Cascadia today: WA GOP drags out vote on millionaires' tax + ICE can't tear gas Portlanders + a new anti-ICE anthem

Good morning! Last night and into early morning, I stayed up watching Republicans in the Washington state legislature opposing a final vote on the millionaires' tax – so you didn't have to. At 9:45 this morning, they were still debating pointless amendments. You can read my posts at Bluesky:

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Judge limits ICE use of tear gas on Portlanders

OPB reports that a federal judge in Oregon issued an order strictly limiting ICE from using tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the ICE facility in Portland. Last year, ICE unleashed crowd control measures on peaceful protesters including children and elders. The ruling comes after a separate federal ruling last week that also strictly limited tear gas use in case brought by nearby residents.

Seattle city attorney left backlog of 1,700 DV cases

The Urbanist has a great scoop – that former Seattle city attorney Ann Davison, who claimed to be tough on crime – left behind a backlog of 1,700 unfiled domestic violence cases. Current city attorney Erika Evans now faces a backlog of more than 5,000 misdemeanors left by Davison. Back in August, I wrote for PubliCola about how Davison's office had long delays on prosecuting domestic violence cases, where prompt response is often critical to protecting women at risk.

Progressive to challenge WA state senate majority leader

The Urbanist also reports that Seattle labor leader Hannah Sabio-Howell will run for the state senate seat in the 43rd district, held by the current senate majority leader, Jamie Pedersen. It's an intriguing development, with a progressive candidate challenging a middle-of-road Democrat representing one of the most consistently left-leaning districts in the state.

How the Samish tribe fought for recognition

Cascadia Daily News has a great, in-depth feature about how the Samish tribe of north Puget Sound recovered from being denied federal recognition in 1969 after a clerical error and now has 2,000 members over 250 acres on the shores of the Salish Sea. Meanwhile, in northern BC, the West Moberly First Nation is working on a fascinating project to tap geothermal energy to heat greenhouses growing fresh produce and increase food security for its tribal members.

Seattle musician creates anti-ICE anthem

The South Seattle Emerald has an interview with musician and writer Gabriel Teodros, who's written a hip-hop anthem called POW that hits back at ICE's cruel mass deportation campaign.

"It’s interesting, the day I released the song, coincidentally there was a huge student walkout the next day. And I got messages that some of the kids had speakers, and they were playing the song at the walkout. That gives me an incredible amount of hope." --Gabriel Teodros

Thanks for reading! Keep loving and keep fighting. --Andrew