During the summer of '68, the Situationists had a slogan that was famously spray-painted on walls around the world. "Be realistic. Demand the impossible."
Here at Real Change, we're remaking lives and redefining reality.
Our summer fund drive needs your support now. With $42,377 raised toward our audacious $160,000 goal, we are calling on our many supporters to help us step up to the serious challenges we face.
As our summer appeal letter hits 2,000 mailboxes this week, we're still hopeful of success. Our strong base of grassroots support has allowed Real Change to consistently push the limits of the possible:
* A year ago, the construction of a new $226 million city jail was seen as inevitable. Thanks to our organizing, this "reality" has changed. A consensus is emerging in the City Council that stronger investment in community services offers a better way forward.
* Fifteen years ago, Real Change started on a thin shoestring and opened shop with just three vendors. Last April, 413 vendors sold a record-breaking 77,443 copies of our weekly paper. Circulation has steadily climbed for three years, and just six months into 2009, it has already risen by another 18 percent.
* Recently, Real Change reporter Rosette Royale won national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists for his three-part "The Man who Stood on the Bridge" series on suicide and system failure. Last month, Rosette took three First Place honors at the local SPJ awards ceremony in Bellevue.
This special issue of Real Change reprints "The Man who Stood on The Bridge" in its entirety. This remarkable investigative series controversially places the life of a sex offender in its full context of system overload and failure while humanizing a man whose life might be seen by some as an acceptable loss.
As I explained to a reporter at the Seattle Times, "The story really aligns with our values at Real Change. A person is not the equivalent of the worst thing they've done in their life."
In the same news story, Rosette described what makes Real Change special: "The thing that gave me leeway to do it was because it was a paper like Real Change. We are able to take more risks."
This ability to take risks depends upon your support, and is a large part of what defines Real Change.
Our work is transformational. In what has become a one-newspaper town, Real Change is a critical source for quality, community-based, progressive journalism. Over the past 15 years we've redefined the "politically possible," changed thousands of lives, and, perhaps most importantly, built a caring community of readers and vendors.
Vendor of the Week Paridon Williams describes it well:
My customers saw the beauty in my broken world, and they restored me. When you have a community, you're supported better. ...The paper is a tool that allows compassionate people a safe passage to directly help a person in need."
Our success, however, has brought serious new challenges.
Real Change is, to put it bluntly, in crisis. Over 2009, vendor numbers have continued along the trajectory set by our 41 percent increase over 2007-2008. We've seen those numbers go from 350 at the close of last year to well over 400 and still rising.
Our capacity is not up to the demand. A poor economy and cutbacks in homeless daytime services have pushed our vendor numbers through the roof. Our staff is struggling heroically to keep up, but unless our resources catch up to the work, the fight is unsustainable. Much is at stake, and we're operating unsustainably beyond our limits.
Real Change consistently stands up for those who have nothing, and we refuse to choose between providing direct services and doing organizing. Our work on the city jail issue has started a necessary dialogue on community priorities and is remaking the future for Seattle's economically disadvantaged. Our direct action strategy opposing the mayor's homeless campsite sweeps kept the heat on and held the city accountable.
Since Real Change began in 1994, homelessness in Seattle has doubled. As the desperation rises and the lives of the most poor become increasingly harsh, we've been assured that homelessness is being ended.
The numbers tell a different story. Last year saw an 18 percent increase in homelessness. The news this year was the 68 percent explosion in South King County homelessness. The sweeps have only pushed people out further, making the poor and desperate harder to find.
Our strong support of the Nickelsville encampment helped show that, with a little help from their friends, homeless people can improve their lives. Our future organizing plans focus on conveying the real conditions of people's lives in ways that those in power cannot ignore.
We provide opportunity and meaningful community for more than 400 vendors a month, publish a quality weekly newspaper, and do kick-ass community organizing on about $630,000 a year.
How do we do it? The truth is, without new resources, we really can't. We've been running at the outer edge of our capacity for years. With the recent surge in vendor numbers, we're hitting the wall.
We're asking our readers to help us through a difficult period of growth in one of the following ways:
* If you are not already a Real Change donor, we are asking that you make that commitment now with a tax-deductible gift to support our work.
* If you are already a supporter, please consider increasing your contribution this year. Real Change needs your immediate support to rapidly grow our capacity to a more sustainable level.
* If you normally give at the end of the year, consider making your gift now, when we need it most.
* Please consider us helping us to expand our circle of supporters. Email [email protected] if you are interested in hosting a house party.
* Suggest a donation to Real Change to those in your life who might want to support our work, or send their contact information along to {encode="[email protected]" title="[email protected]"}.
These are hard times, and they're going to get harder. Our truth-telling, community-building commitment to defending those who have nothing matters more now than ever. This is shaping up to be a tough summer, and your support is critical. We need you at our side now, making what we do possible. We know that things are tough, but we need you to do what you are able to help us rise to the times.
Please consider what level of support is right for you, and make your gift today. We're counting on you to help see us through.
Mail your gift of support today to Real Change, 2129 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, or visit our website at realchangenews.org to make a secure online donation.