After the Texas massacre, some students around the country marched.
Some gathered in silence.
Knowledge of violence was already a part of their world, from lockdowns, from drills.
And some students expressed their feelings through art. What’s below is by a high-school student whose mom sent it to us, “to share”:

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

What the people of Ukraine are fighting is achingly familiar to the people who were in South Vietnam almost half a century ago.

That’s why Saturday’s Vietnamese Cultural Center ceremony commemorating the fall of Saigon ended with a spirited show of support for the Ukrainians.

It was 47 years ago Saturday – April 30, 1975 – that the capital of South Vietnam was captured, at the end of a war that took hundreds of thousands of lives, both Vietnamese people and those who fought for them, including Americans. They were remembered and honored with a wreath-laying during Saturday’s ceremony.

Seattle Deputy Mayor Kendee Yamaguchi joined in the wreath-laying with Dr. Dat P. Giap, who spoke of those “who gave their lives for our freedom” – mentioning more than 48,000 Americans as well as people from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea, and the more than 600,000 Vietnamese people who died fighting, as well as the hundreds of thousands more who “perished on their journey to freedom.”

For those who made it, he said, “The U.S. is a paradise … not because of its economic power, but because of its compassion for immigrants and refugees.” He urged those present not take freedom for granted, and to pray for those fighting for freedom in Ukraine. “May God bless America, our America,” he concluded.

Those in attendance included many South Vietnam military veterans, wearing the uniforms in which they fought. Toward the ceremony’s start, they saluted as the South Vietnam flag was raised, after the U.S. flag:

Dignitaries in attendance included two who have made history – our state’s first Vietnamese-American state senator, Joe Nguyen of West Seattle, the son of refugees:

Sen. Nguyen, in our photo with Vietnamese Cultural Center director Lee Bui, called April 30th “a day that has seared itself into our memories.” It’s also part of a banner for the center’s founding:

Other dignitaries included Washington’s first Vietnamese-American State House member, Rep. My-Linh Thai:

Rep. Thai (photographed above with City Councilmember Sara Nelson) came to the U.S. as a refugee at age 15. Another refugee among the dignitaries, Hamdi Mohamed, director of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs for the city and an elected Seattle Port Commissioner who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Somalia at age 3. She told those gathered she shared their “commitment to freedom.”

The most impassioned words were those of another Vietnamese-American who arrived as a refugee, Michelle Le from the Vietnamese Community of Seattle.

“We must learn from history – we can’t forget or erase it,” she implored. “Forgetting the past is not the answer.” And she too mentioned Russia’s war on Ukraine as “a reminder of what we went through … Losing freedom is losing everything. … Always stand up for your country and your humanity.”

The Vietnamese Cultural Center is at 2236 SW Orchard and is open to the public noon-3 pm Saturdays.

(Pacific Bleeding Hearts at Fauntleroy Park, photographed by Rosalie Miller)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: If you’re interested in attending the West Seattle Democratic Women’s meeting on Thursday, RSVP deadline is 5 pm today – info’s in our calendar listing.

CITY COUNCIL’S PUBLIC-SAFETY COMMITTEE: 9:30 am, with the agenda including an update on Seattle Police staffing issues (which as we reported Friday appear to be disproportionately affecting our area); you can watch via Seattle Channel.

PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION: Public meeting starts at noon, online and at Sea-Tac Airport – here’s the agenda, with info on viewing and commenting.

CITY COUNCIL: Their weekly meeting is at 2 pm, online. The agenda explains how to comment; Seattle Channel is where to watch.

DEMONSTRATION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE: 4:30-6 pm at 16th/Holden, Scott leads this long-running weekly demonstration for racial justice. Signs available if you don’t have your own.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) welcomes families 6-8 pm to this weekly hosted game-playing night.

(added) SPORTS: Two games at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) – in softball, West Seattle HS vs. Eastside Catholic, 4 pm; in baseball, West Seattle HS vs. Chief Sealth IHS, 7 pm.

TRIVIA X 3: Three of the venues where you can play tonight – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7:30 and 8:30 pm at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).

BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!

See more on our calendar – and if you have something to add for the future, please email us the info at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Along with Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries, West Seattle has a Little Free Art Gallery, and it’s reopened for the season. Mindi Katzman first told us about it last year and just sent these photos and update:

After a brief winter closure, West Seattle’s Little Free Art Gallery has re-opened.

As a reminder to your readers, it is located in the Morgan Junction just a few blocks east of Thriftway on 38th Avenue SW, between Graham and Morgan.

Please c’mon by and grab a little piece. Or, leave a piece. Or just enjoy!!!!

Looking forward to brightening your point of view.

(Cast of ‘This Girl …’, photographed by John McLellan)

Though the latest ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) play “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing” had its last performance at the playhouse this past Sunday, you still have one more chance to see it – if you buy a ticket for the pre-recorded streaming version. It’s available for online viewing any time until May 1st. Here’s a trailer, and the plot summary of the play by Finegan Kruckemeyer:

Triplet sisters are left in the forest by their woodcutter father. From this fairytale beginning, three resolutions are made – one sister will walk one way, one the other, and the third will stay right where she is. Twenty years later, having circumnavigated the globe, and fought Vikings, and crossed oceans, and tamed wilds, and achieved greatness, the three meet again, as women. What they learn on their separate journeys will change everything, and at the same time nothing, in this moving and irresistibly charming modern-day fairytale.

It’s a “universal” story, and family-friendly too, director Johamy Morales told us in an interview last month. Go here to buy your ticket to online viewing.

P.S. ArtsWest’s next play of the season is “Alma,” opening May 5th.

(Photo by James Bratsanos)

Welcome to the weekend. Here are 17 things you should know about for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

ROAD-WORK REMINDERS: SDOT plans to work in multiple locations today, between 7 am and 4:30 pm:

We’ll be updating curb ramps at 16th Ave SW and SW Barton St in the Highland Park neighborhood.

In the North Delridge area, we’ll be installing foundations for future radar speed signs on 16th Ave SW between SW Morgan St and SW Findlay St. The parking lane will be blocked as we complete this work; however, we do not anticipate disrupting traffic or impacting people walking and biking in the area.

On Saturday, we’ll be replacing two traffic signs on Fauntleroy Way SW just before SW Avalon Way. We’ll also be replacing a sign on Delridge Way SW, approaching the 5-way intersection. During this work, we’ll need to reduce the two travel lanes to a single lane and there may be delays for people driving.

WEST SEATTLE RUNNER’S 12TH-ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND: As previewed here – 8 am today, Brooks sponsors the weekly group run; 10 am-6 pm today, West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) continues its anniversary sale. (2743 California SW)

YARD SALES: Just five weeks to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day on May 14th. Get some shopping practice today at the local sales listed in the WSB Community Forums!

COMMUNITY CLEANUP: From Erik, a South Delridge cleanup, 10 am-noon:

This is a family-friendly, leisurely clean, picking up where we left off last week and continuing on Delridge Way between Thistle and Roxbury.

Parking: We’ll start just north of Fresh Flours Bakery (9410 Delridge Way SW) so park anywhere around that neighborhood and make your way to the corner where Cambridge intersects. From there we’ll send groups out north and south along Delridge and into surrounding neighborhoods depending on time and number of volunteers.

Vests, gloves, buckets, and pickup sticks will be provided and we’ll transfer all the trash into Seattle Public Utility bags for pickup. Come for as little or as much as you’d like, invite your family and friends as we make this a safer environment for our community. I’ll be walking & cleaning too so if I miss you at the start time I’ll leave the supplies at the starting point. I can be reached at 206-852-9552.

JEWELRY SALE: The entire store at Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) is 30 percent off! Open today at Westwood Village (2600 SW Barton), 10 am-6 pm.

SPRING POTTERY SALE: In the garden at 4111 47th SW, 10 am-2 pm.

LIVE MORNING MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: 10:30 am-noon, Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). No cover.

FREE WEEKLY WRITERS’ GROUP: New participants welcome. 10:30 am – go here to register and to get the meeting address. Full details are in our calendar listing.

SPORTS: Chief Sealth IHS plays 2 baseball games vs. Blaine, 11 am and 2 pm, at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).

PAWSITIVELYKLEEN’S 1ST ANNIVERSARY: Special pricing and other fun, 11 am-7 pm, at the self-service dog wash’s first-anniversary celebration. (5214 Delridge Way SW)

WAGYU SMASH BURGER POP-UP: At Lady Jaye (4523 California SW):

Monthly Wagyu Smash Burger Pop-Up at 11 am: We will be serving 100 wagyu smash burgers (to go) and a limit of 2 per person. 2 wagyu beef patties, griddled onions, American cheese, pickles, mayo on a white bun *no substitutions* Last month the line started at 10:05 so people are catching on! We sold out at 11:49 last month as well so make sure to get in line early!

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: Open to visitors noon-3 pm, as noted here. (2234 SW Orchard)

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The Southwest Seattle Historical Society has reopened its museum on Alki, and you can visit noon-4 pm, (61st/Stevens)

WINE TIME: Viscon Cellars‘ (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) tasting room is open 1-6 pm, for tasting or by-the-glass/by-the-bottle wine.

OPEN MIC: Go perform at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), 6 pm!

SEED AT THE SKYLARK: Seed is back and ready to rock; doors open at 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

‘THIS GIRL …’ AT ARTSWEST: ArtsWest‘s play “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing” has its penultimate performance tonight, 7:30 pm, in the theater at 4711 California SW. Tickets available here.

DRAG SHOW AT ADMIRAL PUB: Tonight’s the night for Dolly Madison‘s show at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 9 pm.

Something to add, for today/tonight or beyond? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!