REALCHANGE June 24 – 30, 2020 $2 CASHorVENMO JUNE 24–30, 2020 n VOLUME 27 NUMBER 26 n REALCHANGENEWS.ORG YOUR VENDOR BUYS THIS PAPER FOR 60¢ AND KEEPS ALL THE PROCEEDS. PLEASE PURCHASE FROM VENDORS WITH LAVENDER 2020 BADGES. $100,000 $90,000 FATA L SYSTEM $80,000 $70,000 $94,908.50 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 SPRING FUND SeeDRIVE page 10. SAY HER NAME People gather for the anniver- sary of Charleena Lyles’ 2017 killing by Seattle police, p.4 CALL IT ‘CH, CH, CHANGES...’ The area mostly known as CHOP is ever-changing and changing things, p.6 DIAL BACK Seattle City Council confronts $300 million deficit and what to do about police, p.3 How is our city faring amid protest and illness? Start on page 2. REALCHANGE REALCHANGE 2 OPINION June 24 – 30, 2020 June 24 – 30, 2020 NEWS 3 COVID-19 and child care: It’s time Real Change exists to provide opportunity and a voice for low-income and homeless people while taking action for economic, to fix this struggling system REPORTER’S social and racial justice. By GINA PETRY of essential workers? What about the able to all families. Washington state must NOTEBOOK Real Change offices Guest Writer children of city transit workers, taxi and overhaul its regressive revenue structure 219 First Ave. S., Suite 220 rideshare drivers, and Instacart delivery to tax the rich and corporations to pay for Seattle, WA 98104 DACA lives 206.441.3247, www.realchangenews.org he coronavirus epidemic has personnel? it. Large employers should provide child dramatically changed child care State officials are urging workers not care on site. Enacting a statewide policy The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a BOARD OF DIRECTORS T in Washington state, while raising deemed “essential” to keep their children of 30 hours work for 40 hours pay would move by the Trump administration to Yolanda Altamirano (President), Malou Chávez, clues about how to repair an inadequate at home. And for many parents laid off or also lighten the load of working parents end the Deferred Action for Child Arriv- Shelly Cohen, Matthew Hayashi, Hannah Hunthausen, Pamela Kliment, system that has gotten much worse. telecommuting, this feels like the safest and child care providers. als (DACA) program, indefinitely extend- Jim Lauinger, Maria Elena Ramirez, Mary Riski Child Care Aware Washington, a option. But what is wrong with this pic- In the current statewide emergency, ing protections against deportation for statewide referral agency, says COVID-19 ture? Once again, it assumes women will child care programs must be significantly hundreds of thousands of people in the EDITORIAL STAFF Staff Reporter Ashley Archibald has contributed to the closure of 1,303 find a way to provide this essential labor, expanded and opened to all workers and United States. Editor Lee Nacozy child care programs statewide. This is free of charge as they always do — on top children of all ages with fully funded food DACA was set up under the Obama Features Reporter Kamna Shastri catastrophic. Not having stable child care of working for 79 percent of men’s wages, and support services. No more piecemeal administration to provide people who Art Director Jon Williams is a losing situation. The lack of social plus cooking, shopping, cleaning and car- measures with different requirements! had been brought to the country without REAL CHANGE STAFF investment in child care and early educa- ing for sick family members and elders. Laid-off child care providers should be documents as children an opportunity Circulation Specialist Wes Browning tion limits future school achievement for Affordable, quality child care allows hired to staff the programs as unionized to work and go to school without fear of Organizer Evelyn Chow Volunteer Manager Katie Comboy kids, as well as opportunities for mothers. women to lead full and productive lives, public employees. deportation. The Trump administration’s Managing Director Shelley Dooley Some steps have mitigated the impact. which is why my organization, Radical Wom- Child care workers are at great risk of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Communications and Development Gov. Jay Inslee has eased pressures on en, is committed to gaining it. Mothers infection and need the best safety precau- announced an abrupt end to that program. Associate Alexis Estrada Founding Director Timothy Harris providers by waiving several requirements who cannot get child care are pushed out tions using the latest scientific practices The 5-4 decision found that the way Field Organizer Neal Lampi for licensed child care workers, including of the workforce, required to stay at home and recommendations from the workers that DHS tried to stop the program was Vendor Program Manager Rebecca Marriott Lead Organizer Tiffani McCoy requiring federal fingerprint background with no hope for economic independence themselves. This includes plenty of clean- “arbitrary and capricious.” Those terms Vendor Case Manager Ainsley Meyer checks in the licensing process. and no escape from violent situations. ing supplies and protective equipment. are embedded in the Administrative Pro- Office Manager Ari Shirazi The King County Council invested Child care is also a class issue. Over 60 Extra funding should be offered to Holding space: Protests around the U.S. after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd have been long-lasting and effective. cedures Act (APA), which gives a blueprint Development Director Camilla Walter $2.2 million to provide free child care for percent of working-class and poor women small child care businesses struggling Occupying blocks of Seattle’s Capitol Hill became a mainstay; the crowd gathers for speakers at Pine and 12th streets. See story, page 6. for how agencies deal in policy. VOLUNTEERS eligible families of essential workers — work outside the home. They struggled to to stay open. Families who are providing That means that the administration Editorial Committee Susan Storer Clark, medical professionals and support staff, pay for child care even before the COVID free child care in their homes should re- or Congress can move forward on other Laura Ditsch, Willie Jones, James Jenkins, Dagmar Matheny, Paige Owens, Tiron Rowe first responders, child care providers crisis blew up the economy. Ninety-seven ceive state compensation for each child, Precariously rebalancing city budget changes to immigration policy or another themselves and others, such as grocery, percent of child care workers are women, now and permanently. attempt to wind down DACA, assuming Contributing Writers Rabbi Olivier BenHaim, Hanna Brooks Olsen, Wes Browning, pharmacy and transit workers. many of them people of color and im- The failing Washington state child By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD Mosqueda’s “Jump Start Seattle,” which is bonds sold for profit, not retirement ac- they do not run afoul of the courts again, John Helmiere, Michelle Galluzzo, Dave Gamrath, The city of Seattle has $1 million month- migrants. Their incredibly low wages care system can be fixed, and this is just Staff Reporter also formulated as a payroll tax. counts, real estate sales or investment making it an uncertain reprieve. The rul- Kelly Knickerbocker, Joe Martin, Patrick “Mac” McIntyre, Jill Mullins, Oscar Rosales Castaneda, ly earmarked for child care that will serve illustrate the continued devaluing of a start. It is critical for the future of chil- The proposal levies a tax percentage losses. An estimated 30 percent of Seattle- ing also only provides protections for DACA Susan Storer Clark, Megan Wildhood, Mike Wold over 700 kids of health care professionals, “women’s work.” dren, families and workers. n $300 million shortfall due to CO- based on a business’ size and compensation ites would pay the 1 percent capital gains recipients, not for other undocumented Photographers and Artists Alex Bergstrom, first responders and grocery store workers. But hope is not lost. This crisis pres- VID-19. Three progressive revenue rates. Businesses with payroll between $7 tax, which would raise roughly $37 million people in the country. Matthew S. Browning, Sam Day, Natalie Dupille, These are important first steps, but ents the opportunity for a better scenario! Gina Petry is a social worker, Radical A proposals and one initiative aiming million and $1 billion would pay a .7 percent per year, according to the press release. That means there is still work to be Jeffrey Few, Valerie Franc, Susan Fried, Seth they are not enough. All of these measures The ultimate solution that’s needed Women organizer, former employee of for the ballot. A massive civil rights uprising tax on total employee compensation from Also at play is the SPD budget. Accord- done, said Kamau Chege, a Kenyan-born Goodkind, Derek Gundy, Lisa Hagen Glynn, Lara Child Care Resources and coordinator Kaminoff, Ted Mase, Dave Parish, Joseph Romain, apply only to preschool and school-age now and going forward is a system of calling for — at least — halving the police bud- $150,000 to $499,999 and 1.4 percent on ing to the 2020 approved budget, the City DACA recipient, in a press release. Wes Sauer, Katie Wheeler of the Sisters Organize for Survival kids. What about the infants and toddlers publicly funded, free, 24-7 child care avail- childcare campaign. get and reinvesting in community programs. compensation over $500,000. Council appropriated more than $409 mil- “DACA shows we know how to fairly Copy Editors Pamela Bradburn, Merry Nye, The Seattle City Council has a lot to Bigger businesses would be charged lion for SPD, making it the most expensive examine each case to provide people Morgan Wegner work through over the next few weeks as more: 1.4 percent for the first range and 2.1 department in the general fund. It’s also what with the stability they need to keep con- Real Change Volunteers Yolanda Altamirano, DIRECTOR’S CORNER | Timothy Harris, founding director it tries to realign the city’s budget after a percent for the second.