A Seattle Police officer shot a man Wednesday afternoon in the Columbia City neighborhood, after the man allegedly fired a gun and assaulted his partner during a domestic violence incident. Soon thereafter, the man took off with the couple’s one-year-old daughter, according to a spokesperson with the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
SPD says they received a call just before 2:15 p.m. that reported a man and woman arguing at the Rainier Playfield near 37th Avenue South and South Oregon Street. The man reportedly fired a gun, and then took their infant daughter before fleeing on foot.
Columbia City is pretty empty these days. Businesses have been closed for weeks and residents are largely staying home except for some outdoor exercise and quick trips for essentials. Walking through the normally busy district, the dark shop windows and lonely grey sidewalks can feel a little eerie. That is until a shimmer and pop of color from a nearby telephone pole suddenly catches the eye. Then, more color explodes on a pole across the street, and on another farther along. Someone has created bright, beautiful portraits of influential women, speaking powerful quotes, and hung them all over the neighborhood. For a moment, inspiration and happiness replace the uncertainty and sadness of pandemic.
In South Seattle, those who are uninsured, face housing instability, or are undocumented immigrants have few places to turn other than sliding-scale neighborhood clinics like Neighborcare. With South End locations in Columbia City, Rainier Beach, and Georgetown, Neighborcare typically provides vital medical, dental and behavioral care to South King County residents as well as those who have been pushed out by gentrification and come to the clinic from as far away as Kent and Tukwila. Continue reading South Seattle Neighborcare Response to COVID-19 Exposes Health Care Inequities→
(This article was originally published in Real Change and has been reprinted with permission)
by Lisa Edge
When Osa Elaiho enters his studio in the early morning hours of the day, he begins with a routine before making a brush stroke on the canvas. First, he starts with a prayer. Next up is music to set the tone. His taste ranges from composer Antonio Vivaldi to Burna Boy, an Afro Fusion singer and songwriter who has two songs on the new “Lion King” soundtrack. Each chord fuels his ingenuity. His passion for music is as strong as his love for creativity.
It’s hard to miss Javoen Byrd as he enters Empire Espresso on Edmunds Street in Columbia City. He sports a cream colored outfit with soft gold balls dangling from the collar, an Aso Yoruba. It’s an outfit I’ve seen him wear several times when tapping his hands on a set of drums in celebration of his African heritage.
Music from two different block parties wound its way down the block and into the ears of Columbia City’s and Hillman City’s pedestrians on the late afternoon of July 27. The parties, held at Big Chickie and City Teriyaki, were part of the first annual South End Heritage Festival.
Festival organizer Benjamin Hunter is excited for the upcoming South End Heritage Festival on July 27, an event meant to blend a musical festival and the Rainier Valley Heritage Festival.
Columbia City Gallery smells, unsurprisingly, like oil paint. There’s a slight breeze in the gallery, and it’s quiet except for the air conditioner’s hum. An artist, one of the gallery’s current members, is working a shift in the gift shop and says hello. There’s an ease to being in the space.
As we welcome in the New Year, there are many reasons to celebrate. But perhaps one of the biggest is that on January 1, Washington took a huge step toward ensuring that workers across the state will have access to comprehensive paid family and medical leave for the first time. This will make a huge difference in the lives of so many families, and I’m especially excited about the changes it will bring for mine.
