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

Juliana v. U.S. Youth Addresses Climate Convention

Above: Aji Piper, 17, spoke at the South Sound Climate Action Convention held in Lacey on Saturday. Piper is one of 21 youth suing the United States government in a landmark federal climate lawsuit, Juliana v. United States.

By Janine Gates

Little Hollywood

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

“What are you going to do? You should know or at least figure it out. What are you going to do now to protect future generations?” Aji Piper, 17, Seattle, asked the audience.

As the keynote speaker at the day-long South Sound Climate Action Convention held in Lacey on Saturday, Piper posed the question to over 200 participants, including local officials and state legislators, but he wasn’t waiting around for an answer.

Piper is one of 21 youth suing the United States government in a landmark federal climate change related lawsuit, Juliana v. United States.

Following multiple rulings issued in favor of the youth plaintiffs and the organization supporting them, Our Children’s Trust, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon earlier this week set October 29 as the first day of the trial. 

The trial will be held in Eugene and is being billed as the “trial of the century.”

Piper learned about climate change, ocean acidification, wildfires, deadly public health outbreaks and coal trains when he moved from Port Orchard, Washington to Seattle.

He wanted to do something about it all so he started planting trees and getting active in local protests. He co-founded Future Voters for 350 ppm.

“I should be able to be a kid…I needed to feel a stronger impact from my actions. I needed a solid course of action...so, I took them to court,” he said, as he explained his journey as a young climate activist.

In 2011, Piper was also a plaintiff in another youth-driven lawsuit demanding that the Washington State Department of Ecology update its emission regulations based on the latest climate science, saying the agency was required to do so through the Public Trust Doctrine, which says the government has a duty to protect natural resources for future generations.

Technically, he is the future, and while a strong ruling favored his case, nothing has happened to enforce it and the case has been refiled.

The difference between the state and federal cases, he said, is that the federal government has known about the dangers of fossil fuel use and the destructive forces of climate change for about fifty years.

“By acting against that information, they have violated our rights and the Public Trust Doctrine.”

According to a press release from Our Children’s Trust, Juliana v. United States is not about the government’s failure to act on climate. Instead, the 21 young plaintiffs assert that the U.S. government, through its affirmative actions in creating a national energy system that causes climate change, has violated their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, and has failed to protect essential public trust resources.

The case is one of many related legal actions brought by youth seeking science-based action by governments to stabilize the climate system.

Above: Averi Azar, a student in the Masters of Environmental Science program at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, staffs a table about the program during the South Sound Climate Action Convention. She is pursuing her masters thesis about sea star wasting disease.

Engaging Youth in Climate Change Conversations

The South Sound Climate Action Convention was held at the Lacey branch of South Puget Sound Community College and was organized by the Thurston Climate Action Team.

It featured a wide variety of speakers and presenters who geared their talks and workshops around climate change issues such as youth engagement, food sustainability, waste reduction, renewable energy technologies and options, carbon pricing initiatives and other legislative issues.

Aji Piper co-facilitated a morning workshop on how to engage youth in climate change conversations and related what actions and strategies work for him.

“Don’t make it boring, youth don’t want to sit in meetings…we sit enough at school. I didn’t get involved in climate change to stand outside of official buildings and shout....While those are tried and true approaches, and not to discredit those, but we’ve been doing those for years.”

Piper related a 2009 campaign he liked which encouraged the Royal Bank of Canada to divest from the Alberta tar sands projects. The strategy of banners and bumper sticker messages with the one ultimately unfurled on the side of the bank that said, “Please help us Mrs. Nixon.com,” created buzz.

His comment encouraged workshop participants to generate a range of actions and ideas that included die-ins, music, the creative arts, light projections on buildings, and the creation of large puppetry.

Olympia musician Holly Gwinn Graham strongly encouraged early childhood arts education in the school system.

“They are ready to be involved, to hear the truth. They’re ready to be creative and be part of something beautiful. It teaches kids to be politically active and use different forms of expression, encourages conversation, communication and intergenerational and non-familial connections with people,” she said.

Piper acknowledged that there is room for all kinds of artistic expression. 

“I grew up playing outside in the forest with my little brother and there's a difference...it's why I don’t do social media....I sing a lot. I get a song stuck in my head and start humming it, or my brother does. Singing and performing is different than speaking, just like poetry is different than an essay,” he said.

Above: Aji Piper received a standing ovation for his keynote speech addressing his involvement with climate change issues at the South Sound Climate Action Convention in Lacey on Saturday.

For more information about the South Sound Climate Action Convention and a list of participating organizations, go to southsoundclimateconvention.org

To learn more about the Thurston Climate Action Team, go to https:/janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2018/02/carbon-free-thurston-efforts-underway.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....”

Olympia Youth Speak Up at Ad Hoc Police Forum

Above: Sign at Olympia High School, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Janine Gates

www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

The Ad Hoc Committee on Police and Community Relations held its fourth community forum at Olympia High School on Thursday afternoon.

The forum focused primarily on the experiences and ideas of youth and was open to all community members to also share their thoughts about how the Olympia police department can best serve the public.

Several students and staff of Olympia High School were in attendance, including principal Matt Grant. Several uniformed police officers were also in attendance, which prompted one adult to say that their armed presence was difficult for him. 

Several students shared stories of their interactions with local police. 

One young man, who is African American, said he was with a group of friends and one of them had a BB gun. Someone called it into police, and one officer arrived, who ordered them to the ground. They complied. One responding officer soon turned into three others because a neighbor started arguing with the officer.

“I was scared. I didn’t want to become a statistic,” he said. Asked to elaborate on his feelings about the incident, he said, “Well, the officer didn’t pull his gun out and I didn’t get shot, so the situation turned out A+….”

Another African American student said he felt the Olympia police are better than most.

“They’ve shown me respect,” he said. He said he came from Tennessee, and said that “things are really bad down there….”Asked what he would like to see by the Olympia Police Department, he said more forums and more dialog.

Maddie Hendrickson, 18, shared that she was in a car accident about a year ago in which a school bus rear-ended her car. She was uninjured, but said she didn’t feel like she was being heard by the officer, and he seemed rushed. 

“It was a stressful situation and the police could be calmer,” said Hendrickson. She offered many suggestions for how the police could approach teens with more compassion.

A mother described how her son has been victimized at Washington Middle School and Olympia High School due to his African American race.

“There hasn’t been a single year that he hasn’t had a racial incident here in Olympia,” said Karen Arnold. The Arnold’s have lived in Olympia for 15 years and came from Tacoma. In the most recent incident last year at Olympia High School, he was jumped on by another student on the basketball court and called the “n” word. She says the student was given a half day suspension.

“….That is not enough,” said Karen Arnold. “….It gives the message that the behavior is ok….”

Her son, Kardel Arnold, 15, was present and freely shared his stories and thoughts. Arnold said that when he was in the sixth and seventh grade, he was harassed all the time. He described a situation in which he was sitting on the bus and was punched by another student. There was no disciplinary action to the bully.

“I could be wrong, but I’m 99 percent sure that if it had been me who had done the punching, I would have been suspended or expelled,” he said. His mother called the police to see about what could be done, but they said nothing could be done because the other student did not threaten Arnold. Conversely, the school said that they couldn’t do anything because as soon as the police are called, it becomes a police issue, and not a school issue.

In general, Kardel Arnold says he has nothing against police officers, but he makes sure he doesn’t move too quickly or make any wrong moves when he sees police around.

Hired last spring, Olympia High School paraeducator Antonio McClinon, who is African American, said that he would like to see more people of color on the police force. He also said that there are only three African American males who work at the school.

McClinon said he spoke with the school district superintendent a couple of years ago about diversity and what he thought would be a ten minute conversation turned into an hour. He was pleased about that, but in terms of recruiting for teaching positions, the process is difficult, plus, African American teachers who live in the South Sound area tend to take jobs in Tacoma or Seattle, an environment where they feel more comfortable.

“….I could easily get a job there, but I want to be here…. I’m a role model here. It starts with one or two….I am not afraid, I am concerned….There's so much politics and roadblocks….” he said. The African American students surrounding McClinon agreed that he was someone that they felt they could go to if they needed to.

Mr. Grant said that race is frequently an issue at Olympia High School and acknowledged that it is a challenge for students of color to come to the school.

“If I could have a request, it would be that we be constantly in training, for the police and administrators, on how to interact with students of color, learn the issues there, and strategies for creating dialog. I think we learn a lot from each other and I can’t say enough about how much we want to engage in dialog, and we can do a lot more. We have a core group of students willing to engage in dialog but setting those things up are really difficult….”

He said that in his experience, the school has had several positive experiences with the police. Grant said they used to have lunchtime sessions with students of color, but not this year.

“We can always do more,” he said.

The Olympia City Council tasked a group of citizens last year with engaging the community on how the Olympia police can better serve the public, especially people who do not often have the chance to be heard. The group has held several forums. For more information about the group and future meeting dates, go to www.olympiawa.gov.

Editor’s Note: All individuals in this article consented to being identified. 

Little Hollywood has written many articles about the Ad Hoc group, police issues, racial justice, the Olympia Police Department, and excessive use of force by law enforcement at Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com. Use the search engine to type in key words.

Above: “Throw kindness around like Confetti”sign at Olympia High School.

People’s House Hosts Conversation about Homelessness

Above: A location for The People's House, a proposed low-barrier homeless shelter at 113 Thurston Avenue NE, is seen in the center of the picture (green building), across the street from the Boardwalk Apartments in downtown Olympia.

 

Community Voices About Proposed Shelter Location Are Heard

By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com

Editor’s Note: While many people who spoke Wednesday night were known to me, some did not say their names before speaking, or just used their first name. Out of respect, I have reported that introduction as stated and have identified them as they identified themselves unless they voluntarily gave their names to me or said I could use their names.

About 150 people attended Wednesday night's public forum at Temple Beth Hatfiloh to learn more about locating The People’s House, a proposed low-barrier homeless shelter at 113 Thurston NE in downtown Olympia.

 

Downtown Olympia suffers from a lack of accessible bathroom facilities and people using make-shift night and day shelters in downtown business doorways, parks, at the transit center, on the waterfront at Percival Landing and boardwalk, and the library.

 

There were 237 unsheltered homeless in 2013, according to the homeless point-in-time count conducted last January by the city and county.

 

People spoke passionately. Several opponents were residents of the Boardwalk Apartments, a low-income senior independent-living complex which houses about 300 residents.

The People’s House, proposed to be a low-barrier 40 bed facility, sees itself as an entry point to other area services and a pathway to permanent housing, leading to a community transformation.

After showing a brief video about The People’s House on a big screen, which can also be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb11cjXTwol, Meg Martin, program director for The People’s House, explained the benefits of an enhanced shelter with social services.

“When people come into shelters between 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at night, and have to leave by 7:00 a.m., “there’s nothing we can do with them during that time….People discard their clothes and belongings on the streets because they have no access to laundry facilities.” The proposed day shelter will have shower, bathroom, and laundry services.

One Boardwalk resident said, “This is going to be directly across from us. It’s a serious problem. People are breaking into our buildings and cars – a good 120 (homeless) people are in our area. We hear screaming and yelling. These 40 beds aren’t going to put a dent in our homeless situation. There’s no reason to put something like that there…this is not how I intended to spend my senior years….”

David, who has managed buildings downtown for 12 years, says he has cleaned up more urine and feces on the street and in doorways in this last year than he has in 12 years. “And we’ve just spent, what, $24 million on a new façade for the Washington Center? We need restroom facilities.”

Tom Dorian, Don’s Camera owner, said, “I don’t believe a 40 bed shelter is going to come close to what we need…I’d really like to see a business plan. You are about to spend $400,000 – that’s money that will be taken away from proven programs. First you were talking about an evening shelter, now you’re talking about a 24 hour shelter. Not once have you come to us, those who work and live downtown, and asked where should we place this shelter? I’ve personally been involved with Drexel House (a men’s shelter)…We all want to help the homeless, the less advantaged, but you are providing enablement. (Let me explain) 1. Many are mentally ill; 2. Many suffer from substance abuse; and 3. There are individuals who do not want to adhere to the rules or regulations, be a part of the community and show no respect. It’s proposed to be near the new Children’s Museum, playground, the Boardwalk Apartments, and the Farmer’s Market, and you want to be right in the middle of it. Talk to me up front instead of at the tail end. I want to help you….”

Betty Houser, a volunteer at Sidewalk, an Olympia homeless advocacy and support center, said she lives in the South Capitol neighborhood. “We are in the midst of a recession. People are hurting everywhere. It’s all over town…we all feel vulnerable and we need to take care of the people and get them off the street….Especially with the men, it’s so disheartening. We have to turn so many men away…and there’s no place for couples at this point. If you’re willing to sleep separately, you may find shelter but you won’t have each other to look out for….”

Bill Garson said he lives near the proposed location. “.…What is the real day use population? Are churches willing to guarantee to keep this funding and these professionals in place? BHR (Behavioral Health Resources) has a financial problem. The $400,000 isn’t new money, it’s from another program…to not have a full plan laid out doesn’t make a lot of sense. There are locations you’ve refused to look at. Sometimes you have to compromise…we’re willing to help with a location that makes sense to us….”

A man said, “The reality is, people are in distress, and there have been some implications that Interfaith Works doesn’t know what they’re doing, like this one project is a far outlier…they’ve been successful in the past and they will be in the future.”

Gabi Clayton said she has worked, lived and run homeless shelters in New York and Mississippi. “We had rules. If they couldn’t follow them, they couldn’t stay….I worked at Haven House (an Olympia co-educational, crisis residential shelter for youth). I know it’s scary, but if you can get past the labels…and see our neighbors….I would like to be at Boardwalk and would like to know the shelter is my neighbor.”

Sammy Harvell, program director at Stonewall Youth, a LGBTQQIA youth support organization that has an office downtown, said, “Sure, I have feces on my doorstep, we’re near a homeless camp, there’s people shooting up…but when I was 15 years old, I was in that same position. When I was 15 to 24 years old, I was on and off the streets. I was one of those troublemakers….Percival Landing was my favorite place to do drugs. If it wasn’t for our service providers, I wouldn’t be here – CYS (Community Youth Services) got me into housing and I got to work on other stuff. People stay in Olympia because this is their community. This is where I belong. People trying to access services are people too….I remember back in the day when I was getting kicked out because I was queer… (and now I’m) here today talking about all the successes in my life. Having these services changed my life….I see a solution in this. Give us a chance. How will we know if we haven’t given it a try?”

Jessica Archer of Concerned Olympians, a group that opposed The People’s House’s proposed location on the Eastside neighborhood near St. Michael’s School and Madison Elementary School, said it’s great to see people care. She feels the downtown location is wrong as well. “We can find solutions that work…I don’t know what the answer is. We have a 500% increase in heroin use in Olympia since 2006….”

Safiya Crane said she has been a resident of Olympia for 30 years and is a Sidewalk advocate. “…They want to be clean, they want to take showers. When the laundry mat next to Ralph’s became something else, the only place to go is the laundry mat near Division and Harrison on the Westside. Don’t take things like doing your laundry for granted – it’s awesome….I can’t help but think this is due to misperceptions and misunderstandings. Somebody has to give if we’re going to do this. This is Olympia! Can this be happening? Olympia is better than this! Can’t we work together?”

Dan Rubin said he’s lived here since 1976. “It’s a tough issue. I share some of your fears. I trust Interfaith Works’ experience….I have two suggestions: 1. Get real specific about what can be measured as if you have 10 to 20 years of funding. Will there be less feces and urine on the streets? I advise you to act like the long-term is what you have to deal with….2. Bring police with you. It would be much more effective to answer ‘What should you do if’ type of questions.  Faith has to be there that criminal behavior will be intervened….We need to give this a try.”

Another man said, “Why the poor, why the homeless? Why was Christ home and poorless? Pope Francis, in Joy of the Gospel, said, “The poor and the homeless have much to teach us…to lend our voice to their causes…but also to be their friends…to possess a loving attention…. How beautiful are those cities who overcome, trust…How attractive…” The man concluded by saying, “My prayer is that we have that kind of integration in Olympia and our homeless will have a place to go in Olympia, wherever that may be.”

A woman said that she recently helped a man downtown near Furniture Works who said he was 76 years old. “No one should be sitting out there, much less a 76 year old! I was going to take him home. He was sitting on a bench. I…gave him food and water. When he became revived, he said, ‘I believe in the Lord!’ I was like, great, this man has gone to places where he’s had to say that or he knows there’s a God.’ Then he said, ‘You be sure to stay warm tonight because your heart bleeds.’” She said she has since gone downtown many times to find him again, but has been unsuccessful.

Another woman said she was homeless in 1957 when she was 17 years old, and again six years ago when the snow took out her house. “When I was 17, I worked for 25 cents an hour, and I made it. Now I’m in the Boardwalk Apartments. I’m not against helping the homeless, I’m against the location. They’re druggies and rapists. I don’t want them in my neighborhood. The homeless are pests.”

When the previous speaker said the last sentence, another woman jumped up to get in line to speak.

“Be gentle with each other! The homeless have been called trash, pollution, as if they were subhuman. If we’re going to have this conversation, they deserve respect. They are powerless!”

Another woman ended the evening by saying that she can’t think of a better location for the shelter. As for being near the Boardwalk Apartments, she addressed the woman who lives there (who recently spoke) saying, “You may disagree with me, but there’s nothing like a grandmother to give love and warming.”

To the organizers of the evening, she said, “What a job you do, I bow to you.”

For more information about The People’s House, go to www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com and use the search button using key words.

 

The People’s House is at www.thepeopleshouseoly.org.