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ESSENTIAL ARTWORK While Most Huddle Inside, Artists Have Been Painting the Town, P.5

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ESSENTIAL ARTWORK While Most Huddle Inside, Artists Have Been Painting the Town, P.5 REALCHANGE April 29 – May 5, 2020 PANDEMIC EDITION APRIL 29 – MAY 5, 2020 n VOLUME 27 NUMBER 18 n REALCHANGENEWS.ORG YOUR VENDOR BUYS THIS PAPER FOR 60¢ AND KEEPS ALL THE PROCEEDS. PLEASE PURCHASE FROM VENDORS WITH LAVENDER 2020 BADGES. ESSENTIAL ARTWORK While most huddle inside, artists have been painting the town, p.5 FINANCIAL STORM BREWING: The city of Seattle is facing a $300 million budget shortfall | p.3 MARCHING IN PLACE: Will the coronavirus stop protests for May Day, fair rent and Pride? | p.4 BOOK REVIEW: Can the Green New Deal stave-off global warming? Author Stan Cox examines | p.8 REALCHANGE REALCHANGE 2 OPINION April 29 – May 5, 2020 April 29 – May 5, 2020 NEWS 3 Homelessness and housing in America has been “This probably will be the toughest economic climate our city has faced in Real Change exists to provide opportunity and a voice for low-income and homeless a tinderbox waiting to catch fire for generations multiple generations. What the city will have to do is likely to be very tough.” people while taking action for economic, By ISRAEL BAYER the streets, and the poor, among others. housing counseling. Resources for REPORTER’S — Mayor Jenny Durkan social and racial justice. Guest Writer The nightmare is far from over. In fact, it’s legal services are needed to protect NOTEBOOK Real Change offices just begun. Without bold action, an entire tenants from unlawful evictions that 219 First Ave. S., Suite 220 “It’s a time bomb”: 23 die as virus hits new generation of people will be thrown may occur after any moratoriums are Locked up Seattle, WA 98104 packed homeless shelters into poverty and homelessness without lifted or if moratoriums are not put 206.441.3247, www.realchangenews.org the necessary support and safety nets into effect. Housing counseling can n a 5-4 decision handed down April 23, Positive cases of COVID-19 at San Fran- put in place. help renters and homeowners remain the Washington State Supreme Court re- BOARD OF DIRECTORS Yolanda Altamirano (President), Malou Chávez, cisco homeless shelter grow to more The National Low Income Housing stably housed during and after the I jected arguments to protect local prison- Shelly Cohen, Matthew Hayashi, than 90 Coalition and other national leaders, coronavirus outbreak. ers from the coronavirus by releasing them. Hannah Hunthausen, Pamela Kliment, Jim Lauinger, Maria Elena Ramirez, Mary Riski including the International Network of • Moratorium on sweeps of home- The suit, brought by Columbia Legal One in three among Boston homeless Street Papers North America, is calling less encampments. The Centers Services, would have reduced the prison EDITORIAL STAFF tested positive for coronavirus for the following in the short-term: for Disease Control and Prevention population by thousands. However, the Staff Reporter Ashley Archibald Editor Lee Nacozy advise localities to not sweep home- justices ruled that the organization had Features Reporter Kamna Shastri hese are just some of the many • Emergency funding of $11.5 less encampments or force people to not shown that the Department of Cor- Art Director Jon Williams headlines we had this month in billion to minimize the number relocate during the pandemic if there rections wasn’t taking sufficient steps to the United States. There will be of people who live in homeless en- are no alternative housing options care for incarcerated people. REAL CHANGE STAFF T Circulation Specialist Wes Browning more. The global respiratory disease campments and congregate shelters available to them. Federal resources Nick Straley, the attorney represent- Organizer Evelyn Chow known as COVID-19 is hitting America’s and to identify alternative space, should be tied to a requirement ing the plaintiffs, said that he was disap- Volunteer Manager Katie Comboy Managing Director Shelley Dooley homeless population, and it’s hitting it including hotels, for isolation and that states and local communities pointed in the court’s decision. Communications and Development hard. self-quarantine, as well as funding institute a moratorium on homeless “All of the evidence in the court record Associate Alexis Estrada Unfortunately, it’s not a surprise. for short-term rental assistance and encampment sweeps. showed that the Governor’s and the De- Founding Director Timothy Harris Field Organizer Neal Lampi There is no place for people experienc- housing stabilization services. Funds STORM CLOUDS GATHER OVER SEATTLE partment of Corrections’ (DOC) actions to Vendor Program Manager Rebecca Marriott ing homelessness to shelter in place and should also be used to provide medi- It’s also important to remember there date have been insufficient to meet public Lead Organizer Tiffani McCoy Vendor Case Manager Ainsley Meyer emergency shelters aren’t the most ideal cal respite care, outreach and street was a housing crisis in America before Councilmembers spar over how to handle $300 million budget shortfall health recommendations,” Straley said in Office Manager Ari Shirazi setting to fight a global pandemic. It’s a medicine for people experiencing the pandemic. Long-term the United a statement. “Uniformly, national public Development Director Camilla Walter harsh reality for more than 500,000 people homelessness. States must move to create a new housing health and correctional experts agree experiencing homelessness on any given • A national, uniform moratorium strategy that provides massive ongoing By ASHLEY ARCHIBALD that to protect people in prison from the VOLUNTEERS Seattle’s general fund revenue scenarios Editorial Committee Susan Storer Clark, night. on evictions and foreclosures. investments in supporting the production Staff Reporter virus, a significant reduction of the prison Laura Ditsch, Willie Jones, James Jenkins, Dagmar We shouldn’t be surprised. The issue Congress should implement a uniform of millions of new housing units, rent as- 2020 adopted Rapid recovery Slow recovery population is necessary.” Matheny, Paige Owens, Tiron Rowe $1.55 of homelessness and housing in America policy that assures that renters and sistance for our most vulnerable citizens, he city of Seattle is looking down 1.51 The decision comes after Gov. Jay In- $1.50 Contributing Writers Rabbi Olivier BenHaim, has been a tinderbox waiting to catch fire homeowners will not lose their homes and protections for renters and homeown- the barrel of a $300 million bud- 1.46 1.46 slee ordered that more than 1,100 people Hanna Brooks Olsen, Wes Browning, for generations. We know that housing during a pandemic. A lot of tenants ers nationwide. get shortfall due to the impact $1.45 be released early to reduce the incarcer- John Helmiere, Michelle Galluzzo, Dave Gamrath, T 1.40 Kelly Knickerbocker, Joe Martin, Patrick “Mac” specifically has been used as a weapon will be responsible for paying back The reality is, for millions of people out of the coronavirus, and a plan to raise $1.40 1.39 ated population. One of the largest out- McIntyre, Jill Mullins, Oscar Rosales Castaneda, Billions 1.34 Susan Storer Clark, Megan Wildhood, Mike Wold against people of color in America for cen- unpaid rent. The law should prohibit of work and facing housing instability, sur- $500 million through taxes on the biggest $1.35 breaks in the state occurred at Monroe 1.30 turies. To add insult to injury, the massive rent arrears — accumulated during viving the pandemic will only be the first businesses is receiving short shrift from $1.30 Correctional Complex, where more than Photographers and Artists Alex Bergstrom, disinvestment in housing for America’s the period covered by the morato- hurdle in the long road that lies ahead. We the mayor. 1.24 100 inmates protested the conditions at Matthew S. Browning, Sam Day, Natalie Dupille, $1.25 1.22 Jeffrey Few, Valerie Franc, Susan Fried, Seth poor during the past 40 years, the lack of rium — from forming the basis of an have the opportunity to do much more. In an April 21 press conference, Mayor the facility. Goodkind, Derek Gundy, Lisa Hagen Glynn, Lara mental and physical health care, ongoing eviction. We have the chance to create a na- Jenny Durkan and Budget Director Ben $1.20 The decision will not end Columbia Kaminoff, Ted Mase, Dave Parish, Joseph Romain, 2019 2020 2021 2022 Wes Sauer, Katie Wheeler racial discrimination and most of all, the • Emergency rental assistance tional housing justice movement that Noble told the public that the forecasted Legal Service’s efforts to get people out Source: City of Seattle lack of leadership at a federal level, has and eviction prevention of $100 addresses both systemic racism and the drop in revenues as the local economy of prison and safely at home, Straley said. Copy Editors Pamela Bradburn, Mason Duke, Merry Nye, Morgan Wegner led us to the situation we find ourselves billion. A moratorium on evictions, need to provide a safe place to call home grinds to a halt means that the city will be “Today’s decision is a momentary set- in today. on its own, is not enough. Congress for all our citizens. facing severe budget shortfalls, and that lion tax on large businesses to support should veto it,” Pedersen wrote. back at a moment when there’s no time to Real Change Volunteers Yolanda Altamirano, It’s time for change. We must not forget must also provide tens of billions of There’s no better time than the pres- money spent on the coronavirus response housing and other services prior to the Washington relies on sales, business waste,” Straley said. Cathie Andersen, Carla Blaschka, Maridee Bonadea, Pamela Bradburn, Chris Burnside, that the one time America did attempt to dollars in rental assistance to avoid ent. n could hit $100 million. coronavirus outbreak. It would directly and property taxes, since income taxes are Cathy Clemens, Jim Freier, Candace Gallerani, create a social safety net for all its citizens creating a financial cliff individuals “This probably will be the toughest tax payroll of large businesses such as currently illegal.
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