HAPPENING TONIGHT: 'Peace gathering' at Myrtle Reservoir Park

Mal November 9, 2016 (2:18 pm)

Additional details:

Please join together starting at 5:00pm (Wednesday) at Myrtle Reservoir Park (High Point water tower on 35th Ave SW. btw SW Willow St. & SW Myrtle St. in West Seattle) Come together to connect, grieve, and soothe; come together to model and honor unity, inclusion, and equity; come together to remind and show us and the world that we are not about hate and judgment but rather love, compassion, understanding, dignity and respect; come together to ignite some joy and hope at a time of sorrow and disbelief.

Bring food, music, candles, games. Bring friends, family, kids, grandparents, neighbors, co-workers, fellow bus riders, strangers off the street. Post on FaceBook and Tweet. Spread the word.

Seattlite November 9, 2016 (3:13 pm)

“grieving and afraid”…Afraid of what?

AMD November 9, 2016 (6:22 pm)

On the off chance you’re serious, afraid because someone just spent the better part of the year spewing hatred against Muslims, gays, women, and people of color (among others), energizing every hate-mongering whack job in America. So now that the leader of the hate speech has been elected to office, history has shown us that the people who really, truly feel like they need to “do something” about those groups they’ve been hating for so long will feel like their views are officially sanctioned and are far more likely to act. Trumps’s extremist followers are something to be afraid of if you are any minority at all.
- Seattlite November 9, 2016 (7:13 pm)
  
  AMD…Thanks for the answer. Your comment totally misrepresents what Trump stands for and misrepresents the hard working, patriotic USA citizens that voted for him. Trump voters took a stand against eight years of Obama’s failed policies that have caused racial division, neutered police enforcement and military, lack of immigration control causing safety issues for USA citizens, failed Obamacare, failed foreign policy (Iran deal…gave Iran $150M), highest debt ever recorded, low labor participation, low home ownership, increased inner city crime (especially Chicago with black on black crime…not acceptable), lack of jobs for young people. Trump voters took a stand against the elitists, globalists, democrat and republican establishment. Those of us who did not vote for Obama gave him a chance and he failed.
  - AMD November 9, 2016 (8:32 pm)
    
    I’m sorry I answered your question. It seems you were looking for an opening to share your opinions, not an understanding of what others are going through. My bad.
    - Your Mom November 10, 2016 (2:05 pm)
      
      AMD, your comment and response sums up the problem PERFECTLY.
      
      thank you.
  - AJP November 9, 2016 (9:11 pm)
    
    I don’t get this idea that voting for Trump is voting AGAINST elitism. The man literally lives in a gold-plated penthouse. How is that not elitist? Do you really think he cares at all about the middle and lower income earners of this country? What evidence of that do you have, what policies and plans? And yes, that is a serious and valid question.

jrr November 9, 2016 (3:27 pm)

If your world is so privileged that you can’t see why someone would be afraid after the rhetoric spewed by Orange Cheeto, then I have lost all hope.

ChannelingLewisBlack November 9, 2016 (3:49 pm)

JRR – well played. Can’t agree more.
Seattlite November 9, 2016 (4:33 pm)

JRR…I asked a serious and valid question. Do you have an answer or just name calling. What is the fear?

sam-c November 9, 2016 (4:24 pm)

any idea on how long it will last?

(ie, leaving work (at 5), picking up kids, and getting some sort of dinner, etc makes it impossible to get there by 5 .

6:30 might be feasible but if it’s over by then….)

sam-c November 9, 2016 (6:13 pm)

getting there by 5, must be for the “privileged” I guess?

are they still there? , finally ready to head over.

Double Dub Resident November 9, 2016 (4:59 pm)

LOL@ Orange Cheeto .

This election was not a testament about how well liked Trump is , but how hated Hillary is . As they were saying last night , this was a protest election .

The Dems royally screwed up 2x IMO. The whole DNC chairperson / Super Delegate primary BS with Hillary was one .

IMO after Hillary questionably won the primary under shady circumstances and should have made Sanders her running mate . Projected elections with Sanders against Trump showed Sanders winning handily .

Making Sanders Hillary’s running mate would have more likely would have won over disillusioned Sanders supporters. Instead she picked a vanilla VP candidate .

The bottom line IMO it was a bad choice for either one

ScubaFrog November 9, 2016 (5:22 pm)

No. This is the portion of uneducated, racist white America “taking back” the Presidency from a Black Man. This was uneducated, racist white America lashing out at ‘the establishment’, and Washington DC. Ironically, it’s been Republicans who’ve stifled any progress for the Middle Class from day 1 by obstructing President Obama. But Trump and his minions have (again ironically) embraced the elite (Billionaire Trump) – embraced the establishment (the GOP) – the exact things they espoused hatred for.

This wasn’t a protest vote against Hillary Clinton (even though she certainly has flaws) – although Trump certainly used the imbeciles’ hatred of Clinton as another catalyst to garner more support. Trump’s cretins love him – ADORE him. He’s their superstar. THAT part of the electorate embraced Trump’s hatred, his racism, his sexism and his bigotry – because those people are racists, bigots and sexists. They’re the bullies we grew up with.
- Double Dub Resident November 9, 2016 (8:31 pm)
  
  I’m not a Trump supporter , so I’m not answering you defending him , but as pointed out last night by Lester Holt and Chuck Todd during the election , number wise quite a few of these “ignorant white racists ” as you call them who voted for Trump last night had previously voted for Obama .
  
  There were a lot of people who voted for Trump not because they liked him , but because of their complete disdain for Hillary .
  
  And there are articles speaking of disillusioned Sanders supporters voting Trump, something that both Hillary and Sanders worried about after the Democrat primary debacle.
  
  Personally , I begrudgingly voted Hillary , but I can’t stand her . She’s a shameless dishonest panderer who will say anything to get elected and even steal people’s platforms like Sanders’. Though I can’t stand Trump more and I think is borderline sociopath .
  
  Maybe ease up playing the race card, after all without the help of “evil white racists” Obama would have never got into office for 2 terms .
- Andy November 11, 2016 (8:18 am)
  
  By your reckoning, ScubaFrog, some 59,000,000 American voters are racist cretins.

ScubaFrog November 9, 2016 (5:11 pm)

Grieving indeed. In 4 years we’ll have to pick up the pieces again, and repair America – again. Hopefully America can weather 2-4 years of a Republican supermajority, with the vitriolic threats they’ve issued.

The DNC needs to repair, rethink, regroup, and reorganize in light-speed. We won the popular vote (and by ‘We’, I mean Decent Americans). It’s incumbent upon Us to stand up to Trump and his jackboot, slack-jawed lackeys in all peaceful, legal regards.

JRR November 9, 2016 (5:19 pm)

Trump plans to make Muslims register. Do you need more?

Me November 9, 2016 (6:01 pm)

I am coming and bringing the family….to celebrate! Or will I be criticized for not thinking the way you demand that I do.

AJP November 9, 2016 (9:05 pm)

? What demands were made on your feelings? They invited people to come if they want to, they didn’t say you have to, and they didn’t say you have to feel a certain way.

d November 9, 2016 (6:04 pm)

And he’s a predator he admitted to grabing women by the pussy and forcefully kissing them without an invitation he should be on the sex offender registry not an elected president everyone should be worried very worried

Silverback November 9, 2016 (6:59 pm)

But HRC could not beat Trump, go march and protest at the Democratic Headquarters, that is where the problem is. Brexit was a big surprise too.

Elle Nell November 9, 2016 (7:47 pm)

This is wonderful…thank you to the organizers ❤️

And to Me, or is that you.. Whatever.

Me- now why would you want to attend unless you feel what this group feels..? This is the exact type of character that scares the hell out of us.. moveon.org!

Elle Nell November 9, 2016 (7:54 pm)

And thank you for the “Orange Cheeto”!

Best and only laugh I’ve had all day ..

Elle Nell November 9, 2016 (8:07 pm)

Seattlite- you have got to be joking.

Trump is an elitist puppet for the GOP establishment… And if you think for one god damn second, this is not true.. Just wait until he disappears and we get President Pence! Get lost with your slow, sorry, excuse for why you voted for the Cheeto

Mike November 9, 2016 (8:22 pm)

the GOP establishment didn’t want him, but he is the puppet for Putin. Voters were in awe of their celebrity reality TV star who spewed the same garbage they always do within their inner circles, but Trump did it on TV. They love him for saying exactly what they say behind closed doors. Now the world actually knows how backwoods a large chunk of the USA (mostly white males and a large number of white females) feel. They were told he’d bring back the factory jobs, which was a lie. Robots do those jobs for a fraction the cost of any human, this is the same reason VW just canned thousands of workers in Germany…robots, they do the job better, faster and cheaper. Zealots voted for him, now they’ll find out what they voted for.
Double Dub Resident November 9, 2016 (8:37 pm)

And Hillary is not an elitist who made over a hundred million dollars giving speeches to Wallstreet and other special lobbyists ? All the while giving lip service to her followers that she’s anti Wallstreet and for the people .

Both of these candidates sucked and the Democrats should have easily beat Trump with all the rhetoric he spewed . But Hillary couldn’t do it , not because people like Trump , but because of their hatred of her .

Projected elections showed Sanders easily beating Trump . Why is that ?
Seattlite November 9, 2016 (10:25 pm)

Elle Nell…No need to swear. Trump is not an elitist, globalist or establishment but a great business man who ran his no frills campaign like a business and was successful by becoming the 45th president of the USA. I have no doubt he’s going to surround himself with an excellent team (just like he chose an excellent Vice President Pence) and President Trump and his team will serve all of the people of the USA.
- AJP November 10, 2016 (6:29 am)
  
  Still trying to understand that elitism thing…he lives in a golden penthouse, he and his children went to expensive, elite private schools and an Ivy League university, his dad gave him a loan of several million dollars to get his business life started. We know he hasn’t changed a diaper (that would be “acting like a wife”) in his life, and I’ve got a good hunch he’s never cleaned a toilet or washed a dish either. His social circle is like-minded rich people. Again, HOW is he anti-elitist?
- Andy November 11, 2016 (8:07 am)
  
  Again, Seattlite, I totally agree with you. Trump is rough around the edges, but I’m convinced that he ran because he sees the peril the USA is in, thanks to Obama, and wants to help our country. One reason, among the many, I voted for him was because he’s not an experienced politician. The Clintons and Obama got filthy rich from having been in politics, and both wanted nothing so much as to be re-elected.
  
  Many of you on this blog whine about things Trump has said about Muslims. My question to you is, have you ever been to a Muslim country and seen how they treat their women? Maybe some of you have forgotten the struggle of women for equality in our own country. I don’t mind allowing a quota of Muslim refugees, but we need to return to allowing immigrants to come here by quota and to enter through Ellis Island, fully vetted, just like my immigrant grandparents did.
  
  Many people are complaining about getting rid of Obamacare. How many of you will email our new President and insist that he lead a fight against the insurance companies who have long held to the notion of the people not being able to purchase medical insurance across state lines? I know that Trump would like to tear down those barriers. I could go on for days, but I will close with repeating Margaret Thatcher who said, ” The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples’ money. ” Competition is good for business. If Insurance companies have to compete instead of forcing everybody to buy within state lines, the cost of medical services will diminish greatly. (Or in the words of Donald Trump, they will diminish “bigly” …. that’s a joke.)

WS Tiki November 9, 2016 (9:14 pm)

Thank you WSB for sharing this event. I attended it with my two small children. It was lovely, supportive and uplifting for our community.

Also; food was provided and shared y the organizers and group for those coming straight from work.

status quo gotta go November 9, 2016 (10:21 pm)

Totally agree doub dub, if the Dnc had given a better option, been a whole different story. Obama, while a personable prez, did not do one thing to help the middle class. Obamacare has vastly increased insurance premiums and punished hard working people with fines out of tax returns if they don’t comply. We watch elected officials abuse their power for personal profit. Something has to change. Hillary is an extension of the same ole Obama.

Elle Nell November 9, 2016 (10:35 pm)

Thanks for the nice update Tiki…

i also hear ya both up there and while I supported Bernie, and still do, I was not defending anyone. I was stating a fact.

I’m not going to argue with a Bernie supporter because I am one. I also supported Hill yea!.. I’m a feminist. The only thing is we should think deeper and broader, much more deeper and broader…I’m getting to work as soon as this grief breaks down. As much or as little as I can do, but I’ll be doin..

Elle Nell November 9, 2016 (10:37 pm)

You can slap your jaws all day long but work get things done.. Get involved with all your great ideas!!!

Vanessa November 10, 2016 (8:09 am)

Thank you to Mary Ellen and her family and friends who organized this last minute gathering.

(Please let’s not take this thread to continue badgering each other about other’s personal political views.)

Last night was an invitation to gather at the park with a community of neighbors. It was good to get out and walk and breath deep and smile in the face with strangers who hurt like we were hurting. We had wonderful conversations with young and old. Let’s stop bullying each other here on line, and in real life out there. I hope to see more of my neighbors wether I have tears in my eyes or have a smile to share.

Mal November 10, 2016 (10:09 am)

Some news coverage from the event: http://q13fox.com/2016/11/09/west-seattle-community-holds-unity-gathering-in-light-of-donald-trump-victory/

WSB November 10, 2016 (10:26 am)

Our coverage: https://westseattleblog.com/2016/11/followup-myrtle-reservoir-peace-gathering-and-whats-next/

Rusty November 10, 2016 (12:31 pm)

I am somewhat surprised by all the vitriol coming from all of these supposed ‘compassionate progressives’. Both candidates were very flawed individuals – Hillary as the most corrupt candidate I have ever seen actually get the nomination of her party, and Trump the clown (or orange cheeto – funny!) – who, contrary to some revisionists, won the nomination almost in spite of his party’s efforts. I think the Trump vote was more of a reaction against the failed Obama policies and Hillary’s corruption, but I’m no soothsayer so make your own call. I do know that I try to treat others as I’d like to be treated, and don’t assume that because someone has different ideas than I do that they’re a bad person (or racist, ignorant, misogynistic, etc. etc.). What I am seeing is the idea becoming prevalent on the left that such broad characterizations of our fellow Americans is becoming not only commonplace and accepted, but encouraged. If you don’t like the law, work to change it – if you don’t like people in office, work to vote them out. Saying ‘he’s not my president’ and encouraging this ridiculous reaction will only further the divide in our country. Understand that when you try to marginalize and castigate others for their views, you’re doing exactly what you claim to be against. What ever happened to respectful disagreement? Yes, Donald Trump has said some inflammatory and stupid things (well, a lot) – that does not, however, mean that he is seriously going to ‘ban all muslims’ – or that the congress would go along with that sort of policy. Calm down, people – lets give him a chance, hope for the best, and not continue to incite violence and hatred – the media’s doing enough of that on their own.

JanS November 10, 2016 (1:18 pm)

glad the evening was a success…sad to see that some of my West Seattle Neighbors are so filled with hate. That’s not who we are. Fear? It’s personal to me. I am on Social Security, Medicare. I am almost 70, an organ transplant recipient. SS pays the rent+, Medicare pays for my very expensive health care. Paul Ryan and Bitch McConnell want to take it away, poste haste. I will die…it’s that simple. Fpr those on the ACA, that’s their first thing to get done…eliminate it. They have no alternate plan…get a check up now.And women of all ages will find out what rights they do not have. The ERA was never confirmed (although all things being equal, how insulting is it that anyone has to have an amendment to be equal with a white male person). Lastly….did you all see today that “I don’t know Putin”, has now been morphed into, from the russians themselves, that they were in constant contact with most people involved with Trumps campaign throughout? We have been lied to time and time again…but H illary? Someone could clain she helped assassinate Lincoln, and it would be forwarded as truth. I love the people in this community. I have lived here for 41+ years. We help each other, we pay attention to our sister neighborhoods, and help out those who need it with vigor. We are brought together by this neighborhood news site, and TR and Patrick. And this come along, and you all turn on each other, mock each other…I find it very sad. I sincerely hope that those who have supported the new president elect are not too disappointed if they find that campaign promises are nothing more than pie in the sky. A lot more will be taken from us than help us, I am afraid.

Seattlite November 10, 2016 (3:00 pm)

JanS — McConnell and Ryan do not want to take Social Security or Medicare away. If you could give specific written or video proof that they want to end SS and Medicare, please share it. I’m a senior and have faith that Social Security and Medicare will stay as is or get better. Do you have the proven facts on your Russian statement? The people who are upset are those on Obamacare because of the massive increases in premiums, deductibles and decrease in choice of insurance. I just don’t understand why people have to call people names or use obscene language to get their points across.
- WSB November 11, 2016 (10:10 am)
  
  To the topic of Medicare … multiple sources writing about this today; this one is not paywalled.
  - JanS November 11, 2016 (7:57 pm)
    
    TR, thanks for that response…I found it humorous that that was the headline already. I love when people argue with something that is disproven so quickly. I’m also saddened by it. Losing the Medicare that pays for my immune suppressants is scary…They are thousands of dollars per month. I hope that somehow Mr. Ryan could grow a heart…but..he lives in OZ, I guess…

Nancy R November 10, 2016 (3:24 pm)

Regarding of who you voted for or why, the situation is that Trump is our president-elect. And it is a fact that a large sector of his supporters ARE racist and sexist, and he has espoused these ideas himself. Public hating is resulting, and minorities and women in our community are already experiencing bullying in their daily lives. That’s not who we are as a community is it? C’mon this is West Seattle, a really cool place with neighborhood block parties where everyone is included. Some of our community members feel very sad and concerned for our children. Can you get that? That how they, OK we, feel. I’m having to explain to my daughter how a man who openly talked about grabbing pussy, is now our leader, and its tough for me. If you voted for him, fine. But be kind to those of us who are truly grieving and who have spent the last 2 days crying and feeling like a family member has died. Its human nature to be kind to your neighbors that are suffering. And as a human, if you are on a bus and see hate being spewed to a Muslim, lesbian, black, or lewd comments to a woman, speak up and defend. Speak up and try to love your neighbor. I wasn’t ready to come out last night and see people last night, but thank you to the organizers.