Cascadia today: Harrell increases lead + ICE engaging in "racial terror" + celebrating the Downtown Eastside
Mayor Harrell increases lead in latest ballot drop
Incumbent Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell increased his lead to 57 to 43 percent over transit activist Katie Wilson with the latest count of ballots on Wednesday, Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported. Though late ballots generally favor progressive, Wilson now has a deficit of 11,000 ballots to overcome. CHS estimates Wilson would need to carry about 56% of remaining ballots to win. Meanwhile, the Urbanist reports that pro-housing candidates made gains across the Puget Sound region, including a likely flip of the Burien city council to a more progressive majority. Elsewhere in south King County, the race for the 33rd legislative district is too close to call, with former Burien mayor Kevin Schilling leading appointed state rep Edwin Obras by less that 200 votes, Washington State Standard reports. In other election news, Real Change has an interview with Erika Evans, who is set to replace "tough-on-crimes-of-poverty" Seattle city attorney Ann Davison, saying she'll try to get more folks into diversion programs rather than serving jail time.
"Racial terror" as ICE steps up Hillsboro abductions
The Oregonian talks to Latino residents of the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, which as become a hot spot for ICE enforcement actions. Residents describe the tactics of masked federal officers abducting people with no criminal records as a campaign of terror in communities of color.
“This is not immigration enforcement. This is racial terror. This is state-sanctioned violence. This is the face of fascism. Not in some far off land but in our backyard.” --Marchel Kaleikini, local resident.
Meanwhile DHS is rushing new policies that will make it easier to arrest protesters at its facilities, Oregon State Standard reports. In related news, the South Seattle Emerald talks to local activists who are using 3-D printers to create whistles given to teams monitoring and warning immigrants of ICE actions. Learn more at the WA Whistles project.
Vancouver mayor's budget slashes arts, gives cops raises
CBC reports on Vancouver mayor Ken Sim's latest budget, which freezes property tax increases, cuts budgets for arts, culture, and sustainability an hands the Vancouver Police Department $50 million raises. This means Vancouver will spend $500 million on cops, up from $350 million in 2022. VPD board member Lorraine Lowe said she would offer pushback, against the huge raise, noting that "the optics are, 'Oh, the police get everything they want.'” Indeed. In other police related news, Seattle police chief Shon Barnes fired two top civilian leaders at SPD, PubiCola reports. The two reportedly pushed back against some of Barnes' new initiatives, including a "surveil-and-shame" project in which officers photograph people paying for prostitution and then mail them letters.
Heart of the City celebrates Downtown Eastside
The Georgia Straight reports on the Heart of the City Festival, an annual celebration of art, culture, and community in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, which offers much more than media's portrayal of the neighborhood as the center of the city's fentanyl crisis. The event, which runs through Nov 8, includes a showcase of Indigenous artists, and performances of the play How I Met My Mother, in which Jonathon Paterson explores a journey from being a troubled teen to an artist and caregiver for his ailing mother. More on Heart of the City here.
--Andrew Engelson
