West Seattle, Washington
17 Wednesday
(Photo courtesy Ken Balcomb)
The Center for Whale Research confirms today that Puget Sound’s resident orca population has dropped again, with the death of J52, nicknamed Sonic. Here’s the news release they sent this afternoon:
As of 19 September, another Southern Resident Killer Whale, J52 – a two and a half year old male born during the so-called Baby Boom of 2015/2016 – is deceased, presumably from malnutrition.
His obligatory nursing ended more than a year ago, and his life was dependent upon salmon that have become in short supply this summer.
He was last seen alive near the west entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on 15 September 2017, and photographs taken at the time reveal severe “peanut-head” syndrome associated with impending death. Young J52 was accompanied by his mother (seventeen and a half year old, J36) and an adult male (twenty-six year old L85, potentially his father) at least five miles away from the other members of J and L pods that were foraging within a mile or two of the coastline from Camper Creek to Bonilla Point west of Port Renfrew, British Columbia.
The observation of this sad event was at sunset, and the young whale appeared very lethargic while barely surfacing as the two adults were swimming around in circles and not feeding while attentive to the young whale. We estimated J52 was within hours, if not minutes, of death at the time, and he was not present during the J pod foray into Puget Sound on 19 September, though his mother and L85 were. The mother did not appear overly emaciated on either occasion, but she is lean and seems distressed. Yes, these animals do exhibit emotion, and death of an offspring brings it on. It is worthy of note that all of the SRKW observed this summer appear skinny and small compared to Bigg’s Transient killer whales in the Salish Sea that have abundant prey resources (seals and other marine mammals). Timing of food availability is everything, especially in critical phases of growth or gestation.
With the passing of J52, three of the six whales born in J pod during the so-called Baby Boom, which began in December 2014 with the birth of J50, have now died; and, two mothers (J14, J28) and a great-grandmother (J2) in the pod have also died. No southern resident killer whales from any of the pods have been born alive and survived thus far in 2017 – the baby boom is over. This population cannot survive without food year-round – individuals metabolize their toxic blubber and body fats when they do not get enough to eat to sustain their bodies and their babies. Your diet doctor can advise you about that.
All indications (population number, foraging spread, days of occurrence in the Salish Sea, body condition, and live birth rate/neonate survival) are pointing toward a predator population that is prey limited and non-viable. We know that the SRKW population-sustaining prey species is Chinook salmon, but resource managers hope that they find something else to eat for survival, at least beyond their bureaucratic tenure. Our government systems steeped in short-term competing financial motives are processing these whales and the salmon on which they depend to extinction. If something isn’t done to enhance the SRKW prey availability almost immediately (it takes a few years for a Chinook salmon to mature and reproduce, and it takes about twelve years for a female SRKW to mature and reproduce), extinction of this charismatic resident population of killer whales is inevitable in the calculable future. Most PVA’s (population viability analyses) show functional extinction as a result of no viable reproduction within decades to a century with current predator/prey trajectories, but it can happen more quickly than that.
J52’s birth was announced in March 2015. The death leaves the resident orca population at 76 – 77 counting Tokitae (who remains in a Florida theme park, called Lolita).
1:20 PM: A 32-year-old man remains in the King County Jail today after being arrested on Puget Ridge Saturday night in connection with a burglary in Riverview. We reported briefly on the incident shortly afterward, but learned there was more to the story – including a car crash before he was taken into custody – so we requested and received the police-report narrative today. We’ve also learned that the suspect has a lengthy record dating back more than half his life, including previous burglary convictions.
On Saturday night, the police report says, a neighbor called 911 after seeing a man trying to kick in the door of a house near 12th and Orchard in the Riverview Playfield area. Police arrived quickly and saw a man walk out of the front door carrying a TV set. He then went out of sight and a car on SW Orchard was seen leaving. Two officers had the car pulled over briefly, but the man inside refused to get out and took off westbound toward 16th SW. Police were sharing all this information over radio frequencies and other officers spotted the car near 16th and Brandon, crashed into a parked car (a reader later provided the photo below – the green car is the one the suspect was reported to be driving, according to the police report, and it was subsequently impounded):
The car’s owner told police they had seen a man flee toward a house in the 1600 block of SW Dawson, and they found the suspect in that house’s back yard, appearing to be under the influence – slurring his speech, with a “strong order of alcoholic intoxicants” on his breath. He also was seen, police were told, falling down some stairs at the house. Back at the burglarized house, which police report was ransacked, the TV had been left behind, near the fence.
The suspect was arrested and booked into jail early Sunday. Online court files show that his most recent felony conviction was for a Highland Park burglary in 2012; he received a seven-year prison sentence in March 2013. Previous convictions included a 2008 burglary on Pigeon Point. The county jail roster shows he was booked twice in the past two months for alleged probation violations. He is expected to have a bail hearing this afternoon, and we’ll update with its result.
5:04 PM: The jail register has been updated to show the suspect’s bail is set at $5,000.
12:42 PM: Seattle Parks reports that Southwest Pool – which would usually be in the middle of a lap-swimming session right now – is temporarily closed. There’s a problem with the HVAC system, and crews are on scene working to fix it. They hope to reopen later today; we’ll update when we get word of that.
3:40 PM: As of just before 3, the pool is open again.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
Back in June, we brought you first word of a then-early-stage proposal which at the time carried the address 6721 California SW – replacing the century-plus-old house shown above with a 7-unit rowhouse and 5 offstreet-parking spaces. The project address has since been changed to 4300 SW Willow – it’s at the corner of California/Willow in south Morgan Junction – and today’s Land Use Information Bulletin brings the official notice of the developer’s land-use-permit application. This opens a two-week comment period focused on environmental aspects of the proposal; you can use this form to comment – the deadline is Monday, October 9th.
As you might – or might not – have heard, Hurricane Maria has left Puerto Rico ravaged. You can help. Here’s one way: A West Seattle man who is from Puerto Rico is collecting supplies today for a trip there next week. Here’s the announcement:
Rey Delgado, a West Seattle resident and local baseball/softball coach, will be collecting Puerto Rico Relief Supply Donations today, Monday 9/25, at Hiawatha Playfield from 3-7 pm.
We are collecting batteries, flashlights, manual/crank chargers, small-denomination gift cards for Home Depot, Walgreens and Walmart, and water purification tablets to take to Puerto Rico and hand out to the hardest hit of the population.
He is scheduled on a flight on Monday 10/2 and will be traveling to Puerto Rico to assist with the relief effort. He will be working with local Puerto Rican agencies to help distribute the donated supplies to low income areas hard hit by Hurricane Maria.
Rey is from Carolina, Puerto Rico and all of his family is there.
The announcement is from Rey’s wife Jessica; she is a lifelong West Seattle resident and explains that Rey moved here when they got married 15 years ago. Hiawatha Playfield is at 2700 California SW, just north of West Seattle High School.
(Saturday night photo by Kersti Muul)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FALL QUARTER STARTS AT SSC: It’s the first day of the fall quarter at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). See the “Welcome Week” schedule here. (6000 16th SW)
CITY COUNCIL TODAY: The 9:30 am briefing meeting includes a discussion of the proposed process for filling a Council vacancy until the November election results are finalized, plus a briefing on the city’s homelessness-related efforts via Pathways Home. At 2 pm, Mayor Tim Burgess formally presents the proposed budget. This is all happening at City Hall and viewable live via Seattle Channel (online or cable 21).
STAND-UP PADDLEBOARDING: It’s Monday Night Ladies’ Night at Alki Kayak Tours, 6-8 pm, details in our calendar listing. (1660 Harbor SW)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 6:30 pm at High Point Library, suitable for kids of all ages. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
MONDAY NIGHT QUIZ: Got all the answers? Be at The Skylark tonight, 7:30 pm, for the weekly all-ages quiz. Prizes! (3803 Delridge Way SW)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:54 AM: Two incidents to report this morning – a crash blocking westeastbound Sylvan Way SW in the 7100 block [map], and, if you use surface Spokane St. east of West Seattle, it’s blocked at Colorado because of a truck/train collision nearby.
Reminders:
*It’s the first weekday since Metro’s “service change” took effect on Staurday – here’s the plan for routes in our area.
And remember the Columbia/2nd stop downtown has closed and moved (Metro photo added above).
*The fall quarter starts today at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor).
7:12 AM: The truck/train crash affecting surface Spokane St. has been cleared, per scanner.
7:27 AM: SFD has just closed out of the Sylvan Way call.
7:57 AM: SDOT reports a crash at Admiral and 42nd.
Which of those design features would you want to see in the new West Seattle Junction park? As mentioned in our coverage of last Tuesday’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting, they’re now part of a survey on the city website – and project manager Karimah Edwards tells WSB that the survey is closing tomorrow (Monday, September 25th), so this is your last chance to offer opinions at this stage of the project. It’s a simple survey, asking you to choose 10 of those 36 features, and asking your zip code – that’s it. Take it here. (If you stopped by the “open house” at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market two weeks ago, these are the same 36 features you were asked about there.)
So what’s next? Edwards says a meeting will be scheduled to go over “concept designs” resulting from this input: “The community will have the opportunity to select their preferred concept design during the second meeting. We anticipate mid-November.” Seattle Park District levy money – almost $2 million – is set aside for developing the park site in the 4700 block of 40th SW in 2019.
Enjoy playing cards? Make plans to be at Meeples Games (3727 California SW) on Thursday night to play a new card game with the local dad and daughter who created it. Their announcement:
West Seattle father and daughter team, Chad and Lillian Gray, invite you to come and play their new card game, Goatfish, at Meeples Games on Thursday, September 28, starting at 6:30 PM.
A love of playing tabletop games with friends and family evolved into a project to create their own game to share. They set out with three important goals: provide simple rules for players of all skill levels, have enough strategy to appeal to more serious gamers, and encourage people to laugh and have fun. Together, they created Goatfish, a silly, goat-themed card game that blends ideas from classic games like Go Fish and Uno with added strategy and humor.
They are launching their game on Kickstarter, September 26th, and in celebration are hosting a family game night at Meeples Games. There will be tables to play Goatfish with the creators and drawings for board-game giveaways selected from the extensive inventory at Meeples Games.
Thursday night’s event will run until 9 pm.
More about the game is here – you’ll see they’ve been testing it at local game-related gatherings including the recent PAX West.
(Photos courtesy Jonathan Rundle)
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride finally did make a West Seattle stop today – at Jack Block Park!
As mentioned here earlier, the fundraising motorcycle riders had to change their planned WS stop from Hamilton Viewpoint Park – where it turned out to be West Seattle Soccer Club Photo Day; that in turn was a change from Don Armeni Boat Ramp, which was home today to the Orca Half Marathon finish line). After West Seattle, it was on toward the Alaskan Way Viaduct and beyond:
The photos are courtesy of Jonathan Rundle, who was kind enough to let us know that West Seattle was on the route, says 358 riders participated in the Seattle edition of this international fundraiser for men’s-health concerns, bringing in more than $25,000. (Jon keeps a travel website at jontheroadagain.com.)
Two weeks from today, family, friends, and others who knew and loved Janet Osborn will gather at Pathfinder K-8 School, where she taught, to celebrate her life. Today, her life story, written by Zachary Desmond, is shared in remembrance:
Janet Leigh Osborn was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 1st, 1956. In deference to Janet’s penchant for non-linear thinking, compassionate inclusivity, and radical love of learning and discovery, the remainder of this life account is organized not by chronology, but by beginnings.
It begins in a hospital room. “When they brought her in to me, she weighed nine pounds, four ounces, and she was so cute,” Jane, Janet’s mother, tells me over the phone. “The nurses had put a ribbon in her hair and the lady next to me said, ‘Well, why didn’t they put a ribbon in my daughter’s hair?’ And I thought, ‘Well, because your daughter isn’t as cute!'” Sixty-one years later, Janet’s husband, Mike Oliver, upholds the opinion.
It begins in a classroom at the EEU on the University of Washington campus. “It was 1986, and we had a mutual friend, Jennifer Annable, our principal, she got me the job and she and our other friend Debbie Sherwood were trying to matchmake,” he tells me. “We were definitely interested in each other.” He would watch her interact with her students and have “so much fun with her coworkers,” and, “just enjoy being a teacher.”
It begins at home. “It was Matthew who turned her to teaching,” says Jane. When Janet was seventeen, her brother Matthew was born with Down Syndrome. Betty Schwieterman, Janet’s best friend since high school, tells me, “When Matthew was born, a whole group of our friends started learning about babies with Down Syndrome, and what special education is and a few of us were like, ‘Wow, this is cool,’ and we realized that we could actually have this as a career.” That impulse to learn and facilitate learning led Janet across the country and eventually to the school in Seattle, where she met Mike.
It begins with a road trip. “One day out of the clear blue sky, they packed up and went on their way to California.” So the great adventure begins, according to Jane. Betty assures me that it wasn’t quite so spontaneous. “We were planners. We planned the trip, planned the route, but there was a lot we didn’t know.” They’d talked about leaving for awhile, but 1980 was a particularly miserable summer in Kansas City, so they did their research, saved their money, sought out a place with “a pleasant climate, a pleasant political climate, a good graduate school, and good neighborhoods,” and set off on their grand adventure.
Janet had her misgivings, especially about leaving Matthew behind, “but something was drawing us here,” says Betty. “We didn’t know what it was, but we gave each other the confidence to do it.” This is a characteristic Janet later helped cultivate in her children, according to Maggie, Janet’s daughter.
Four reports in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup:
CAR BREAK-IN: It can happen even in a busy parking lot, like the one at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) early this afternoon. Chad reports that while his daughter ran into the store, without locking the car, someone entered it and stole a wallet left inside, with cards and cash. It’s been reported to police.
TRUCK BREAK-IN: A texter reports their truck was broken into last night while parked in their driveway near SW Edmunds and 50th SW. Stolen were a checkbook, Samsung tablet, cell phone, and sunglasses.
CAR VANDALIZED: The photo and report are from Charlie:
My wife’s rear windshield got busted sometime late last night in our carport, while my car sitting right next to it was fine. It doesn’t look like they even tried to steal anything, as the hole is too small to reach through and the instant we touched it more pieces dropped off. Our neighborhood has seen a few similar vandalisms the past few weeks. We live just up the hill from Luna Park Café, across from the large construction lot.
And one report narrative from the past week is now available on the Seattle Police website – our summary:
STORE BURGLARY: The gas-station mini-mart north of Lincoln Park was broken into around 4 am last Monday. Someone had broken a window and stolen cigarettes and lottery scratch tickets. Surveillance video recorded the break-in but the burglar – described as white, male, in a dark gray hooded jacket, carrying a dark backpack – had covered his face. He did leave behind a lug wrench and left-handed black glove, which police took in as evidence.
P.S. Next crime-and-safety community meeting is Tuesday night, when the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network resumes monthly meetings – 6:30 pm (September 26th) at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). All welcome. Here’s a preview.
So we went to Hamilton Viewpoint Park at midday looking for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride motorcycles – and found West Seattle Soccer Club players instead, on the second of two Picture Days.
Great backdrop, and perfect weather. It’s a reminder that fall season is under way for WSSC at fields all over the peninsula.
P.S. As for the motorcycles – we learned at Hamilton Viewpoint that an advance scout showed up, discovered the photo event, and said they’d go somewhere else TBD. (A commenter on this morning’s lineup did catch a photo as some passed Weather Watch Park.)
The fridge and bed frame are just some of the items dropped off in the early going at the fall 2017 edition of Fauntleroy Church‘s twice-yearly Recycle Roundup. Until 3 pm, you can drive up, ride up, or walk up to drop off your recyclables, free – as long as they’re on the list – in the church parking lot at 9140 California SW. The crew from 1 Green Planet is again filling truckloads, fast – they’ll get you through in mere moments.
9:10 AM: Hundreds of runners have been leaving in waves over the past hour-plus for this year’s Orca Half Marathon, using a new course this year (as linked in our West Seattle Sunday lineup), starting near Colman Pool in Lincoln Park, looping through the park, then on toward the finish line at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. The run is benefiting The Whale Trail.
2 PM: Adding two more photos. Above, finishers at Don Armeni received medals. And they got a reminder of the reason for the run, courtesy of Mike, the inflatable orca, inspired by a Southern Resident Killer Whale of the same name (J-26):
Congratulations to the more than 700 runners, including longtime WSB readers Steph and Paul, who sent this selfie from the starting line:
(Great Blue Heron takeoff, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Happy Sunday! Here are highlights of what’s happening in West Seattle:
ORCA HALF MARATHON: Today marks the Orca Half‘s second year in West Seattle. The course is being run differently this year – runners will gather at Don Armeni Boat Ramp starting at 6:30 am to be shuttled to Lincoln Park, from which they will start – near Colman Pool – in waves between 8 am and 9 am, running a course inside the park before heading north and east toward the finish line at Don Armeni – here’s the map. They’ll be running on trails, sidewalks, and in the parking lane. Beneficiary is The Whale Trail. You can sign up right before the race, at the shuttle pickup point/finish-line location at Don Armeni. (1222 Harbor SW)
RECYCLE ROUNDUP: 9 am-3 pm in the lot outside Fauntleroy Church, free dropoff for the items on the official list of what’s being accepted during the fall Recycle Roundup. Go early to avoid waiting in line. (9140 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Year-round, 10 am-2 pm Sunday, go browse the booths in the street in the heart of The Junction to see what’s fresh. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
SECOND GEAR SPORTS’ ANNIVERSARY SALE, WITH GUESTS: 11 am-5 pm, it’s the second day of the 4th anniversary sale at Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor), with two special guests 11 am-1 pm to talk about bicycling and skiing – details in our calendar listing. (6529 California SW)
300+ MOTORCYCLES: The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Seattle edition, raising money for men’s health challenges, is planning a West Seattle stop today, around 11:45 am, at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. So if you see a big group of riders (more than 370 are registered) – you’ll know why. Or maybe you’re planning to be among them! (1120 California SW)
AWARENESS MARCH: The Salvation Army in South Delridge invites you to join a march to raise awareness of trafficking/enslavement around the globe. Starts at 1:15 pm. More info in our preview. (9050 16th SW)
GET ON STAGE, GET INVOLVED! Monthly open mic presented by Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) next door at The Skylark, 3 pm signups, 4 pm performances. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
‘THE WHO AND THE WHAT’: 3 pm matinee for ArtsWest‘s current production. (4711 California SW)
MONTY BANKS: 7-10 pm at Parliament Tavern, jazz, swing, and R&B. 21+. No cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
LOOK BEYOND TODAY/TONIGHT … via our complete-calendar page.
It’s an Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club tradition – after the pool is closed to people at season’s end, invite the community to bring their dogs to swim, as a fundraiser for AHSTC swim teams. Today was the fifth and final session, and Jamie Kinney shared photos:
Whether the dogs dove from the board, or jumped from the deck, Jamie reports a great time was had by all:
You can see many more of Jamie’s photos from today by going here.
9:13 PM: If you hear/see the Guardian One helicopter, here’s what it’s about, per radio discussion monitored via scanner: Someone called 911 to report hearing what sounded like someone possibly in trouble in the water/on a boat off Beach Drive near SW Atlas [map], and Guardian One just happens to be up on patrol, so it volunteered to go take a look in the area. Police have checked from the shore and say they’re not seeing any sign of trouble, but the helicopter crew is going to take a look anyway.
9:29 PM: Guardian One has moved on, and confirmed its previous assignment via Twitter.
Volunteers of all ages turned out for this morning’s playground cleanup at Highland Park Elementary, reports Connie Wolf of the HPE PTA (who also shared the photo):
What a great turnout for our cleanup! We picked up litter, tended the weeds, refreshed the color, and kicked off preparation measures for our playground construction. Thanks to everyone who gave us their Saturday morning and thanks WSB for helping us get the word out!
(Added: WSB photo)
7:26 PM: Thanks for the tips about a big police response in Puget Ridge a little while ago – we have talked to police in the area and they tell us it started in Riverview, with an intruder reported in a house near 12th SW and SW Orchard, ending with a suspect being taken into custody at 16th SW and SW Dawson. Subsequent scanner traffic indicates that a vehicle apparently associated with the suspect, at the latter location, will be impounded.
7:34 PM: While the homeowner wasn’t home at the time of the break-in, their dog was, and police have made sure the dog is safe.
Until 9 tonight, there’s a party in Fauntleroy’s Endolyne business district – the grand-opening celebration for Treo Organic Salon. It’s in the 45th SW/SW Wildwood corner space where Salon Fauntleroy closed earlier this year, next to The Original Bakery and two doors down from Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor). Treo’s proprietor is Sarah Griffiths:
Sarah explains, “We are partnered with Green Circle Salons which allows us to recycle used foil, hair clippings, and much more, reducing our waste by 85-95%. We also work with a new charity every year donating a portion of all sales and services to the cause. This year we are working with the White Center Food Bank. We will happily take food donations on their behalf as well.” That includes at tonight’s party.
This is a letter for you, from Sarah, a neighbor whose husband was among those first on the scene when a murderer shot and killed 25-year-old Edixon Velasquez this past week.
To My Dear West Seattle Community,
My husband ushered our children into the back bedroom to finish their movie, unaware in their innocence, as the gunshots cut the air of our neighborhood. A quiet street I’ve only ever known to be full of dog walkers, joggers, and the occasional driver going a tad too quickly down a residential street, now filled with flashing blue lights, yellow tape, and chalk.
Our front window, which still looks out at a row of adorable houses that remind me of a rainbow, now also looks out on the memorial of a young man, our new friend, killed just steps from our front door.
It has been a hard week for us. And here, in West Seattle, as I go to my kids’ school, to work, and talk to our neighbors and friends, it sounds like it’s been a harder season for us as a community in general. We’re growing a lot, so many new people, so much less space, so many more cars.
And it seems as if it the growth is coming with more stories like the one that unfolded outside my dining room window as a life flowed out into a storm drain in the street while the kids obliviously sang along to “let it go.”
There are more stories of people hurt, hurting one another, kids discouraged from walking to school without a grownup – our ideals of safety threatened and somehow suddenly fleeting.
People seem more afraid and it’s coming out as anger; I get honked at more, glared at more, and if I’m honest, I’m honking more, snarkier with the person taking too long (in my opinion) in the checkout line, defenses automatically up when I walk out the door. It just seems we’re all more on edge. The tensions of our world, our city, and our community, stuffed down into raincoats with zippers increasingly too short to hold all the pain and wondering in, and so there are quick glances away if our eyes meet a stranger’s. Friend or foe? We don’t know, and we’re too heart-tired to find out.
But in the wake of the events this week, I’ve thought of our West Seattle community a lot, and I had a few very simple things I wanted to share with you. So, here it goes…
I think a lot about fear. If I’m honest, I can feel a lot of it on a daily basis. I’ve learned over the years how to use it as a catalyst for good, how to be grateful for my constant vigilance, seeing the many ways it has benefited my family, my community, the things I am involved with. Fear is like a yellow light – it’s not a directive to stop or to go, it’s just a sign it’s time to make a decision. And the more information I have about my trajectory, goals, and physical realities, the more likely I am to make a wise choice in response to that yellow light.
My favorite yellow lights are the ones accompanied by an accurate pedestrian crosswalk – that number countdown to the yellow light is what all lights should be, and what I wish life provided: adequate time to know what to expect and how to prepare.
But in real life, which has come way too close to home for us this week, it doesn’t work that way. While the yellow light of fear happens frequently enough, it is very rarely preceded by a gentle warning: “fear is coming soon – just wanted you to have a bit of time to prepare and plan your response.”
Here is what I have learned about fear: if we do not choose how we will respond when it inevitably comes, then in the face of fear what flows out of us is our worst, not our best.
Fear tells us there is a threat, and in the absence of an intentional response to fear, our instinct tells us to turn away, to pull in, to put up higher fences, install bigger security systems, and fortify our defenses. And we do. I do.
But, here is another thing I have learned, having grown up in a city where the literal fences were high, topped with barbed wire, and monitored by dogs and armed guards. The put-up, pull-in, back-off mentality does not bring a greater sense of safety, nor does it diminish an actual threat of risk. Perhaps it does for a moment, but not for long. It is fleeting, and our belief in our own ability to singularly control our individual outcome in the world is like a drug: we need bigger doses of heavier substances to retain our feelings of control.
We are a culture that prides itself on self-reliance and individualism, and a city where politeness is paramount but our internal walls are high and we more easily turn away than towards. Uncomfortably, especially for us, this truth remains: the anecdote to fear is not an exertion of power or a reinforcing of our own walls. The anecdote to fear is togetherness.
This week has been incredibly hard for me and for our neighborhood, but it has been so softened by the fact we already knew our neighbors – even the ones who were the victims in this senseless tragedy. There was instant comfort in knowing that even in the midst of real fear we were surrounded by people who knew us, knew our kids, had us watch their pets, and came over for drinks or bbqs.
We didn’t know our neighbors on accident; there was no roster passed out when we moved onto the block several years back. There was a lovely bottle of wine dropped off, and a couple phone numbers swapped at a Neighbors Night Out. The rest has been slow building. It has meant going on evening walks as a family and stopping to say hi to anyone we see out and about, including getting into or out of their cars (and yes, it’s always awkward, and yes, it’s always met with eventual warmth). We introduce ourselves, say where we live, offer to swap numbers and remind people “we’re close by if you ever need anything.”
It has meant watching when the houses go up for sale, knocking on the doors of folks as they unpack their boxes, passing on the next bottle of wine, swapping numbers, and again saying, “we just live right there…so glad you moved in.” It has meant large group text chains telling neighbors about impromptu BBQs on the first warm Saturday of spring, asking for help managing our chickens while we travel, walking the mail incorrectly delivered to us over to its rightful owner a block away and choosing to knock on the door rather than stuff it in the mailbox.
Building community, which I recently heard described as common unity, does not happen through programs, or private groups. Neighborhood groups on social media help with the transfer of goods and information, but they are no substitute for a handshake, an eye-to-eye smile, or a knock on the door.
I’ve lived in a lot of places, I’ve been close to a lot of pain, and experienced it myself. I’ve had my sense of safety violated more than once, and know it will happen again. As much as some knee jerk part of me wants to do everything I can to gear up for battle, I’ve lived long enough to know the real war isn’t in the moment of fear, it’s in how I’ve prepared my heart, my family, and my community before it comes.
I’m a fighter, through and through; there is no flight in me. But I won’t fight fire with fire or violence with violence for one simple reason: love is much stronger than hate or fear. You see, hate and fear eat a soul alive while love self-repairs and grows stronger each time it’s shown. A community turned toward one another, intentionally woven together, is more safe than a community pulled away from one another in fear and hate.
It’s not up to me to decide what your block is like – that’s up to you. But here on this block, even after the week we’ve had, we’re going to keep turning in. We’re going to keep watching each other’s pets and kids, inviting each other over for warm pies, asking how the day was & waiting to hear the real answer. And the folks at the corner of the block are going to wrap this around the block and across the intersection, and I hope it spreads like the blackberries at EC Hughes until West Seattle is known as the part of town where folks know their neighbors, aren’t afraid of the ways our city is changing, and see the yellow light of fear as an anticipated reality that we get to respond to with choice.
I hope you’ve already planted your own blackberry patch of love and togetherness in your neighborhood. But if you haven’t, that’s ok, just consider this letter a starter clipping from mine. It’s all you need to get started, just drop it in the soil of a knock on a neighbor’s door, water it with a the swap of a phone number, and fertilize with a text when you’re running to Target and just wondered if anyone in the neighborhood needed anything while you were out.
Hate raised its head this week, and it will again, even today. But I’ll raise my head even higher, choose to look in your eyes a little bit longer, fighting for love a little bit fiercer. It’s the very best thing I know how to do, and I really, really hope you’ll join me.
And you know, we live just down the block so if you ever need anything, just holler; and if you’re new, we’re so glad you’re here.
– Sarah
Many times over her seven-plus years of explaining equinoxes and solstices at West Seattle’s Solstice Park, Alice Enevoldsen has had young volunteers from the crowd assist. Last night, her daughter Vera wielded Alice’s legendary globe-on-a-stick last night during the sunset gathering hours after autumn arrived (1:02 pm Friday, if you’re keeping track). Alice is a volunteer NASA Solar System Ambassador, and these events are part of what she does to fulfill that role. Solstice Park – uphill from the tennis courts by north Lincoln Park – is a perfect one-of-a-kind place for this because of its markers and paths that line up with where the sunset should be on those four season-change dates each year. Most of the more than 70 attendees gathered with Alice at the back of the appropriate path at the sunset moment:
Clouds prevented a clear view, but it was a pretty sunset just the same.
Alice also folds in the most-recent skywatching highlights – so this time, that meant some talk about last month’s eclipse, and the recent end of contact with Cassini.
Next seasonal-change sunset watch, meantime, will mark the start of winter – keep watch on Alice’s website in the meantime. And on the sky, which showed some color before event’s end:
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