Justin Carder – CapitolHillSeattle.com | LIVE
Cal Anderson Park has been swept… but what’s next?
Congress reaches agreement on Stimulus
by Erica C. Barnett
Last week, the Seattle City Council quietly adopted legislation that will have far-reaching implications for groups that mobilize ordinary people to lobby the mayor, city council, and other city officials.
The bill, proposed by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) and shepherded by council president Lorena González, will require so-called grassroots lobbyists to register with the city and disclose their contributions and expenditures.
Continue reading A Guide to Seattle’s New Lobbying Rulesby Chamidae Ford
Located on Rainier Avenue South, in the heart of Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood, the historic Life Enrichment Bookstore (L.E.M.S) has officially reopened its doors.
Founded by Vickie Williams over 20 years ago as a bookstore and cultural hub for people to gather, it is one of two Black-owned bookstores in the state. The Vanishing Seattle blog detailed ways L.E.M.S has created an environment for the local community to come together: “[It] held space for African church services, recovery groups, job training for formerly incarcerated folks, and holiday and Kwanzaa bazaars for #blackowned businesses.” For many years, Dr. Maxine Mimms facilitated a monthly community gathering at the bookstore to teach Black history.
Continue reading Historic L.E.M.S Bookstore Reopensby Brett Hamil
You can now order “Modest Incremental Change NOW,” a collection of my Sunday Comix spanning the entire messed-up summer of revolution, copaganda and liberal cooption in Seattle. Order your copy at: https://bretthamil.bigcartel.com/
Brett Hamil is a writer, cartoonist and performer living on the South End of Seattle. He produces the weekly comedy show Joketellers Union and the political comedy talk show The Seattle Process. The Seattle Weekly (RIP) once called him “the city’s premier political comic.”
by Alexa Peters
Before COVID-19, Ballard resident Gracey Cockram lived the busy, fulfilling life of a stay-at-home mom. On a typical day, she’d wake up early, get her 15-year-old daughter up for swim practice, shuttle her to the pool with friends, come home, check the news, take a shower, do the laundry, go to the gym, go to the grocery store, walk the dogs, drive her daughter to a part-time babysitting gig, then begin to prepare dinner.
These days, despite living in a 900-square-foot condo with her fiancé and daughter, Cockram spends a lot of time alone, feeling “defeated” — and it’s no wonder. Her once-active 15-year-old now remains in her room for nearly twelve hours a day studying for her AP classes, and has since become prone to anxiety and worrying emotional outbursts. After holding out for months, Cockram and her fiancé were forced to reschedule their June 2021 wedding due to the pandemic. Cockram’s extended family in Florida has stopped talking to them due to disagreement about how to handle COVID-19. And now, she can’t even get out of the house for a trip to the gym for an important kick of endorphins.
Continue reading As Pandemic Drags On, Parents Cope With Mental Health Challenges
