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Huge turnout for Greenwood ICE OUT march

Not only did the sun come out Saturday afternoon, but so did the Greenwood neighborhood. Neighbors toting kids and carrying signs streamed up the side streets to Greenwood Avenue and the Alice Ball Park across from the Greenwood Library. “Melt Ice” and “Democracy is Under Attack” read just two of the hundreds of homemade signs that protestors carried. The two women who organized the protest said this was their first time doing anything like this. They were overwhelmed and joyous by the response. (Find the group Greenwood Neighbors Protecting Neighbors on Facebook.)

Police on foot and on motorcycles were also present in force. Their job? To close off Greenwood Avenue from Ken’s Market to 85th St. so protestors could march in the street. They waved at the marchers, particularly the kids and smiled when protestors thanked them for “not wearing a mask.” After marching to 85th, then down to 73rd and then back to the park, people filtered off either back home or to various eateries. Signs propped on tables and chairs were visible throughout the Phinneywood area.

The Phinneywood Tuesday bannering team had a great outing this week, and added an "ICE OUT" sign to the various signs held over Aurora Avenue.

Signs of Fascism

Phinneywood Rising members rolled out "Signs of Fascism," a thought-provoking series of signs meant to encourage people to think about where we are heading, on Green Lake Way Jan. 17.

Dispatch from Minnesota

Here are some things happening in Minneapolis which you won't read about in the news:

Churches, schools, and legions of volunteers are funding and organizing drives to purchase and deliver food to immigrant families too fearful to leave their homes.
Volunteers are posting at schools to watch for ICE especially when kids are released.
Because Minneapolis schools are closed today and tomorrow out of fear for the safety of students and staff, neighbors are offering free day care, snacks, games and supplies to assist families.
Immigrant businesses are keeping their doors locked and only admitting people on an individual basis, but people are patronizing these businesses to support them. Businesses closed yesterday out of respect for the killing of Renee Good.
Neighbors are distributing free alert whistles and literature to one another in case of ICE sightings.
Thousands of people are taking "upstander" trainings to better support people attacked by ICE.
Nonprofits are mobilizing to protect communities, and donors are stepping up to invest in these efforts.
We are checking in on one another.
Minnesotans are not rolling over in fear. We are acting from a place of being caring, protective, and just humans. We are doing what we can to forge on despite this attack on our community. This is what fighting for right looks like.

Notes from the January meeting

We had a full house at Phinneywood Rising’s January meeting. LFG! Here’s a synopsis:

We discussed starting a letter-writing or postcard-writing campaign to flood the mailrooms in Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court with our objections to what is going on. Read about Project Mail Storm here.
We encouraged everyone to call their congressional representatives to voice our unhappiness with, well, everything. Do it today! Use 5 Calls to make it easy.
We talked about going together as a group to the January 20 Free America walkout at Seattle Central College, or finding a north-end high school that’s walking out and showing up to voice our support for students. (Stay tuned for details.)
We began planning how we’ll deploy the “Refuse Fascism” signs, which look great. This has been tried effectively around the country (video here) and started in Sequim. If you’re not already on the email list for this project, get in touch and we will add you.
Former State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson dropped some ideas for how to effectively lobby your legislators. The session starts Jan. 12. Check out the new Legislation page on the site for more details.
We talked about changes to the website, possibly adding more photos, little “how I did it” stories and curated reading lists. Note also the new email address at the bottom of the website (or here) for contacting the webmaster.

What it's like to banner on Aurora

It’s 3 p.m. on a cloudy Tuesday, and a group of people assemble on a pedestrian overpass on Aurora Avenue. They unfurl a banner with orange letters meticulously cut out and twist-tied to black mesh, secure the banner’s telescoping poles, and lift it carefully up into the air.

Almost immediately, motorists passing beneath the bridge began honking at the sign, which reads: “Democracy not dictatorship.”

Over the next hour, this group of about 12 will brace the poles against the concrete bridge walls and wave to a stream of commuters passing underneath. As Liz’s song playlist warms up the portable speaker, Aretha Franklin will ask for a little R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Bob Marley will encourage us to “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.” Sly and the Family Stone will sing about “Everyday People.”

More participants arrive, enough to unfurl additional banners — “Unmask ICE” and “RESIST.” Kathie dances with her rainbow-colored umbrella. Sheila distributes a bag of frog hats from Petco, complete with eyes that pop up when you squeeze a ball in the hat’s long ear coverings. And Liz climbs into the hot, awkward frog suit, like the one made famous by the Portland detention protesters, and leans over the wall, waving an American flag.

Perhaps the commuters sense that the protesters are having a great time up there on the bridge. Many honk their horns. Some flash their high beams. They wave and fist-pump and flash peace signs. Sure, there are some middle fingers, even in Seattle, but they’re few and far between. When the banners are deployed on both sides, the group estimates that they reach about 2,000 commuters in that hour.

The protest also reaches a handful of people using the bridge. Joggers give the thumbs up, or stop to talk about the resistance. Dog walkers laugh as they navigate their nervous pets past the weird blow-up frog shape. After an hour, the group is ready to disband, rolling up the banners in preparation for the next outing.

Is it worth it, spending this hour every week to buoy the resistance in a very dark blue city? The participants say it is. It’s clear from the enthuastic waves and honks from the cars below that they’re bringing joy and fun to the movement, and keeping a presence going in between big rallies. The dancing, bantering and waving brings a moment of joy during what has seemed like a relentless stream of bad news.

On top of that bridge, friendships are forming in a group that has found a way to defend democracy each and every week.

Political satire at its best

Seattle's own Trillionaires for Trump make their debut appearance at the Movement Voter Project benefit concert at Town Hall.

October meeting notes

We discussed the importance of supporting food banks while the GOP holds SNAP benefits hostage. The best way to help is a recurring monthly donation, or if that's a stretch, consider volunteering. Or do both!

One of our members was inspired by Westerville Progressive Alliance's "Signs of Fascism," a terrific protest that took place a while back in Westerville, Ohio and has since been replicated in other communities. (Check out this video on Facebook.) Members held simple signs that listed actions which indicated a society is turning toward fascism. (An editorial board column in the New York Times Oct. 31 covered much of the same territory.) We also talked about reversing the message and dwelling on the positive with "Signs of Democracy." We passed around a signup sheet to see who's interested in doing this style of protest here. Stay tuned, it's a great idea.

Buy your tickets for "United We Sing," a Nov. 12 concert for truth, justice and and a better tomorrow, at Town Hall Seattle. It's presented by the Movement Voter Project. Rumor has it that Trillionaires for Trump will be in attendance, and the gossip is that at least two Phinneywood Rising members will be taking a turn in this fun, satirical protest!
We spent time talking about small, low-barrier actions we can all take at any time, and discussed the importance of making a plan to actually follow through and do them. A few ideas: Cancel your Spotify account (Spotify is airing ICE ads), participate in the economic boycott Nov. 25-Dec. 2 (buy things you need in advance, preferably from small, local merchants, then zip up your wallet and keep it closed until Dec. 3), call politicians on the other side of the aisle when they do something you actually support, carry a whistle to alert people when ICE is in the neighborhood, and adopt your nearest telephone pole, plastering it with feel-good messages and protest news as a low-barrier way to keep your community informed.

We did it!

Thanks to all of the wonderful hand-holding people, dancers, and musicians who showed up Oct. 4 to make Green Lake a success! We'll post additional photos on the Hands Around Green Lake page as we get them.

Communities Rising's list of ways you can get involved

At the September meeting of the umbrella organization Communities Rising, about 100 people came out to hear King County Executive candidate Girmay Zahilay tell about his journey from Sudanese refugee to a King County Council member. He's running against fellow council member Claudia Balducci in the November election.

A dozen speakers offered a wide range of ways to get involved this autumn:

Signs of Solidarity is an Indivisible project to help local businesses learn how they can protect undocumented immigrants, whether they work at the business or are patrons.
CR's Ballard 2 Neighborhood Group is choosing to form a support group for Washington Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp-Perez, a Democrat in southwest Washington who is vulnerable in next year's midterms. Ballard suggests that other groups of folks might, in a similar way, adopt a “sister campaign” in another swing district in a purple state.
Hands Around Green Lake: Embracing Democracy is looking for volunteers and participants. Sign up to help, or just simply show up October 4 at noon.
Ceasefire Northwest, a newly formed coalition of Washington and Oregon gun safety groups, is holding a rally/march at Green Lake (north end) on Sunday (the day after Hands Around Green Lake) at 10 a.m.
Common Power does a lot of good work in the nation, including putting puts boots on the ground in critical districts across the country, knocking on doors to very effectively raise awareness and get out the vote. If you want to travel to another state to make a difference, this one is for you.
The Movement Voter Project (MVP)'s mission is "to Invest in the frontline groups organizing to block MAGA, build a broad-based movement for progress, and turn our country around."
The National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON) offers day-to-day accompaniment and support to day laborers at Home Depot and elsewhere, locally. In addition, they are working to form a Rapid Response team in the event of an ICE incursion.
Common Defense is forming a Washington chapter of this national group of veterans who "oppose the rise of Trump's authoritarian government and the destruction of our Constitution." They welcome "anyone who has served for any length of time in the military."
The Beautiful Trouble Book Club will meet for the first time Tuesday, 9/23, 7 PM, on Zoom.

The next CR All-Hands Monthly Gathering will be on Wednesday, 10/22, 6:30-9:00, at the Shoreline UU Church. Details to follow in the next couple of weeks!

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