April 20, 2006

Here’s an irony of density: Despite the rows of new condos that have gone up along Western Avenue in the past decade, no one seems to be keeping an eye on the Belltown P-Patch, where gardeners say that the homeless sleep on top of the plantings and that drug dealing, prostitution, and vandalism are common.

So members of the Friends of the Belltown P-Patch came up with an idea: Put a coffee shop in one of the site’s three historic workers’ cottages — the unoccupied one designated as a community cottage for public and P-Patch gardener meetings.

The group came up with the idea after the city’s P-Patch program manager, Rich McDonald, commissioned a group of graduate business students from the University of Washington to do a commercial feasibility study for the cottage. But the students determined a coffee shop wouldn’t work at the site, in part because the cottage is hard to see from Western Avenue.

The other restored cottages at the site are occupied by writers-in-residence chosen by Richard Hugo House, a Seattle literary nonprofit. But the writers tend to keep to themselves, says McDonald. If the Parks Department creates the “park ranger” program recently recommended by the Downtown Parks Task Force, McDonald says another idea is to turn the cottage into a ranger dispatch center.

Or a caretaker could live at the site, perhaps paying the same $500 a month that the writers do. The feasibility study includes a budget showing an extra tenant would more than cover the cottage’s operating costs. But, eventually, it could be up to Historic Seattle, which is negotiating with the city to manage all three cottages — a move that would leave the Hugo House writers in place, if they can pay what are likely to be higher rents.

— Cydney Gillis

Latino marchers reinstated

The 17 Latino painters fired for leaving work to march for immigrant rights last week were given their jobs back.

“ I believe it’s all chalked up to a misunderstanding,” said Steve Bloom of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades at a press conference on Monday.

“ The workers were all extremely happy. All they wanted to do was go back to work,” said Bloom.

The workers were fired by the home-painting contractor Laitala Enterprises in Monroe for leaving work two hours early to attend the April 10 march in Seattle.

Washington State Jobs with Justice brought various community, religious and labor groups together to meet with owner Terry Laitala last Friday.

“ At first he was stuck on his position that he was treating workers the same by not giving breaks to some workers he didn’t give to others,” said Mauricio Martinez, an aide to King County Executive Ron Sims.

“ These workers were out there for their families so that they can have a chance at the American Dream,” said Martinez.

The workers notified the owner two weeks in advance, working for eight hours, and charging for only six, and left two hours early to march, according to Jorge Quiroga of The Committee for General Amnesty and Social Justice, which co-organized the march.

Community leaders at the press conference said they were pleased that all 17 workers were reinstated and are hopeful no future violations occur in what’s expected to be a larger national May Day March.

The focus is still on whether a Latino at a rally has papers or not, said Quiroga — not if they have a right to march. “If these people were going to a baseball game instead of a march, I believe it would’ve been different.”

While no other workers were fired for marching, Bob Barnes of Jobs with Justice says the reinstatement provides a good example.

“ It was only through making it clear that the community was on our side,” says Barnes, “that this was able to happen.”

— Jason Siegel

Blessings on your journey

Nyer Urness went out of his way to meet as many of Seattle’s homeless people as he could. He was gifted in his interactions and was quick to wish people “blessings on your journey.”

Urness died of leukemia on April 7. He will be remembered in Seattle, say friends and colleagues, for his hard work and for the lives he changed.

As a minister, Urness started a homeless shelter inside Immanuel Lutheran Church at a time when few churches were opening their doors to people besides their own members.

“ He offered an evening meal, a place to sleep, and a little breakfast when they left in the morning,” says Compass Center director Rick Friedhoff. “He made each person he talked to feel very special.”

Urness retired from Immanuel Lutheran but decided to return to ministry. He joined the staff of the Compass Center in 1989 out of his affection for the poor and disadvantaged.

Compass Center worker Cindy Jackson says Urness was very much a friend to his clients. The homeless and business communities admired him and appreciated him for what he did in Pioneer Square. He would walk around the neighborhoods talking to homeless people and giving them change.

“ He saved my life,” said Steve Rhoades, a former Urness client who now trains competitive bicyclists.

Rhoades, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, said he had hit rock bottom when he got on a bus and asked a man with a white beard wearing a minister’s collar for help. The man, Urness, told Rhoades to go to the Compass Center 10 days in a row.

“ I’d go in and talk to Nyer all the time,” Rhoades said. “We’d talk. Just talk.”

Friedhoff said Urness was a great listener but more importantly was a great encourager.

Urness would tell Rhoades, “Steve, I’d rather you be on the bike thinking about the Lord than in church thinking about the bike.”

“ The people that know me know that Nyer changed my life,” said Rhoades. “He did such a great job on his journey here for over 80 years.”

— Joseph Gamm