by Bryan Nakata
A new survey by the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs shows that almost half of the immigrants surveyed in Seattle do not know how or where to register vote, a community that already votes at lower rates than U.S.-born residents.
Continue reading Study: Lack of Information, Language Barriers Keep Immigrants from Voting
by Erica C. Barnett
The story of the school-to-prison pipeline is a familiar one: Nationwide, young Black men in both public and private schools are more likely than their White counterparts to be disciplined, tracked into special education classes, and suspended for the same infractions, contributing to higher dropout rates and subsequent incarceration. Seattle is no exception to this nationwide phenomenon. In Seattle public schools, African-American boys are nearly three times as likely as White boys to be referred to special education, and fall far behind their White counterparts on nearly every standard measure of success—from third-grade reading scores, to seventh-grade math proficiency, to graduation rates. Continue reading “Our Best” Fails Black Girls: An Interview with Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
by Sharayah Lane
Approximately one hundred people gathered on Monday at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park to celebrate the 54th anniversary of Dr. King’s infamous “I Have a Dream” speech. It was a hot afternoon and, despite the unnecessary gaggle of SPD officers lingering in the parking lot across the hillside, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Continue reading MLK Celebration Honors Civil Rights Leaders and Elusive Dream
By Erica C. Barnett
Less than an hour after Mayor Ed Murray wrapped up a press conference to announce new pedestrian-safety improvements along Rainier Avenue South, a collision between a car and a semi shut down the intersection of Rainier and South Alaska St. — an in-your-face reminder that whatever the city has done to calm what is frequently referred to as “the most dangerous street in Seattle”, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Continue reading Mayor Vows Equitable Upgrades for “Most Dangerous Street in Seattle”
Drastic changes to the city’s District Council system are expected after Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed an executive order earlier today. Murray says that the order will bring about greater equity to the city’s system for promoting public engagement among residents of Seattle’s neighborhoods. Continue reading News Gleams: District Councils Hit Reset, Ballots Coming, SPOG President Leaving
by Matt Mills McKnight
Last Thursday, South Seattle community members engaged with city officials at the New Holly Gathering Hall to discuss the Othello Village homeless encampment. Othello Village will start admitting tenants on March 8th. Continue reading Community Voices Concern, Support at Othello Encampment Meeting
by David Kroman
(originally published on Crosscut and reprinted with permission)
Arguably the most ambitious declaration in Mayor Ed Murray’s 2016 State of the City address is a revision of a longstanding goal of his. “Today,” he said, “I am announcing that we will add 100 additional [police] officers to my original goal, for an overall goal of 200 net new officers.” Continue reading State of the City: Success For Some, But Not For Others
In a unanimous vote that took place last night, all seven board members of Seattle Public Schools voted to approve the ORCA Passport program yesterday. The program will provide thousands of low and middle income students with free bus passes. Students from Rainier Beach High School and other South End area schools where heavily involved in advocacy for the program. Continue reading News Gleams: Free ORCA Cards for Students, Mayor’s Telephone Town Hall
by Ross Armstrong
A light rail station at Graham Street, which was part of the Seattle’s transportation levy passed by voters last fall, is on track to be on the November 2016 ballot as part of the next phase of Sound Transit’s expansion. Continue reading Graham Street Light Rail Station Moves Closer to Reality
