(WSB photos by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)

10:42 AM: After receiving a photo from the bus-chartering moms in Gatewood (shown atop our daily-preview list), we decided to head to The Junction to check out people catching buses to head to the march starting point in the Central District. And we found lots of them, of all ages!

The buses were jammed – even with Metro adding more, in the 9 am hour, they were leaving full, with some having to wait for the next one. This photo was texted from aboard a Route 21 bus caught along Avalon:

(WSB reader photo)

As we headed back south to WSB headquarters on the Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy line, we saw an obviously march-bound group waiting at Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, so we pulled over for this photo:

They told us they were awaiting rideshare vehicles – and that the group was twice this size but the others had already left.

IF YOU’RE MARCHING: Please send a photo – we will have a separate report later with photos from the march. editor@wsb.blackfin.biz or text to 206-293-6302 (our 24/7 round-the-clock number) – thank you!

IF YOU’RE NOT MARCHING: As added to our daily preview list, a local family is organizing a small solidarity march around The Junction – meet at Uptown Espresso (California/Edmunds/Erskine) at 12:30 pm.

ABOUT THE HATS: If you don’t know the background of the pink hats many are wearing … go here.

11:30 AM: As of a minutes ago, the march is officially on the move, having left Judkins Park (and all the overflow spots where people are waiting along the route to Seattle Center). If you are headed downtown for some other reason – keep in mind that traffic/access will be affected for hours. TV helicopters are over the crowd; this is the most reliable feed we’ve found so far.

12:28 PM: After more than an hour, SPD says the march has now spread almost entirely across the full official route of more than 3 miles – as the front of the march approaches the end of the route at Seattle Center, some have yet to leave Judkins Park at the start of the route.

2:45 PM: The march is in its fourth hour and some are still on the route to Seattle Center – just passing Spring Street, according to the latest police-radio update, plus SPD via Twitter:

All the estimates we’ve seen so far have participation at more than 100,000 people. Again, we’ll have a separate report later with the photos we’ve received (thank you!) and summary details.

3:04 PM: Some buses are still on reroutes – be aware of this if you’re trying to get home. For the C Line, we checked with Metro: “The C Line has been rerouted further west on Mercer to Queen Anne Ave. It is traveling south on QA to turn left on Denny Way, then right on 1st, left on Broad and right onto 3rd Ave.” We don’t know how much longer this will last, though.

3:29 PM: Metro also now has a free shuttle running “on 5th Ave between Mercer and Broad Streets” to go south back into downtown from Seattle Center to catch buses back this way.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

If you are going to the Womxn’s March on Seattle tomorrow, get to the starting point at Judkins Park in time for the pre-march speakers.

One is a West Seattle neighbor – Aneelah Afzali.

Afzali is executive director of MAPS-AMEN, the recently launched American Muslim Empowerment Network, launched through the Muslim Association of Puget Sound, which is based in Redmond.

She will be one of five speakers at the rally before the march, and her speech will be about combating Islamophobia. “Essentially,” she told us during a phone conversation, “getting people to understand that Muslims were part of America even before it was a country, despite the demonization we are seeing in the media.” She’ll be talking about what people can do to help combat Islamophobia.

What CAN you do? “Each circumstance will vary,” Afzali says. The important thing is to not just stand by in silence – use your voice, use your body if you have to, or tell the story – if you see or hear something, posting about it on social media can be an important way of fighting back. “Standing up for the victim, letting them know they have an ally … there are a variety of things that people can do.”

In the bigger picture, her work “has four areas of focus – coalition building … with other minority groups as well as our friends and allies of any kind of background. That’s important during troubling times. (Also) education about Islam and Muslims – unfortunately, most people in our country don’t know Muslims, and something is easy to demonize when you don’t know much about it.” Another area of focus: “Leveraging media properly – Islam is the most mentioned religion (in media),” but most of the mentions are negative, Afzali says. The final focus: “Youth empowerment – helping build the future leaders of our country.” Last weekend, MAPS-AMEN had a youth-advocacy workshop with more than 100 young participants learning about Islamophobia and using the “power of the pen” to combat it.

MAPS-AMEN plans to have more than 100 American Muslims marching tomorrow; an announcement of that is how we found Afzali – we received a news release about the group’s participation, and asked if there were any West Seattleites with whom we could speak.

ABOUT THE MARCH: Marchers are gathering at 10 am at Judkins Park, with the speakers (including Aneelah Afzali) scheduled at 10:30 am, marching instructions at 11. Full details, including maps, are here.

Inaugural Parade today, Women’s March tomorrow. Big weekend in D.C., and some West Seattleites have traveled from here to “the other Washington.” The photo was just sent by one of them, Kerry Murphy:

We (the 3 on the left: Kristen Meyer, Kerry Murphy, Megan Jasper) were standing at the inaugural parade (in our pussyhats) today, feeling a little overwhelmed, and a woman and her teenage daughter (Tessa Surface and Kristina Dahl, in the pic) wandered up, also looking a hair overwhelmed. We started chatting, and it turns out we all are from West Seattle. Small world! I had 4 West Seattleites on my plane yesterday, too (that I know of – maybe more?).

We’ll appreciate photos tomorrow too – editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – thank you!

Going to the Womxn’s March on Seattle this Saturday? Victoria at VAIN (WSB sponsor) in The Junction just e-mailed to say you’re welcome to stop in (4513 California SW) tonight or tomorrow for a free hand-folded origami-flower corsage:

VAIN is open until 8 tonight, and 10 am-8 pm on Friday.

West Seattle Helpline executive director Chris Langeler just sent this this message from his agency to the community and asked if we would share it:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

In light of some disturbing, recent trends, we feel compelled to speak out.

In the last few months, we have seen a rise in hate crimes against members of immigrant, LGBTQ, and Muslim communities. Harassment of women and people of color has been reported at higher rates locally and nationwide. We’ve seen increased hateful, divisive dialogue in the media, online, in our schools, and at public gatherings. From the neighbors we serve, to our volunteers and supporters, to our own friends and families, fear for safety of self and others has become far too common.

Additionally, we are seeing signs at the federal level that social safety net programs and protections may be scaled back or terminated; loss of health insurance, accelerated deportations of immigrant families, and cuts to social benefits critical to the safety and well-being of local families may be on the horizon. These actions threaten to hurt members of our community, including those that we support as they recover from crisis or hardship.

We, at the West Seattle Helpline, are dedicated to serving all of our neighbors and to help foster a caring and cohesive community. This letter affirms our commitment to do the following in solidarity with our underserved neighbors:

Continue to offer services to every member of our community regardless of race, age, sex, gender identity, immigration status, religion, and sexual orientation.

Continue participation in the Safe Place Program (providing safe haven from and reporting anti-LGBTQ hate crimes) and extend our promise to be a safe space for anyone experiencing hate-based harassment or threatening behavior.

Work with local community leaders in underserved communities to continue to improve the cultural and language accessibility of our services.

Refuse to voluntarily provide federal immigration officials data that could put our clients at risk of deportation (in alignment with Seattle’s status as a Sanctuary City).

Continue to advocate at the local and state level for policies and resources to support low-income, marginalized community members and protect them from harm.

We want West Seattle to continue to be an inclusive, caring, and safe place for all our neighbors. We look forward to working with local leaders, partner organizations, elected officials, and all who share our vision of an inclusive, safe, and welcoming community.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at the West Seattle Helpline

Sally Jewell, the West Seattleite who has been serving as President Obama‘s Secretary of the Interior, has published her “exit memo.” It’s pointed out in a Seattle Times interview with the outgoing secretary, who told Times reporter Lynda Mapes that she is not “retiring” but plans to take a break before figuring out what’s next. While the former REI CEO’s “exit memo” touts the department “restor(ing) our nation-to-nation relationships with tribes,” it does not mention those – including the Duwamish Tribe – that did not get treaty rights restored. It’s been almost a year and a half since Duwamish chair Cecile Hansen went to Jewell’s neighborhood to make her case, after another denial. Meantime, Jewell’s memo touts a variety of resource and land accomplishments, and notes challenges for the future that don’t often get headlines, such as:

With approximately one-third of the Department’s more than 70,000 employees eligible to retire within five years, workforce development must continue to be a priority. We need to ensure a new generation of wildlife biologists, park rangers, tribal experts, scientists, and other professionals are ready to care for our nation’s public lands and waters.

Jewell has been Interior Secretary for almost four years. President-elect Trump‘s nominee to succeed her is Montana Congressmember Ryan Zinke.

Eleven months ago, Seattle Police announced they were looking for a missing 62-year-old from West Seattle, Richard Arneson.

The search is over. DNA testing has determined that Mr. Arneson is the man whose remains were found last May along the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, according to this report today in the Chinook Observer.

How he got there – and how he died – remain mysteries, and the Observer report says SPD is still investigating. Just last week, months after the remains were found near Pillar Rock (map), Wahkiakum County’s Coroner/Prosecutor Dan Bigelow had gone public with a sketch and some information about more of what was found with them.

Then came the DNA match, with the help of samples provided by Mr. Arneson’s family, the Observer reports. We’ll be checking with SPD to see if they have anything more to add.

Continuing our look at events announced in West Seattle for Inauguration Week – we’ve also heard from the new Community General Store in Delridge, which has announced a “Positive Politics Potluck” for 6-9 pm Friday (January 20th):

Need somewhere positive and family-friendly to go next Friday evening? We understand. Please join us in the first of our monthly gatherings to share food and visions for a more beautiful world.

Diverse political perspectives are welcome; our common ground is an understanding that our strength as a community comes out of our diversity. Our conversation is not meant to uncover the way forward or convince anyone of our individual perspective. Rather, together we aim to illuminate the many possible ways forward, and strengthen and improve each path by sharing authentically and listening well.

We’ll meet on the third Friday of each month, so mark your calendars. Fun for little ones, conversation and support for grown ups, food for all!

**First-time visits to the CGS are free. Membership purchase available at the door. RSVP here!

The CGS is at 5214 Delridge Way SW, next to The Daily Dose.

(Photo courtesy Tibbetts United Methodist Church)

We have been receiving, and adding to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, announcements of events for this upcoming Presidential Inauguration week – events of contemplation, collaboration, commiseration. (We’ve also been asked about West Seattle contingents going to some of the citywide events – in particular, next Saturday’s Women’s March downtown.) So starting right now, we’re publishing home-page notes about some of what’s happening, and inviting you to send us any announcement(s) that you haven’t sent yet (editor@wsb.blackfin.biz).

We start with the labyrinth that will be open to all at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), Wednesday through Saturday. The announcement:

The Presidential Inauguration ceremony is on Friday, January 20th and there are many in and around our community who are concerned and upset about the political climate in the U.S.

Tibbetts is blessed to have a Labyrinth, which will be available for contemplative walking beginning Wednesday, January 18th, for those who wish to meditate, pray, or simply find peace. Labyrinths have been in use for over 4,000 years and the basic design is fundamental to nature and many cultures, religious and non-religious traditions. Walking the labyrinth can clear the mind, give insight, and soothe your heart. The simplistic symmetry is made even more meaningful when accompanied by music.

We extend an invitation to all in the community, especially those who are struggling to find a means to gain clarity, find peace, pray, or meditate about what changes there will be in the U.S. in the coming years.

The Tibbetts Labyrinth will be set up in the gathering hall (NE corner of 41st & Andover) from Wednesday 1/18 through Saturday 1/21, hours listed below. The Labyrinth is made of heavy canvas and we ask that walkers remove shoes before starting. We will have hand-held labyrinths available for those who are mobility challenged and music will play softly in the background.

Tibbetts welcomes ALL to come walk the labyrinth during one of the open times below:

* Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 2 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm (Jan 18 & 19)
* Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm (Jan 20)
* Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm (Jan 21)

Tibbetts is at 3940 41st SW.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“We’re carefully watching the sort of direction that the new administration is going to take.”

That could be said by many. But for some agencies and organizations in our area, it’s not just a general sense of wariness as the Trump Administration heads for the White House in three weeks – it’s the need to be ready for what seem certain to be major changes.

The declaration was from Steve Daschle, executive director of North Delridge-headquartered Southwest Youth and Family Services. We talked to him recently as we began a process of finding out how local nonprofits – especially those who work with vulnerable populations such as immigrants and refugees – are getting ready.

“Our biggest fear is that the Trump Administration and his selection for Health and Human Services Secretary have made it very clear that their Job 1 is to dismantle the Affordable Care Act,” Daschle said.

Read More

The photo and report are from Karen Chilcutt:

Today, December 15th, is Bill of Rights Day!! Members of the West Seattle Democratic Women are distributing copies of the Bill of Rights, bumper stickers, and buttons provided by the American Civil Liberties Union at both the White Center Food Bank and Samway Market in White Center. WSDW wants everyone to know that materials are also available at Cupcake Royale in the West Seattle Junction.

Rachel Glass, WSDW’s Vice Chair, said: “Given the concerns, confusion and fear expressed by many Americans as a result of the change in political climate, WSDW thought it especially important that people be aware of their rights.”

Other participating members of West Seattle Democratic Woman braving the freezing weather in support of this cause were Elizabeth Heath, Lynne Ingalls, Flora Belle Key, Theresa McCormick and Mike Wald. Peggy Abby, WSDW member and local artist crafted the signs used.

Meet Virginia Carmichael, who turned 100 today! We photographed her early this week, to accompany this tribute from her family:

Virginia has resided in Seattle since 2004. That year she moved from the Northern California foothill town of Paradise.

Virginia’s family will honor her tomorrow at the West Seattle home of her eldest daughter, Susan Madrid. She celebrated at The Kenney with her fellow residents at the monthly group birthday gathering this past Monday.

Virginia’s immediate family includes a second daughter, Alice Turner from Chico, California, and two grandchildren, Leslie Harlow (Greg) from Renton and Richard Stichler (Diane) from Ringgold, Georgia. Her great-grandchildren are teenagers Anna and Sarah Harlow and young adults Evan and Jarrett Stichler.

Virginia was born near Auburn in south King County in 1916. Her maternal/paternal extended families lived and worked in the Tacoma area.

When she was 3, her immediate family moved to California, eventually settling in Stockton, where she attended school and lived until she and her husband, James Carmichael, whom she married in 1939, retired in the mid 1970s. James died in 2002.

Virginia owned a knit shop in Stockton. She is accomplished in all forms of needlework and sewing, using these skills to be successful in her business. She still knits baby sweaters and afghans that are donated to WestSide Baby. Her guilty pleasures are watching “Curious George” on PBS and Rocky Road ice cream.

That tree on the water side of the Alki Bathhouse isn’t a Christmas tree but rather a memorial tree. Relatives and friends of Joel Eggert (photo at right), the 46-year-old West Seattleite who died after his motorcycle crashed in Highland Park early Sunday, e-mailed to tell us about it. It’s there with Parks Department permission, and, according to Tonia, “People are encouraged to place notes and mementoes to remember Joel.” Stephanie says, “Tomorrow night at 3:30 pm there will be a sunset gathering for him and moment of silence.” And Mr. Eggert’s sister Stacey e-mailed to share the news of the crowdfunding account for his children. She says Mr. Eggert’s last wish is being fulfilled – donating his organs to save others. Plans for an official memorial event are in the works, we’ve also learned, and we’re expecting an update on that soon.

Just received this announcement from Chief Sealth International High School principal Aida Fraser-Hammer:

Seattle Community Immigration Resource Fair
Saturday, December 10, 10 am to 1 pm
At Denny International Middle School

The City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, Chief Sealth IHS and Denny IMS, along with several community partners, are hosting a Community Resource Fair on Immigration. You are invited to learn about Immigration policies, knowing your rights, safety, how to support your children at school and at home, and a parental toolkit.

Denny is at 2601 SW Kenyon.

Thanks to Lynda Sullivan for the photo and report:

I wanted to get a shoutout to some local girls (their families and a few friends) that volunteered their afternoon at Northwest Harvest in Kent. Several of the girls are the McCaffrey Bobcats and play in the West Seattle Soccer Club together. They bagged, tied, packed and boxed up over 4,500 pounds of rice over the course of the afternoon. The rice is donated by companies in bulk and needs to be sorted for distribution to local food banks in Washington State. They all had a blast and everyone was eager to know when they could come back and volunteer again.

For anyone that is interested, Northwest Harvest in Kent welcomes volunteer groups of any size. The age requirement is 9 years old (or in the 3rd grade), must be accompanied by a parent/guardian if under the age of 16. For volunteer information contact Jennifer Chew at 206-923-7453 or JenniferC@northwestharvest.org.

The local food banks served by NW Harvest include three in our area, according to the map on the NWH website – West Seattle FB, White Center FB, and Paradise of Praise FB in Highland Park.

(Tuesday night photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)

As noted in the newest comments following WSB coverage of the Admiral District crash that sent a woman to the hospital Tuesday night, an online fundraiser is now set up for her. Via this GoFundMe page, organizers identify the victim as Britt Russell. She is an employee at Mission Cantina, and was headed to work when hit by a driver at/near California/Walker. According to the fundraising page, she suffered numerous serious injuries but has been “stabilized.” The fundraiser is meant to help with an expected long path to recovery:

Britt is strong. While being such a kind and loving person she also has a fighting spirit. She will eventually recover but we know she will be in the hospital or in rehab for most of the next year. We are looking to support Britt and her family’s medical expenses outside of insurance as well as travel for her family living outside of the country. Her entire immediate and extended family live in Australia and airfare is quite costly. We know how important having family close by is to the healing process.

Meantime, we are still following up with Seattle Police regarding the investigation; no new information is available so far.

One month after two West Seattleites announced a donation drive for the Water Protectors led by the Standing Rock Sioux, Giles Stanton and Cathy Morgan are back from their Thanksgiving-week run to North Dakota, and just sent a wrapup report and photos:

The two days and nights we were at the Oceti Sakowin Camp (connected to both Rosebud and Sacred Stone Camps) saw their first snowfall of the season — it was numbingly cold though nothing compared with the weather yet to come. But, thanks to all of you, they now have a better chance at comfortably enduring the coming prairie winter. Giles helped construct an expansion to their main Donation / Supply Tent and Cathy applied her newfound donation-sorting skills to the profusion of items pouring in daily.

The packed cargo van of West Seattle donations was gratefully swallowed up into the organized ocean of useful winter goods and flowed right back out into the hands of long-term supporters fortifying themselves against the cold.

The Go Fund Me campaign has already been very successful — thank you! Once we have the cargo van’s gas totals collected and reimbursed, we’ll send all the unspent dollars back to the camp to buy whatever they need by then.

The trip, and this entire experience, has been immensely powerful and eye-opening. A truly international network is engaged in alliance at Standing Rock; the sign post and a tour of license plates and handmade banners reveals the scope of the community on the ground. We are humbled by your generosity and inspired by the unflagging energy and commitment on active display all over the camp.

Cathy & Giles

Previous reports:
Ready to leave (last Tuesday)
Donation drive, 2 weeks in (November 13th)
First update (November 6th)
Donation drive announced (October 29th)

From left in the photo (taken at Talarico’s) are Ryan, Ty, Phuong, and Vitaly. Ty sent the photo and report about a gathering of what he described as the “Junction Logistics Network“:

9 times out of 10, if you live/work in the Junction you’ve received a package from one of these guys.

In preparation of the holiday season, we wanted to get together and “break bread.” We discussed multiple topics ranging from safety and wellness to traffic concerns and our ever-expanding community we serve. Whether you work for USPS, UPS, FEDEX, or OnTrac, at the end of the day we all have one goal in mind. And that is to do our job to the best of our ability and to also come home to our loved ones safely.

“I see these guys all week long and we might have ten seconds to say Hi, Bye, look out for this..complain about the weather, etc. I knew they were great and exceptional workers, but I wanted to know ‘why’ they were.”- Ty

P.S. One arrived early, one was on time. One a little late and one got lost “en route.”

Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Go Hawks!