Olympia Port Rail Blockade Over

 Above: The rail blockade in downtown Olympia was raided by a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement action in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Initial reports indicate that there were no arrests or injuries.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

There were reportedly no arrests or injuries in an early morning multi-jurisdictional law enforcement action against activists blocking the railroad in downtown Olympia on Wednesday. 

The blockade began November 17 in response to the Port of Olympia's involvement in the acceptance of ceramic proppants and transfer of cargo to trains bound for North Dakota. Ceramic proppants are used in the process of hydraulic fracking for gas and oil extraction.

The raid was carried out by Union Pacific railroad police, Washington State Patrol, Thurston County Sheriff’s Department, and Olympia Police Department.

Above: The Thurston County Sheriff's Department assisted in breaking up the encampment on the railroad tracks and remained on site hours later. Thurston County's Tactical Response Vehicle weighs 50,000 pounds. Thurston County procured the vehicle through the nation's military surplus program. It was used in Afghanistan and has been used in Thurston County during several incidents.  

“We’re feeling very strong and satisfied,” said Shelly Robbins, a member of the jail support team for Olympia Stand. Robbins said the police didn’t set up their police line right and had a baton pressed against her back as the police moved people forward too quickly. 

There is a 5:30 p.m. meeting on Wednesday at the LOTT Cleanwater Alliance, 500 Adams St. NE, Olympia, with the City of Olympia, the Port of Olympia and the Indigenous Caucus for Olympia Stand.  

There will also be a 4:30 p.m. gathering at LOTT in support of the Indigenous Caucus before members enter the meeting.

Little Hollywood has written extensively about the Port of Olympia and this blockade. For more information and photos, go to https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search engine.

Democratic Caucuses See Sanders Landslide in Washington

Above: A long line of people wrapped around Madison Elementary School as they await the doors to open at their neighborhood caucus Saturday morning. Caucus goers indicate a preference for a presidential candidate, who in turn allocate delegates, who ultimately elect the presidential candidate. After giving a brief speech, Clancy Mullins, in green jacket, was elected at the caucus as a delegate to the county convention. 

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

If you saw more people than usual walking on sidewalks early Saturday morning, it could have been that they were going to their Democratic caucuses in support of either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

Caucuses were held throughout Thurston County in over three dozen locations.

Besides casting ballots for presidential candidates, voters also elected delegates who will represent them at legislative district caucuses and the Thurston County Democrats’ convention on May 1. 

Late Saturday, Thurston County chairperson Katie Nelson said that an estimated 12,000 people participated in the process.

“We are sure that blows any records!” she laughed, in a telephone interview with Little Hollywood.

The unofficial count shows Senator Sanders winning 868 Thurston County delegates and former Secretary of State Clinton with 246 delegates. Three of the delegates elected are uncommitted.

“I’m ecstatic about the turn out, especially by the young people who everyone claims are apathetic. The future of the Democratic Party is looking really good. This is what happens if you throw a party and everyone shows up!” she said.

Nelson disagreed with detractors who think the caucus system is archaic.

“They might say it’s archaic but people are coming together in person and making decisions. That predates the voting system, and with our surrogate affidavit form, we’re still inclusive. This is a very religious week, and it’s important we not block people out who can’t attend, unlike the Republicans,” she said.

Above: Thurston County Democratic Party vice-chairperson Susan Herring, standing on a chair in purple shirt, addresses about 600 participants from six precincts at a caucus held at Madison Elementary School in Olympia’s eastside neighborhood.  

Thurston County Democratic Party vice-chairperson Susan Herring coordinated the activities and protocol for Precincts 215, 230, 247, 248, 250, and 258 at Madison Elementary School. 

Her favorite quote, “Politics is only as good as the people who participate,” was reflected in smiles and neighborly, good spirits as an estimated 600 people crowded into the school gymnasium to participate in the democratic process.

It was often hard to hear in the initially bewildering, noisy environment as each precinct did their business in different corners of the gym. Sporadic applause rewarded first time caucus go-ers, first-time voters, and particularly eloquent speeches that didn’t duplicate well-worn rhetoric.

After submitting a piece of paper indicating one's preferred presidential candidate, there was an opportunity to be swayed by brief, impassioned speeches by supporters of either candidate. Some were undecided. Ballots for each candidate were counted in front of everyone and cross checked by those aligned with the opposing candidate. 

For Precinct 215, the initial raw votes came in with 142 for Sanders, 23 for Clinton, two undecideds, and one for President Obama. 

A woman who was initially undecided was concerned about Sanders’ ultimate electability, and wanted to make a statement, as a woman, to help a woman get elected to the position of President of the United States. 

Wendy Wachsmuth, who volunteered to help count the ballots, spoke about why she is a Clinton supporter.

Darleen Muhly, who works for the state, explained to her neighbors that she is a ‘devout feminist and union member’ and why she is supporting Sanders. Muhly said it was her son, Adrien Simkins, 19, who first told her about Sanders. 

After some conversation, the two undecided voters went with Sanders. The one who voted for President Obama went with Clinton.

Above: Under many watchful eyes, ballots for each candidate are counted. Wendy Wachsmuth, a Clinton supporter, (back to the camera), counts Sanders ballots, while Adrien Simkins, 19, right, a Sanders supporter, counts Clinton ballots. Simkins was later elected as a delegate from his precinct to the county convention.

Next Step: County Convention

Those who wanted to participate in the democratic process further gave brief speeches nominating themselves to be a delegate from their precinct and their legislative district to the county convention. 

Clancy Mullins, a Sanders supporter, was elected to be a delegate. He, his girlfriend Evelyn Blevins, and two daughters went to Seattle to see Sanders at Safeco Field on Friday night.

An enrolled Chinook Tribal member and a state worker for 16 years, Mullins said he grew up in a poor family, financed his own education, and still has college debt. 

This was his first caucus.

“I have worked in prisons as a correctional officer and as a classroom facilitator and have seen first-hand how families lives are changed by warehousing people for drug offenses that should be considered a medical addiction issue and not a crime where your freedom is taken away. This Bernie agrees with!

“I also support a healthcare system where anyone can see a doctor and not need to worry about how they will pay for it and if they get sick worry about financial ruin. I also love that Bernie is the only candidate I have heard talk about the Native Americans, the first people to this land and the injustices that occurred to these people. Bernie wants to work and partner with tribal nations,” said Mullins.

The Thurston County Democratic Convention will be held May 1 at Black Hills High School in Tumwater.

Thurston County has four legislative districts – Districts 2, 20, 22 and 35. All but District 2 will caucus at the county convention. Legislative District 2 delegates will caucus on April 17 at Ridgeline Middle School in Yelm.

By late Saturday evening, Sanders won Washington State with 101 delegates, and Alaska with 16 delegates. At this writing, Hawaii is still caucusing.

“When we started this campaign no one thought we would win a single state, let alone 13 out of the first 31. No one thought we could compete financially with the most prolific fundraiser in Democratic Party history, especially by relying on small-dollar contributions from working Americans. We keep proving the political establishment and corporate media wrong. And if we continue to stand together, we are going to win,” said Sanders in a press release.

Above: Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders in Seattle on Friday evening at Safeco Field.

For more information about the Thurston County Democrats and the caucus system, go to www.thurstondemocrats.org or call (360) 956-0235.

For a previous article published March 16, 2016 about the Thurston County Democratic Party caucuses, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and type key words into the search button.

County Democrats Feel the Bern and Stand Up for Hillary

County Democratic Party Caucus is March 26 at a Location Near You

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Thurston County Democratic Party caucuses will be held Saturday, March 26, from 10 a.m. – noon in over 30 locations such as schools and community centers throughout the county.

In presidential campaigns, a caucus is a local gathering where voters decide which candidate to support. It’s complicated, but in a nutshell, the caucus system is how the Democrats allocate delegates, who ultimately elect the candidate that you get to vote for in November.

Caucuses are lively meetings which can be a bit raucous and intimidating for newcomers to the political process, but well worth the effort. They are an opportunity to meet your closest neighbors, see old friends, make new friends, listen, and engage in a grassroots, democratic process. 

Go to www.wa-democrats.org or www.thurstondemocrats.org to find your precinct and your precinct caucus location.

National field organizers for both the Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigns have recently arrived in Thurston County, and have hit the ground meeting local activists. 

Getting out the vote, phone banking and doorbelling to educate voters, especially undecided voters, are the most important part of both campaigns right now.

At caucus, voters must declare their Democratic preference. Eligible voters, including 17 year olds who will be 18 by November 8, can register and vote at the caucus. To register ahead of time, go to www.sos.wa.gov/elections/myvote.

If you cannot attend the caucus due to military service, work schedule, illness, disability, or religious observance, you can get a surrogate affidavit form and return it by March 18. Go to the Washington State Democrat website at www.wa-democrats.org for more information.

Walt Bowen, Thurston County Democratic State Committeeman, has been active in numerous leadership roles for the Washington State Democrats since 1969. A precinct committee officer, Bowen is a big fan of the caucus process.

“Democracy is work. The price is vigilance and commitment to support it,” he said. Bowen said the caucus process costs the Thurston County Democrats about $20,000 to $30,000 in rent for facilities, insurance, janitor fees, security, and more.

“It’s labor intensive, but we get a lot out of it on multiple levels, in grassroots communication and commitment….On a local level, we identify the issues, have discussions, take votes in front of other people, and develop a platform. That’s not easy. 

“We meet each other, identify potential future candidates for city council and the legislature, raise money, win elections, and govern. This is the weakest time for political parties. Look at the money in politics! Who’s left to protect democracy? An informed electorate….Winning is getting organized,” said Bowen.

Above: Olympian John Van Kampen, 78, is campaigning for Bernie Sanders.

Local Sanders Supporters Feel the Bern

National field organizers for the Bernie Sanders campaign recently arrived in Thurston County but hundreds of local fans having been “feeling the Bern” since their county kickoff campaign event last July.

Organizers will host a Sanders “Bernstorm” campaign event on Thursday, March 17, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Obsidian , 414 4th Ave East, in downtown Olympia, which will kick off a flurry of upcoming events. 

Retired veteran John Van Kampen, 78, doorbelled Eastside neighborhood residents in early March, educating potential voters about the upcoming caucus.

A South Sound resident since 1983, Van Kampen says he never knew until recently that Washington had caucuses.

Asked why he is supporting Sanders, Van Kampen said, “Bernie speaks for me in a way and to a degree I am unaccustomed to since the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his magnificent wife, Eleanor. Maybe I was a bit young, then, to understand the details my mother explained to me, but I sensed greatness of those two and what was once the best of the Democratic Party, a greatness maybe the Kennedy clan might have restored if assassin's bullets had not cut the heart out of that family.

“….I hurt when I see the homeless on our street corners but have not the gifts they need or the acumen to make their plight seem real to…those who watch unreality TV and live in that world too much…to have the time to look around  and see what they can do for their country and their neighborhood. If face to face is uncomfortable, I ask for a vote for Bernie. It's a start,” said Van Kampen.

Joe Nilsson, Olympia, is also a Sanders supporter and a past chair of the Thurston County Democrats.

“My personal journey has taken me from serving on the 1992 and 1996 Clinton-Gore Washington steering committees, being a 1992 Clinton party leader delegate, a 1996 Presidential elector, and the state party treasurer for eight years to the painful recognition that in the last two decades, the Democratic Party and Democratic politics had been compromised at the national level by corporate money and very wealthy donors.  In the process, our democracy has slipped towards becoming an oligarchy, the middle class has been decimated, and 90 percent of Americans are worse off, many far worse off.  Economic inequality is at the most extreme since the 1920's.

“As a member of a very large, multiracial family…I worry that the younger members of my family and their peers won't have a fair shot at a decent future if we don't change the dystopian status quo.

“I see Senator Sanders as an honorable, compassionate, progressive, forward-looking leader and the catalyst we need to create the peaceful revolution we so desperately need. Amazingly, I have yet to find any issue I have any serious disagreement with him on.  Bernie inspires me and gives me hope for the future we all ought to have and deserve,” said Nilsson.

Above: Clinton national field organizer Erin Phillips met with Thurston County caucus captains for Hillary Clinton at the Lacey Timberland Library on Tuesday evening.

Standing Up For Hillary

About 15 Clinton caucus captains met late Tuesday afternoon at the Lacey Timberland Library, and let out a big whoop upon hearing the news that Hillary Clinton had won Ohio Tuesday evening.

Their three talking points: “She’s a fighter for you and your family, she gets things done, and she’s tough enough to stop the Republicans from ripping away the progress we’ve made.”

Almost more important than telling Hillary’s story, campaign coordinators said, is telling your own story, and explaining to others why you support Clinton.

“Tell Bernie supporters or undecideds something about your life that connects to Hillary’s values. It doesn’t have to be positive or negative,” said Clinton national field organizer Erin Phillips, 24, of Michigan, who arrived in Olympia about two weeks ago.

Another field organizer, Tess Rabin, 24, of California, backed her up, and told her own story of why she is supporting Clinton. 

Saying 18 million Americans rely on the Affordable Care Act, she told the story of her friend’s mom who needed medical care for ovarian cancer and got the care she needed because she had access to the health care system created by President Obama.

“…The other reason I’m supporting her is because she has shattered the glass ceiling. She’s protecting my body.  Roe v. Wade should not be up for discussion. I trust her with that responsibility wholeheartedly….” said Rabin.

Tyler Mesman, 24, is new to Olympia, having recently moved here from Michigan. A college graduate, he has traveled internationally and is now an environmental education assistant. Mesman said he is supporting Clinton because she has “figured out the best way to move forward,” and appreciates the fact that she will make college affordable.

Wendy Frankel-Reed, a retired teacher, is the Clinton caucus captain for Precinct 35. Frankel-Reed said Clinton is experienced, incredibly bright, imperfect like any candidate, would work with world leaders, and has the skills and talents to compromise and find common ground.

She says Sanders doesn’t have foreign affairs experience and she can’t see him winning.

“I like Bernie a lot, and his values are my values as well, but he feels a little bit more like a one trick pony to me….He doesn’t offend me, but I don’t think the country is ready for somebody who identifies himself as a Socialist….

“Some say we'll have a woman candidate someday, but it needs to be the right woman. To me, she is the right woman for the job,” said Frankel-Reed.

For more information about the Thurston County Democrats, the caucus system, and precinct locations, go to www.thurstondemocrats.org or call (360) 956-0235.

To learn more about Bernie Sanders, go to bernadvisory.org or https://go.berniesanders.com or contact field organizer Meghan Sutter, meghansutter@berniesanders.com.

To learn more about Hillary Clinton, go to www.hillaryclinton.com or contact field organizer Erin Phillips, (517) 944-0263, ephillips@hillaryclinton.com.