Court ruling in Steven Long case may affect those living in their vehicles

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Injunction junction

by Ashley Archibald | December 4th, 2019

A Washington Superior Court put a pause on a voter-approved initiative that could gut transportation funding as the case against the measure continues. The Nov. 5 state election passed Initiative 976, a measure that cuts car tab fees to $30 and outlaws...

The Northlake Tiny House Village will be shut down on Dec. 9, but residents vow to keep it open.

Battle lines drawn

by Ashley Archibald | December 4th, 2019

Northlake Tiny House Village, LIHI and the city set to spar over move

Across from Ivar’s Salmon House, tucked back away from the road, is the quiet Northlake Tiny House Village. Past its security gate — open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. — are rows of small, brightly colored units with accents of home: outdoor plants, small fences...

Fuáriva stands in the smoke of a barbeque while waiting for some food at People’s Park in Tacoma. Fuáriva and others who live in the park are safe staying there for the time being.

A place for the people

by Ashley Archibald | December 4th, 2019

Tacoma grapples with displacing camper in People's Park

It was cold the afternoon of Nov. 23 in Tacoma. People huddled in tents filling the strip of grass between the sidewalk at People’s Park and South L Street. They were not in the park, but not outside it, either. And yet, after a shooting in the park, Tacoma...

People begin lining up in front of the Charles Wright Academy hours before the doors open at 1 p.m. There were more than 350 people who gathered to support the Empty Bowls annual charity event, where local potters created more than 1,000 bowls.

Filled with kindness

by Ashley Archibald | November 27th, 2019

Hundreds line up at annual Empty Bowls event to help the Emergency Food Network keep up with Pierce County’s food insecurity

A small line of very cold people formed outside the Charles Wright Academy, a private school in Tacoma, the morning of Nov. 23. The hardiest would wait for two hours in the 46-degree weather, eager to grab a plum spot at the head of the line when the school...

Po, po, po! Happy holidays

by Ashley Archibald | November 27th, 2019

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best announced that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will field additional officers in nine different neighborhoods for the holiday season. The “emphasis patrols” will run from Nov. 30 through the end of...

The Rev. Harriett Walden bids farewell to a few of the outgoing Seattle councilmembers. Photo by Jon Williams

Council balances mayoral and constituent homeless concerns with everything else

by Ashley Archibald | November 27th, 2019

The Seattle City Council passed a $6.5 billion budget Monday that expands harm reduction programs meant to improve the lives of homeless people and aims to get more people in shelter. The budget passed on an 8-to-1 vote, with Councilmember Kshama Sawant...

A coalition of cities and counties filed a suit to challenge Initiative 976. The initiative aims to gut funding for transportation. Real Change file photo by Jon Williams, 2013

City and county vow to fight new Tim Eyman initiative

by Ashley Archibald | November 20th, 2019

Seattle and other regional communities reel over massive budget shortfalls due to Initiative 976's impact on transit funding

As the Seattle City Council wrestles with the annual task of creating a new budget, Washington communities have to deal with the specter of a voter-approved initiative that may cut the city’s transit budget by $32 million per year. The Nov. 5 election...

Reporter’s Notebook: Court rules for tenants, Muslim women win city council elections

by Ashley Archibald | November 20th, 2019

Court rules for tenants Life may be getting a little easier for Seattle’s beleaguered tenants. The Washington State Supreme Court upheld a city ordinance that has been caught up in this court case since its 2016 inception and requires landlords to provide...

Another lawsuit aims to thrawt Fort Lawton

by Ashley Archibald | November 20th, 2019

Welp, we’re at it again. Maybe. The Discovery Park Community Alliance (DPCA) announced another lawsuit to try to stop the development of 238 affordable homes on the federal Fort Lawton property. The lawsuit would be the latest attempt to shut down the...

Nineteen percent of people experiencing homelessness in Seattle live in their vehicles. Real Change file Alex Visser, 2017

Court ruling in Steven Long case may affect those living in their vehicles

by Ashley Archibald | November 20th, 2019

In 2016, Steven Long parked his broken-down truck on a gravel lot near Rainier Avenue and Dearborn Street, not far from the stadiums where he was working, cleaning up after Seattle Sounders games. When he got back from work, his truck, his tools and all his...