June 2020

To the editor:

I am a man. I am a human being. I am a black man living in the great nation of America. It was with great sadness and also some rage, but I dare say not surprise, when as I lay there in my hospital bed in late May, recovering from pneumonia, with my own lungs thankfully on the mend after having received great care and I was able to inhale and exhale, that I saw on the TV that George Floyd’s lungs had stopped working because a white police officer had choked the life out of him.

Like every black person in the great nation of America, I have experienced racism. Not at all like George Floyd. Not literally a knee on my neck. But I have seen it and felt it since I was a young man all the way back in high school and in Texas where it was more overt. And then here when I moved to Seattle many decades ago I have felt it but it tends to be a little more covert here than in Texas. Sometimes.

By Jayson Boyd

I grew up during the days of mandatory busing in Seattle. That meant taking the school bus over to Beacon Hill for elementary, going to my neighborhood school, Denny, for middle school, and traveling to Garfield for high school. I didn’t have much say for my elementary, or much of a care for my middle school, but I was thrilled to be chosen to attend Garfield.

One constant at all of my schools is that they were all racially diverse. There was intentionality to it. And, as you might imagine, there was intentionality to how the teachers spoke about race. Gone were the days of my parents’ generation’s so-called “colorblindness”. Pretending you don’t see the different skin colors of others might sound nice, but the reality is that we’re all treated differently according to our skin color, and not recognizing that amounts to an ignorance that is harmful to people of color. But for many white people, this feigned ignorance is bliss.

A new restaurant is coming to White Center's main street this July. Bloom Bistro will be opening in the former Biscuit Bitch location at 9602 16th Ave SW. 

Biscuit Bitch, owned by Kimmie Spice closed that location, as well as one in Pioneer Square in May (retaining two others) out of financial necessity as she explained in an open letter. 

The new venture will be run by two of her former employees, Marisa Figueroa and Randi Ludwig.

They describe Bloom Bistro as a "quirky queer-femme owned restaurant," offering locally sourced ingredients, and a rotating fresh-list menu. They plan to be open from 8am to 5pm serving breakfast and lunch items with limited indoor and outdoor seating available with take-out available.

Information from Seattle Police Blotter

Detectives are currently investigating after several bags containing human remains were located near the water in the 1100 block of Alki Avenue SW this afternoon.

Police responded after receiving a call of a suspicious bag on the beach. Another bag was located in the water. Once the contents were determined to be remains, detectives responded to begin their investigation.

Harbor Patrol is assisting on the call, and detectives will work closely with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation proceeds. This remains an active and on-going investigation.

information from King County Sheriff

 After the tragic and troubling death of George Floyd on May 25th in Minneapolis, King County Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht ordered a further review of the department's Use of Force policies to look for opportunities to clarify or strengthen them.

Although the King County Sheriff’s Office made considerable changes to their Use of Force policies last year, they asked Campaign Zero to audit KCSO policies against the 8 Can’t Wait. 

information from Washington State Dept. of Health

Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman approved King County to move to Phase 2 on June 19 and Island, Lewis, and Mason counties were approved to move to Phase 3 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan.

A total of three counties are in Phase 1, two counties are in a modified version of Phase 1, 19 counties are in Phase 2 and 15 counties are in Phase 3.

SEE PHASE TWO AND THREE PLANS BELOW

Cowlitz, Kittitas, and Thurston counties have applied to move from Phase 2 to Phase 3. Benton and Franklin counties have applied to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, and their applications are currently on pause. The department is working with local officials to discuss next steps.