Youth Voice for Orcas: London Fletcher

Above: London Fletcher, 11, of Blaine, Washington, delivered a fiery speech at a rally for the remaining 74 Southern Resident orcas on the steps of the Temple of Justice in Olympia on Friday.

“We can no longer wait for the gears of bureaucracy,” Fletcher said.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

On behalf of the climate and Earth’s creatures, youth voices are rising. No longer can they be ignored and no longer will they be silenced.

London Fletcher, 11, of Blaine, Washington, wants to be a marine biologist specializing in cetaceans. 

In an article written two years ago for Dam Sense, Fletcher wrote, “Do not be distracted by my age. Please pay attention instead to the facts that we all need to know about our salmon and our killer whales.”

A marine activist for years, Fletcher is president and founder of The Blue Advocates Group, an ocean awareness organization for children and teens in Blaine, as well as a responder for the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network and a research assistant at the Orca Research Trust. She is the world’s youngest member of the Society of Marine Mammalogy.

She has visited the Snake River dams and in August testified in front of the Southern Resident Orca Task Force convened by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.

Inslee received a report by the task force on Friday and said he will review its 36 recommendations.

No one appeared to be distracted during Fletcher’s fiery speech about the remaining 74 Southern Resident orcas at a rally in Olympia on Friday.

In fact, her words brought tears to the eyes of some observers as she delivered them on the steps of the Temple of Justice.

“We can no longer wait for the gears of bureaucracy,” Fletcher said, her words loud and clear.

“Governor, I come to you again today on behalf of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales of the Salish Sea, the 700 thousand people who have signed our petition to breach the lower four Snake River dams, and as the spokesperson of the generation who will inherit the problems stemming from the decision you make today.

“Mr. Governor, in your inaugural speech, you said you want to reinvest in ourselves, in our future and in our children’s future, and to do these things we must act in a bipartisan way. You said that our core mission is serving the people of Washington, and every single thing we do should reflect that mission. Well, Mr. Governor, the people of Washington have spoken and you’re right, it is time to remember who we are as a state.

“Now, I must ask, who are we as leaders? Is your administration going to be remembered as the orca killers? Or the ones who stopped the relentless march of extinction in its tracks and set sail on a course toward a brighter future?

“Mr. Governor, I ask again, what legacy will you leave behind for my generation? Will it be a legacy of crippling debt? Will it be a legacy of mass extinction and barren waters? Or will it be a legacy of hope and prosperity?

“…the legacy you leave behind will be defined by your bravery or by your cowardice. That choice is yours to make, Mr. Governor,” she continued.

Recommendation 28 of the Orca Task Force suggests suspending the viewing of Southern Resident orcas in Puget Sound for the next three to five years.

Fletcher took issue with this and other recommendations:

“The laundry list of recommendations and the ‘bold’ last minute introduction and passage of wording proposing a meaningless moratorium of a benign activity while skirting the major problem for these whales – salmon population crashes throughout their range – is appalling.

“Mr. Governor, I implore you to do what is right so your grandchildren will be able to say on this day, ‘My Grandfather stood for what is just and what is right.’

“Today, I am young and life is long, and my purpose is clear. The days of killing our rivers, streams, fish and precious Southern Resident Killer Whales are numbered and I will never give up this fight.

“Today I made good on my pledge to fight for the orca and I hope that you stand with folks like me, and those you see before you today on the steps of our State Capitol who come to beg for the lives of these precious animals.

“Mr. Governor, the evil of the extinction and extermination of a noble and sentient family of whales unlike any other in the world is upon you.

“The entire world is watching. Do the right thing.”

Above: An “Orca Formation of Mourning” rally for the remaining 74 Southern Resident orcas was held on the steps of the Temple of Justice on Friday in Olympia. It was organized by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Portland.

Little Hollywood wrote about the Southern Resident Orca Task Force recommendations and Friday rally at http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2018/11/rally-for-74-orca-task-force.html

Indigenous Occupation Over at State Capitol

Above: The indigenous occupation of the Washington State Capitol Campus is over. One woman was arrested and charged with second degree criminal trespass.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The occupation of the Washington State Capitol Campus by several indigenous women in a tarpee is over. 

At about 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning, law enforcement arrived and reportedly gave a two minute warning for the women to leave the tarpee.

One woman, Janene Hampton, could not be woken up in time to leave and she was handcuffed and arrested. She said that she was treated with compassion and the officer did not use force. She was charged with second degree trespass.

In an interview with Little Hollywood, Hampton says she plans on being present throughout the 60 day legislative session and will continue the conversations that have been started. She said she feels like she was relocated again. 

During the removal of the women and the tarpee, sacred items were treated with care and returned. 

Paul Cheoketen Wagner provided a live Facebook feed of the events while viewers from Arizona to Australia watched and listened. Wagner and others sang, drummed and prayed while the tarpee was taken down by workers with the state Department of Enterprise Services. It was then loaded into a van. Wagner said that it was done with respect, and “that’s the only consolation.” 

Wagner has been told he can get the tarpee back on Tuesday. 

American Indian Lobby Day at the Washington State Capitol Campus is January 23.

For more photos and stories about the indigenous occupation, and a previous interview with Janene Hampton, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

Olympia Port Exec Galligan Addresses Council, Protesters Disrupt Meeting

Above: Protesters disrupted the City of Olympia council meeting Tuesday evening. One person, above, spoke for nearly seven minutes, without a council or television audience. The meeting reconvened in another room. Protesters wanted Mayor Cheryl Selby to continue the public comment period beyond the 30 minute limit, instead of waiting for another public comment period near the end of the agenda. 

The chamber was packed with those who wished to speak about the recent rail blockade of a Union Pacific train from leaving the Port of Olympia with a load of ceramic proppants. Others wanted to speak against the Olympia Police Department, and for the city to take a stronger stance against the Port's shipments of ceramic proppants, as well as a range of other viewpoints and issues.

By Janine Gates

http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

City of Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby’s opening remarks at Tuesday night's council meeting, combined with Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan’s public comments, set off what was just the beginning of yet another wild public meeting.

The council chamber was packed, with an overflow crowd in the lobby watching the meeting on television monitors. 

It's a dysfunctional relationship, and the lack of communication between the Port of Olympia, City of Olympia, Olympia Police Department, and the community continued into yet another week. 

There's enough blame to go around, said one protester who took over the City of Olympia council chamber podium during a disruption of the meeting. 

It’s been rough, especially since the Union Pacific train was blocked on November 11 by protesters taking direct action to prevent it from leaving the Port of Olympia with 15 cars of ceramic proppants, a product used in hydraulic fracking.

The raid by law enforcement on the encampment in the early morning hours of November 18 has left many asking questions, and wondering about future shipments, resulting in packed meetings for both public entities.

Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts denounced the Port of Olympia and its acceptance of ceramic proppants during a council meeting on November 22.

Olympia city council was off last week, but in the meantime, last Monday’s Port of Olympia meeting resulted in port commissioners tabling meeting discussions with the city. Commissioner Downing said he was open to a meeting with the city through established channels, which would be between Olympia city manager Steve Hall and port executive director Ed Galligan.

If anyone thought that Galligan had signed up first to speak at Tuesday evening’s council meeting to extend an olive branch to the city, suggest a joint session to discuss mutual issues, or begin dispute resolution, forget it. He didn't.

Then, shortly before 8:00 p.m., after Galligan and other members of the public spoke during public comment, Galligan, Port Commissioner Joe Downing, and an entourage of port staff and supporters left the chambers, along with some members of the public.

Some community members who had been in the audience re-entered the chambers, loudly stating that they wanted Mayor Selby to continue the public comment period. She refused. Business had already continued onto the next item on the agenda, but they persisted, repeatedly shouting, “Can’t drink oil, keep it in the soil!”

Mayor Selby made a motion to recess and reconvene in a few minutes. Television cameras were cut off. As one protester continued to speak at the podium with a hot mic, Mayor Selby, councilmembers and staff reconvened and quickly voted to continue the meeting upstairs in Room 207.

Councilmembers, staff, representatives of The Olympian and Little Hollywood, as well as those scheduled to speak to agenda items, were ushered to the room where business on the agenda continued. The room was already set up for a council meeting just in case it was needed.

After the meeting, Mayor Selby was asked about what happened earlier, and what rule she used to move the meeting. She said that she followed protocol to be used in the event of disruptions to business meetings, developed by city attorneys last spring.

During the time council was not present and television cameras were off, one person spoke for nearly seven minutes: 

“...I would like to respond to Chief Ronnie Roberts' statement...it was a nicely crafted message and I can tell you put a lot of work into it. First, I do want to thank you for calling out the port, but that's about it. I don't appreciate sly words...the way you finagled your language makes it sound like you're actually with us when you're not. The way you come up with fluffy ways to hide the fact that you were directing OPD...to hide the fact that your police officers were there brutalizing folks....

I've seen Ronnie Roberts blame the port, the port blame Ronnie Roberts, the city council blame the public. There's blame everywhere. And lastly, where's OPD and city council standing up and taking responsibility for their role in all of this?

I don't appreciate your words about protesters' confrontational behavior, Ronnie Roberts, when your police force was initiating confrontational behavior. How about the cops in riot gear confronting peaceful protesters? It was obviously done in the shadow of the morning when people waking up in Olympia couldn't witness this shit....

People are still coughing because of the unknown chemicals used....Your statements about people being injured is completely false...so your actions do not align with your words.

You want to talk about community values...People have bruises and wounds and are still healing, not to mention healing from the trauma they faced from being brutalized in the middle of the street in their town, in their city, at 4 o'clock in the morning....If you didn't want to be a part of this, why were you there?

....The police here is part of the city government - we have every right to be critical about what they do and they need to be accountable for their actions.” 

Above: Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan addresses City of Olympia councilmembers on Tuesday night.

Port of Olympia executive director Ed Galligan’s comments are as follows:

The Executive Director is the highest level staff position at the Port. With that position, comes personnel responsibilities I take very seriously. Those responsibilities include maintaining a positive and safe working environment. This is a duty that I know you take very seriously within your organization, as well.

While the intention may not have been there, and I believe Chief Roberts to be an honorable man that was sharing genuine frustration after an exhausting and stressful event, his comments two weeks ago have had significant negative consequences which have reverberated through the Port of Olympia.

When Chief Roberts said, “It angers me to have to put our officers in combat gear to face off with members of our community over something I don’t believe in myself,” my staff heard that statement as blaming them for the criminal activity that required police intervention.

I am here to voice my concerns and those of my 50 hardworking Port of Olympia colleagues, 31 members of the Local 47 Long Shore, port customers, and local law enforcement. None are to be blamed for the acts of vandalism, trespassing, and harassing behavior of others in this community.

The port has had rocks thrown through our office windows, graffiti spray painted on the walls, lit flares thrown over marine terminal fences, threatening phone calls, and most recently, a port maintenance employee was accosted by protesters while driving a port vehicle through downtown Olympia to purchase supplies at a local merchant. Employees at the Port do not feel safe in their current work environment. They question whether or not they will be protected by the City of Olympia police for the next incident after the remarks made by Chief Roberts. My staff does not deserve this treatment. I hope you agree with that sentiment – and that this treatment is not a tenant of Olympia’s community values.

My desire is to work together towards understanding the roles, constraints, and intent of our actions.

I am committed to fulfilling my role as the executive director of the Port of Olympia. I cannot stand idly by as it is implied, or expressly stated, that those who are doing their job at the Port of Olympia are to be blamed for the criminal actions of others.

In my 11 years of service to the Port of Olympia, port and city staffs have served Olympia by working well together, finding mutually agreeable and positive solutions to many challenges over the decade. We’ve worked together in a professional, collegial and enjoyable manner. 

What changed?”

Speakers during public comment addressed a variety of issues, but several spoke to the Port of Olympia’s contract with Rainbow Ceramics and participation in the fossil fuel industry.

Former port citizen advisory committee member Clydia Cuykendall said she supports hydraulic fracking and would like to know the council’s opinion on Chief Roberts’ statement. 

Others supported the protesters who blocked the train, such as Bourtai Hargrove, who strongly suggested that, lacking federal direction, the responsibility for climate progress may well fall to municipalities like the City of Olympia and Thurston County.

“It’s a big responsibility,” she said.

Zoltan Grossman, a faculty member at The Evergreen State College said, “The world is watching Olympia....”  

Editor's Note, 12/10/2016: Little Hollywood has been informed that the person at the mic who spoke for nearly seven minutes is a non binary trans person. Little Hollywood has made the appropriate changes in referencing the person, regrets the error, and apologizes for misgendering them. 

For more photos and information about the Port of Olympia, ceramic proppants, the rail blockade, and last week's port meeting, go to Little Hollywood, https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com, and type key words into the search button.

To read Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts' statement, go to http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/11/olympia-police-chief-denounces-port-of.html

To read the blow by blow of last week's contentious Port of Olympia meeting, go to http://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2016/11/risky-business-olympia-port-commission.html

Olympia’s First Poet Laureate: Amy Solomon-Minarchi

Above: Amy Leah Solomon-Minarchi was selected to be Olympia's first poet laureate. About the position, Solomon-Minarchi says, “It’s not about me - it’s about uniting people in Olympia. I can do this because I care about Olympia and people’s stories….” 

In an interview with Little Hollywood, Solomon-Minarchi explores her role, youth and military life voices, current events, and the culture of Olympia

By Janine Gates

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The City of Olympia now has its first poet laureate, Amy Leah Solomon-Minarchi.

Based upon the recommendation of a city arts selection committee, the Olympia city council appointed Solomon-Minarchi to the new position on Tuesday. 

Solomon-Minarchi sat down with Little Hollywood on Friday to speak about the position, and share her thoughts about the meaning and purpose of poetry, youth and other voices that are not often heard, and the changing culture of Olympia. 

Even in an interview, Solomon-Minarchi’s words are eloquent, well-chosen, and quietly spoken, capturing powerful images. 

Solomon-Minarchi, an English, creative writing, and philosophy teacher for 11th and 12th graders at North Thurston High School, is also the advisor for the school’s “Write Club,” and advisor and publisher of the school’s literary magazine, “The Art of Words.”

She is also a choreographer at the school, designing and implementing dances with students for the school musical and Spring Arts Showcase productions. 

A member and student of the Richard Hugo House in Seattle, Solomon-Minarchi received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, and received her master’s in teaching degree from The Evergreen State College in 2010. She has won many honors and awards.

Solomon-Minarchi grew up in New Jersey and has lived in Olympia for eight years. She is expected to fulfill her duties for two years and will receive a $1,000 stipend per year.

“Olympia’s diverse populations are at a serious crossroads in which no one dare cross the road. Let poetry be the place where we enter the crosswalk,” Solomon-Minarchi said in her application. 

She proposed a program called, “I Hear Olympia Singing,” in which she says she will build community through poetry, offering literary arts workshops with the schools that have the least resources and highest need for art programs and enrichment.

She also envisions writing contests and readings with outreach to Community Youth Services and Olympians at large to elevate perception and engagement in the growing downtown arts core. 

Her Writing the City program would hold open calls for short poems, a semi-annual public art display, and a monthly walking tour and writing series that will take students to rotating spaces around the city to practice capturing sensory imagery and sound.

Ultimately, at the end of her term, Solomon-Minarchi says she would work toward editing an anthology of poems that captures Olympia “in all its burgeoning flux that will celebrate the local and rich working history of Olympia and the new, five-story culture of artist lofts, convention centers and Seattle transplants buying property in cash, who look with wide wonder at the eclectic promise of growing roots here.”

Solomon-Minarchi was chosen out of 10 applicants by a committee of five individuals who met for one and a half hours to discuss the applications. Little Hollywood was at the October 27 meeting to observe the selection process.

When they arrived at their decision, they said Solomon-Minarchi, “….has an energy that sets her apart from the others…she’s youth focused and very approachable and accessible. Her poetry is so place-based….She’s someone who will grow the (poet laureate) program and engage us….good presence….Her Writing the City program is so cool….”

The suggestion to have a city poet laureate arose out of a committee referral in 2015 and proceeded through the city’s arts advisory committee to promote poetry as an art form and contribute to a sense of place. 

Stephanie Johnson, city parks, arts and recreation program staff, facilitated the nomination selection and recommendation process. Applicants were referred to by number, not name, while they watched submitted video presentations and evaluated application strengths and weaknesses. The applicants were winnowed down to Solomon-Minarchi and her alternate, Cecily Markham.

Johnson and the committee looked at the selection process paved by other cities such as Tacoma, Fresno, and Reno. Outreach was done through the city website, the city’s Arts Digest email list, the Olympia Poetry Network, and the Old Growth Poetry Network. 

Solomon-Minarchi’s poem, Suburban Danger, was one of the poems she submitted to the arts committee for consideration.

It was inspired, she said, by a brief brush with a speeding car while walking a baby and big dog through the crosswalk at 7th Avenue SE and Boundary, in Olympia’s eastside neighborhood.

Suburban Danger

Cars speed past pedestrians in crosswalks

while babies stain Snugglies, dogs strain leashes

drivers yell, 900 points, and mean it.

Mount Rainier so majestic, could we climb it if

the tsunami hits? Better yet seek the water tower

pack the power bars, guzzle Powerade

and wait to be saved. Or if it erupts

could we outrun the lava flow in our

Prius? Would we run out of gas mid-flee?

If only my mother were here. We could

be generations until the white waves

Wash us out to sea, or the red hand claims us.

Above: Chum salmon make their journey back to spawn last week at McLane Creek Nature Trail in Olympia. Stream Team salmon stewards explained how baby salmon “imprint” on the water in their home stream. When they migrate back from their stay in the ocean, biologists believe they recognize the smell of McLane Creek by its distinctive smell.

Solomon-Minarchi was asked what she feels South Sound youth need to express, and what poetry might mean to them.

“Young people have a lot to share. They have a treasure trove of stories to tell. Poetry is an efficient way to get out their emotions. Students are working on how their voices have meaning, because, as they are growing and developing, at 16 - 17, this is the time they are playing with their voice. They are saying, ‘What does this mean?’ And once they graduate, they are just like little fish in a huge ocean. 

“What poetry might mean to them is finding a way to look around themselves, ground themselves, and face the emotions they are feeling and chronicle the new experiences they are having, whether it is college, a job, relationships…it’s all funny, strange, and new.

“They are also figuring out when to tell their stories, what’s relevant, and how much to share. You know, you’ve got students that just want to tell you every little thing, and others hold it all in and lock it up in a box. 

“The role of poetry, or a teacher of writing, is to give them space to be able to sort out those emotions together. They are in a community. They are not alone. Storytelling is powerful and the cultures that last have stories to tell, pass on, and are meaningful. Then there’s the question of how to tell the story. There’s not just one way….”

Asked what local or national poetry she appreciates, Solomon-Minarchi mentioned the art of Elizabeth Austen, a recent Washington State Poet Laureate, who wrote the chapbook, Every Dress a Decision, a finalist for the 2012 Washington State Book Award in poetry. 

She also mentioned the poetry of Brian Turner, a noncommissioned officer in the Iraq War.

Solomon-Minarchi says she will capture the voices of veterans, not because she is one, but because her husband is, and she wants to honor them with an open heart.

“For those who care for veterans, it’s not an easy job – there’s heartache, longing, uncertainty. I’d like to provide a counterpoint voice to say, ‘Hey, this is what it was like back home….”’

There’s also a place for Walt Whitman. “When I ask students to read his poetry, I get groans,” she laughed. “They ask, ‘How do I relate to him?’” Solomon-Minarchi says that is a valid response.

“I know that my love of poetry comes from the generative process of writing, and writing together with people, being able to see the same thing – going to Percival Landing and looking out onto the Sound. 

“My poem might be very, very different from the person sitting next to me, and yet we both share that experience and that brings us together. Part of what I want to do is have open-mic at the Olympia Farmer’s Market. It takes courage to say it in front of others and celebrate our voice in the moment.”

Briefly touching upon the city’s current events, Solomon-Minarchi said she was watching Tuesday evening’s city council meeting from home, and heard Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts’ comments about the Port of Olympia and the recent rail blockade of a Union Pacific train by protesters in downtown Olympia.

“Being in this position right now will be very interesting. We have stories, but we are also making stories together. There is fear in the unknown, and what kind of direction Olympia is going to go in….We see the tall buildings going up and we’re missing our small town….

“The culture will change, and there’s a lot of emotion about that, whether it’s anxiety about how that will play out, and whether we’ll be able to keep the things that make us different, like being able to go down to the railroad track at 4:00 a.m. and say, ‘This is not ok.’ This is real. Over the next two years, we want, through poetry, to capture the identity of Olympia, the changing of Olympia, and what brings us together.”

Above: Children and parent volunteers from Roosevelt Elementary School observe the salmon run at McLane Creek Nature Trail last Thursday afternoon in Olympia. A group of older children from North Thurston High School were also on the trail, and were being encouraged by a teacher to “....zoom out and sketch the greater ecosystem....”