Jobless in West Seattle: New support group gets off the ground

Two weeks ago, we brought you the story of Keri Robinson, a pink-slipped West Seattleite hoping to connect with others who are in the process of figuring out what’s next in their professional lives. Connect, she did, and this morning at C and P Coffee, Keri (center of the top photo) and more than 10 other “Lords and Ladies of Leisure” got together to talk about it in person. They had a special guest, too – KING 5 reporter Tonya Mosley – so watch for TV coverage to follow. Kevin McClintic of Arbor Heights shared the photos and recapped: “It was a diverse group consisting of several folks from the IT industry, a graphic designer, a construction project manager, a mortgage banker, an HR manager, and even an architect to name a few. … Also in attendance was Steve Paul, a former IT director who has started a similar job search networking group that meets in Greenwood each week [with Mosley in photo at right]. All told, it was a very informative hour, and the entire group agreed they would look forward to additional meetings.” We’ve also heard from Shari Fox, who says the group’s dubbing itself Pink Slips Unite, and adds that a smaller group met yesterday to talk about everything from job-searching to volunteering. If you want to meet the folks who got together today, next meeting is 11 am next Thursday, C and P; in the meantime, you can reach Keri through her website.

ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Here’s a link to the KING 5 story that included today’s meeting.

p April 2, 2009 (7:22 pm)

does anyone have an update on Moon and Sherri?

Kristy April 3, 2009 (6:09 am)

having a place for west seattle people to network is great, but i don’t think i liked that guy in the video that was saying “ship people back to india for free”. he sounds kind of like a creepy racist. haven’t we outgrown this?

Kali April 3, 2009 (1:59 pm)

This support and networking group sounds like a great idea, but who’s that a-hole at 0:50 who says “I think I’d be into sending people back to India for free”? In the past they used to talk about sending Chinese, Italians, and Irish back. Native Americans would love to send us ALL back. That loser makes the group look like a Klan meeting! Don’t West Seattlites have more class than that? Haven’t we outgrown racist crap like this? Come on, West Seattle; please just say no to haters!

Natasha Jones April 3, 2009 (2:23 pm)

I know it’s tough in the local job market and in the local economy (King County government included), but we’re still looking for the right people for a few positions at King County that might interest you. Check out our jobs page here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/jobs.aspx. Hopefully one of these positions will match up with our needs and someone’s skills.

LOLadmin April 3, 2009 (3:24 pm)

We aren’t a Klan, I promise. Everyone has their own frustrations and that was his way of dealing with the fact that he has to consider Target now for a job, just so he can start earning some income.

Kali April 3, 2009 (5:32 pm)

LOLadmin, I appreciate people’s frustration at being unemployed, and I know most of the members of your group are fine people who are not racist. But if you’ve been the target of slurs and ‘go home’ talk like this, maybe you wouldn’t be so charitable. This guy’s frustrated because he has to stoop to working at Target???? Oh boo-‘effin-hoo! Since when does that give him the right to go on TV and talk like an ass? Microsoft doesn’t recruit just Indians, you know. They also recruit Russians and Eastern Europeans. Can they take your ‘American’ jobs and stay because they’re white? Sorry, I don’t buy the ‘frustration’ excuse. You could say ex-Microsoftie Charles Simonyi took an ‘American’ job too. Would your group member like to ship him back to Hungary for free? Or is he OK because they have the same skin color? Try to understand, LOLadmin, how it feels to be the person he wants to send back, and maybe you won’t be so quick to rationalize his ‘frustration’ at wearing a Target red polo shirt. PS: would the rest of your group found his remark so funny if you guys weren’t white? Think about it, OK? Please?

LOLadmin April 5, 2009 (11:39 am)

Kali – totally see your POV. This was our first large group meeting so I wasn’t sure what kind of people were going to show up and it was the first time I had met that gentlemen, as well as most of the others. My intention and goal for this group is to keep it light and have fun while we are looking for jobs, in addition to creating a forum to network and talk about job-search woes. I don’t want people in the group that are going to blame and be racist, so I will have a talk with the gentleman next week as well as everyone else to be sure we are on good footing moving forward.
My apologies.

Kali April 5, 2009 (9:18 pm)

Thank you so much, LOLadmin! We’ve never met, but from what I saw of you on TV, I just had a hunch you were a ‘class act’. Leadership of a public group is always a tricky balancing act, because you never know what’s going to walk in off the street. This guy may be frustrated, but he also had to know that the cameras were on him. He deliberately chose to say something inflammatory to get on TV. Please remember that while he may not be a cross-burner or thug, his comments may well encourage those who are. You don’t know the feeling of the tightening in your gut when you hear a car motor rev up when you’re walking at night, wondering if it’s just something random, or if some beer-soaked yahoo is going to blast by and scream ‘go home, f*****g towelhead!’ Whether he planned it or not, he is now the New Face of Racism in Seattle, and for better or worse, your group now owns this problem. I don’t envy the task ahead of you, but please look on the bright side. You created this group, and you will confront and resolve the situation. You are a ‘go-getter’, and a troubleshooter. If I had an opening, I’d hire you in an instant. I can’t offer you any advice on how to deal with this individual, but may I offer a little galub jamun of wisdom? “Where there are no consequences, there is no true accountability”. Apologies in your culture are cheap. Too many of our Preachers and politicians think they can say, ‘I’m sorry’ and go on with biz as usual. Please be strong and good luck! Thank you for helping create a better world – Kali