July 14th Mayoral Forum, organized by neighborhood groups

 From Elaine Nonneman (thanks!)

Hi folks,

As people in this community who've been involved with the city's development planning, there's a forum coming up for candidates to speak on related issues of housing.  It's being organized by Seattle Fair Growth, which previously organized the SCALE coalition to address concerns of 29 neighborhood groups about MHA development.  Madison Miller Park Community Group was part of that coalition, and is signed on in support of this forum.  It's one hour on Zoom, so easy to tune in.  I hope you will!

https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=beeb24b20bf0decaa4a4bda93&id=579ae6002e

Feel free to share with others.

Elaine

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Mayoral Candidates Neighborhood Forum 

 

Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 6–7 PM 
{Zoom Link HERE}

 

Find out which candidates for Seattle Mayor are responsive to neighborhood concerns.

Thirteen neighborhood groups are sponsoring a Zoom Mayoral Candidates Forum for leading candidates on the August 3rd primary ballot. The questions were determined by the sponsoring groups.  

Candidates who have agreed to participate so far include: 

Jessyn Farrell
Andrew Grant Houston
Art Langlie
Lance Randall
Casey Sixkiller

Colleen Echohawk was unable to schedule the date available to most of the candidates.  
Also invited were Lorena Gonzalez and Bruce Harrell.

A recording will be posted on www.seattlefairgrowth.org.

Wednesday March 3rd Zoom Meeting with Deputy Mayor about Miller Encampment

Wednesday March 3^rd 6:00pm – 7:00pm  Zoom Meeting with Deputy Mayor about Miller Encampment: organized by St. Joe's.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88955025883?pwd=TFdYcm50M3ZLSGs0UFJUWjJOak9Ldz09

 

Meeting ID: 889 5502 5883

Passcode: 828117

We invite you to join us, but want to make clear this will not be an open forum where anyone can speak.  We want to be very focused on getting concrete responses from the Deputy Mayor.

If you plan to attend, please let Steve know.

 Steve Wodzanowski <SteveW@stjosephparish.org>

Hi Everyone:

Dn. Steve sent me a heads up about a meeting coming up with the Deputy Mayor to discuss the Miller encampment.  Our colleague, Leo Lyons, is part of the planning committee.  I would definitely attend but I am already in another meeting that begins at 6:30 pm.  There are others from the Faith Justice Commission who will be attending but I wondered if some of you would be interested if you have time.  There is a real tension between the needs of the people living in the encampment, the cities ability to help them, the impact and concern of neighbors and the purpose of the play field.  I think all of those things are being discussed and considered in this committee and with the deputy Mayor.

If you plan to attend, please let Steve know.

Vince

Begin forwarded message:

From: Steve Wodzanowski <SteveW@stjosephparish.org>
Date: March 1, 2021 at 8:06:53 AM PST

Subject: Meeting with Deputy Mayor this Wednesday March 3rd 6:00pm -7:00pm on Zoom



Hi Vince

 

As chair of the Pastoral Council.  I wanted to make sure you are aware of this.  Leo Lyons is part of the planning committee.

 

Blessings

Steve

 

From: Steve Wodzanowski 
Sent: Monday, March 1, 2021 8:03 AM
To: Stephen Wodzanowski <stevew@stjosephparish.org>
Subject: Meeting with Deputy Mayor this Wednesday March 3rd 6:00pm -7:00pm on Zoom

 

Lenten Greetings Everyone

 

As a follow-up to the conversation with State Rep. Nicole Macri back in December in which you expressed interest or attended,  a committee of the St. Joseph’s Faith Justice Commission has been meeting to strategize about next steps.  

 

We have scheduled a meeting on Zoom with the Deputy Mayor who is in charge of the city’s response/policies on Homelessness .. Casey Sixkiller for this Wednesday March 3^rd 6:00pm – 7:00pm.  Scroll down for the Zoom link.

 

Our committee has come up with a list of questions and specific asks. We invite you to join us, but want to make clear this will not be an open forum where anyone can speak. We want to be very focused on getting concrete responses from the Deputy Mayor.

 

In case you’re interested.. Here’s a list of who has been involved in the planning.  Sean Brennan, Emily Bassett, Leo Lyons, Taffy McCormick, Patrick Gemma, Bob Baur, Ana Brown, Zach Carstensen and myself. Bob and Zach who both serve on the Faith Justice Commission are chairing the committee. We have also tapped into the expertise and wisdom of Chloe Gale from REACH,  Jennifer Newman from St. Martin de Porres and Kari Whitacre from Jubilee. 

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88955025883?pwd=TFdYcm50M3ZLSGs0UFJUWjJOak9Ldz09

 

Meeting ID: 889 5502 5883

Passcode: 828117

 

Some possible asks:

1) We would like to see the Miller encampment residents prioritized for JustCARE services

2) no sweep unless a humane alternative - like JustCARE - is identified

3) increased sanitation on site and in the neighborhood

4) increased police presence in the neighborhood

5) Parish is willing to partner with service providers, city, and others in the neighborhood to make sure the basic needs of the residents are met.

*******************************

St Joseph Homelessness Task Force

Draft Agenda for Meeting with Deputy Mayor Sixkiller

Meeting Date March 3, 2021, 6:00 pm

The growth of unauthorized encampments, including the encampment at Miller Playfield, are not serving the needs of the homeless and are causing safety, health, and access issues for neighbors, parks, playfields, and schools. We have come together as a group of concerned citizens that includes representatives connected to Miller Playfield as members of St Joseph Parish, neighbors, parents, and service providers. While our concerns about the current condition and use of the playfield vary, we believe that the City of Seattle must take immediate action to address these conditions at Miller Playfield and unauthorized encampments throughout the city.  

Questions:

1. The City’s policy on unauthorized encampments is based on CDC guidelines (not disturbing these encampments due to the pandemic). This is not a solution in many cases (including Miller Playfield) and has been acknowledged by the mayor.  What is the City’s current thinking on addressing this issue?
2. The City’s administration and council are committed to caring for individuals occupying unauthorized encampments and not simply “sweeping” them out of these areas. However, given the lack of permanent housing what are the interim options being considered to address the needs of the homeless with shelter, food, services, and safety?
3. How can the public (such as our task force) work with the city to create a solution that is cost effective and addresses the needs of all stakeholders?
4. A recent meeting between the City’s administration and council identified the development of a program for addressing unauthorized encampments. What is that program and criteria?
5. How are the cities current resources being used and priorities on spending set to meet the needs created by unauthorized encampments?
6. Are there, or is there consideration of, pilot programs to deal with the range of issues created by unauthorized encampments. For example, the Miller Playfield encampment is negatively impacting the safety and health of the homeless, neighbors, adjacent school, and users of the field. Is it possible to create and test a program that would allow for a respectful transition of the camp to an authorized location and allow for the use of the playfield for students and users?
7. What is baring the City of Seattle from taking more comprehensive and humane action on unauthorized encampments?

 

 

 

Miller Park featured in 9/20/20 Seattle Times "Then and Now" article

 Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/for-an-ever-changing-neighborhood-we-single-out-miller-park/

Dorpat blog: https://pauldorpat.com/2020/09/17/seattle-now-then-miller-park-neighborhood-1955/

(This, somewhat coincidentally, marks my departure from Miller Park, after 37 years in the neighborhood. Stay in touch. Andrew Taylor  andrew_taylor@me.com )

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

 

Miller Playfield: campers, field scheduling

 (I contacted the City a couple of times: here's part of my 2nd message:

The untidy nature of them speaks to mental health issues that we need to address. The shields seen in one of the pictures are of great concern to some of my neighbors on Nextdoor.com : they interpret them as indicating that the residents are equipped for violence (perhaps similar to that seen in the recent riots). As I noted before, many of the tents are small, neat and unobtrusive, and can surely be accommodated while the City ramps up its outreach to the unhoused. It is the large untidy encampments and collections of seemingly random objects that speak to potential mental instability. ) September 2, 2020 Andrew, hello. Thank you for your August 21 and August 24 emails, addressed to the Mayor and the Superintendent, about the Miller Playfield encampment. The City's Navigation Team is aware of the campers at Miller, and I've forwarded your report to them as additional information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City has made the decision to allow sheltering in place. The City's Navigation Team (which includes specially-trained police officers and social workers who go out every day to contact vulnerable people living unsheltered in homeless encampments across Seattle) will continue to do outreach to persons camping, to provide safety direction and small safety kits that include hand sanitizer. They'll continue to clean up litter as resources allow. The team will also continue to track encampments, and will take action according to the City's Administrative Rule once the emergency is over. I’ve also forwarded to the head of our Athletics unit your observation and suggestion about when scheduled play at Miller Playfield resumes. [See my note, below] Thank you for writing, and thank you for your patience during this public health crisis. Sincerely, Laurie Dunlap Superintendent’s Office, Seattle Parks and Recreation ____________________ My note about field use: I have a wonderful view of all the activities on Miller Playfield from my couch. In pre COVID-19 days, the (lighted, Sportsturf) playfield was fully booked all day (up to 10 PM) every day with organized league sports: softball, soccer, lacrosse. Now that organized sports are cancelled, the field has become a wonderful neighborhood gathering place, but a very COVID aware one. Small groups of people gather, in well spaced groups, and engage in all manner of safe, healthy activities: yoga, exercise, little baseball games, little soccer games, even little cricket games. This gives our field much more of a friendly neighborhood feel than previously, when the field hosted team play from the whole region. I therefore suggest that, when COVID-19 is over and team-play resumes, specific well-advertised times be set aside for pick-up local neighborhood use of the field. At a rough guess I’d suggest an early evening hour each weekday, and both a morning hour and an afternoon hour on each weekend and holiday day.

Miller Community Solar Microgrid Art Projec

 The public is invited to participate in the design phase of the Miller Community Solar Microgrid Art Project. Could you please share with your networks by forwarding the message below or this link to the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog (https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/calendar/action~agenda/exact_date~8-11-2020/)? 

Thank you!

Julia

_________________________________

Public Art in Progress for Miller Community Center

The design process is underway for a new interior artwork at the Miller Community Center. Seattle City Light, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Office of Arts & Culture have commissioned the artwork as part of a larger project to install a power-generating solar microgrid at the Center.    

This art project aims to involve and reflect as many of Miller Community Center’s patrons as possible. Lead artist Julia Harrison invites the public to participate in the design process in these ways:

SURVEY

Visit the project webpage to respond to a short survey: http://www.juliaharrison.net/miller-community-center.html 

MEETINGS

Learn more about plans for the project at either of these online public meetings:

Tuesday, August 11, 4:30-5 pm

Monday, August 17, 12-12:30 pm

Please RSVP to MillerCenterArt@gmail.com for the Zoom meeting link. 

SHARE

Send your Miller Community Center stories and photos to MillerCenterArt@gmail.com. 

DESIGN

What does the Miller Community Center mean to you? What’s your favorite thing about visiting? Can you capture these feelings in a doodle? This video demonstrates a kid-friendly technique that can be used to create new doodles:

https://youtu.be/ItzFmk73OBg

The project webpage (http://www.juliaharrison.net/miller-community-center.html) will continue to offer updates as the project progresses.

Break-in on Thomas Street near Miller Playfield

Break In. This morning (8/2/20)at around 5:30 a.m. a man in a grey hoodie broke into my house on E. Thomas St. near the Miller Playfield. He was slight and lean and white. He climbed in through my bathroom window. Luckily I woke up and he ran out of the house the same way he came in. The police came. But, what can they do? Ever since the homeless camps started cropping up, I feared something like this would happen and now it has. The homeless encampments are untouchable by the police. Too politically charged. The situation is dangerous and untenable. The Mayor and the City Council do nothing. The good neighbors make no demands of the Mayor and City Council to shut down the camps. They just spew ineffectual compassion in pointless posts. Hope this or worse doesn't happen to you.

(From the local Nextdoor group)

And a commonsense reply:

ok maybe we need to look at the granularity of experience and keep in mind stats are unreliable but every summer or earlier the “high pains grifters” arrive from more desolate parts to live of the cream of our latte-land. The seasonal pattern is clear to anyone involved with maintenance or security. Yet after six decades here, while improvements to building security is evident there’s no doubt street level disorder is on the increase. the drugs are cheaper, more available, more addictive, more life destructive if anyone cares to open the eyes....we don’t bother reporting many things and our standards have lowered.

And the original poster again:

I don't know if the man was homeless. He may have been homeless or not. What concerns me is that the homeless encampments are untouchable to the police and they degrade the neighborhood and attract down and out, messed up people. Some are good and some are desperate and out of it. I don't argue that they need help. But encampments in a public park is not help. It's foisting the problem onto a very specific neighborhood because the City can't or won't deal with it more broadly and properly. Until recently the Mayor was opposed to taxing the wealthy in the City to pay for the homeless as were a number of City Council members. I know poverty and inequality and injustice are the problem, but that's not going to be solved very soon. Defunding the police is not going to be enough. Plus, I'm not interested in calling a social worker when I'm robbed. I want the police and I want them to be able to do their job!

Emergency Preparedness Event