by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Ari Robin McKenna
Recently, at Arena Sports Magnuson, Edgar played another Tuesday night game for his squad, Street Soccer Seattle — made up of players who are or have been recently on the city’s streets or in its shelters. To onlookers, the only thing that suggested anything more than a game of soccer was taking place was that Edgar seemed to be smiling, imperceptibly. When he was knocked to the turf by the opposition, or when a pass arrived late, Edgar’s calm remained.
Street Soccer Seattle lost their match despite Edgar’s four goals, but looking at the players, you wouldn’t know it. Some of them are tired, yet the group promptly congregates around a table as coaches Chris Burfeind, Yoel Ortiz, and program alum and mentor Carlos Vasquez review the match, in Spanish and English, interspersing life lessons with takeaways from the evening’s game.
It becomes obvious that the score in Tuesday night’s match is secondary; even when Street Soccer Seattle players lose a match, they are honing in on winning at the bigger game of life. And for Edgar — after what he’s been through — there are plenty of other reasons to smile.
Continue reading SERIES | Homelessness and the Beautiful Gameby Alex Garland
The building at 1101 Airport Way S. sat empty for months before a member of King County Facilities connected with a board member with ties to a 30-year-old pet clinic for low-income and homeless pet owners.
The City has rented a series of buildings and parking lots along Airport Way South, and although a homeless shelter was planned for that location, the neighbors (BMW Seattle, among others) complained, and the building remained empty. Now, a pet clinic for pets owned by Seattle’s unhoused and low-income residents have a place for services.
Continue reading Doney Coe Pet Clinic: King County Steps Up for Seattle’s Petsby Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Erica C. Barnett
(This article was originally published on Feb. 22, 2024, on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
Recently elected Burien City Councilmember Linda Akey was caught on tape confronting a group of unsheltered people outside her condo building in downtown Burien the week of Feb. 12, 2024. The group, who had set up tents on the sidewalk under the building’s awning, are among dozens now sleeping on sidewalks around Burien after the council imposed a daytime encampment ban that requires people to pick up sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, and other “indicia of public camping” by 6:00 a.m. every morning.
Continue reading Burien Councilmember Tells Unsheltered People Outside Her Building: ‘I Have Authority. I Live Here and You Do Not’by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Lauryn Bray, photos by Susan Fried
Thousands of people flocked to Seattle Center from Feb. 15 to Feb. 18, arriving as early as 5:30 a.m., to receive free vision, dental, and medical care at the annual Seattle/King County Clinic. The clinic, run by a team of about 3,000 volunteer medical professionals, interpreters, and support staff led by founder Julia Colson, has served over 27,000 patients over the last nine years.
“It’s really unbelievable,” said Chelsea Riddick-Most, director of programs and events at Seattle Center. “Patients start at Fisher Pavilion where they get a ticket. Our doors open at midnight but what we’ve seen is people start getting in line around 8 o’clock.”
Continue reading Annual Seattle/King County Clinic Returned to Seattle Center to Provide Free Medical Care to People From All Walks of Lifeby Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero
Hundreds of community members gather once a month to enjoy a plate of home-cooked soul food while listening to performances and music at the Central District’s Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.
The Sunday Soul Community Dinner series was started by Anthony Tibbs, founder and CEO of Dope Culture LLC, and his son after he hosted a musical event at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. During the show Tibbs saw multiple houseless neighbors outside listening and dancing in the rain.
“It kind of dawned on me that there’s a lot of people that won’t ever see one of my shows or productions because there’s always a ticket,” Tibbs said.
Continue reading Bringing People Together With Food and Music From the Soulby Gennette Cordova
Earlier this month, Seattle City Councilmember Sara Nelson was elected president of the council, much to the dismay of the city’s progressives.
Throughout the city, you’ll often find posters, flyers, and street art plastered on the sides of buildings, stapled to utility poles, and glued to postal boxes, declaring the social or political views of many of Seattle’s inhabitants. If you’ve paid attention, you may have seen stickers that read: “Sara Nelson hates poor people.”
Continue reading OPINION | Under Sara Nelson, More Money for Cops, Less for Communitiesby Lauryn Bray
With three hours to go before a $1 million offer expired, the Burien City Council voted 4-3 Monday, Nov. 27, to accept King County’s offer and build a hotly contested tiny home village (THV) for the homeless in the Boulevard Park neighborhood.
Continue reading Burien City Council Accepts King County’s $1M Offer to Establish a Tiny Home Village on Seattle City Light Property
