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A Court of Public Opinion Insider $1 Your vendor buYs this paper for 35¢ vol. 14 no. 05 and keeps all the proceeds. please purchase from badged vendors only. www.REALchangenews.org ISSUES • INSIGHT • IMPACT JANUARY 24 - 30, 2007 rent ploY Insider Out Throughout most of state, landlords Police watchdog leaves behind a can choose to deny housing to those complex legacy with SSI subsidy or on Section 8. By CYDNEY GILLIS page Staff Reporter 2 am Pailca is leaving her city job in Moving on up February, and the Seattle Police Of- More and more, single families Sficers Guild couldn’t be happier. Since the day she entered the police homes are being knocked down and department in 2001 as head of a now replaced with bigger domiciles. six-year-old civilian oversight office, the union and its members have fought page 3 the feisty attorney tooth and nail, from suing the city to stop the creation of the Office of Professional Accountability to DANIEL ELLSBERG STANDS WITH 1ST LT. EHREN WATADA, WHO FACES A COURT MARTIAL FOR fall out the latest move: filing an unfair labor REFUSING IRAQ DEPLOYMENT, AT A CITIZENS’ HEARING ON THE LEGALITY OF U.S. ACTIONS A crackdown on repeat anti-nuke practices claim to stop OPA from get- IN IRAQ. ELLSBERG, WHO RELEASED THE PENTAGON PAPERS, CREDITED WATADA FOR STANDING protestors at Bangor may lead to ting unredacted police reports showing TRUE TO HIS CONVICTIONS OF THE IRAQ WAR’S ILLEGALITY. PHOTO BY SUZANNA FINLEY officers’ names. stiff fines and jail time. Seattle’s citizens have fought Pailca, page too. When the City Council created the A Court of Public Opinion 4 OPA, some hoped it would provide a check on the police abuse that many Local war tribunal examines legality of Iraq War say they see, particularly in commu- By ROSETTE ROYALE While the hearing itself was not people get readY nities of color. What they got instead Staff Reporter an official trial, it did, as the event’s On the Eastside, a man leads his was something of an Office of Policy subtitle made clear, refer to a specific neighbors in DIY preparations for Improvement that investigates every he war in Iraq is illegal. War crimes trial: the case of Lt. Ehren Watada, a complaint, but, even if Pailca finds an have been committed. The U.S. Ft. Lewis junior officer whose belief disaster response. officer was abusive or violated depart- TConstitution and the Geneva Con- that the Iraq War is illegal, immoral, page ment policy, the police chief regularly ventions have been subverted. Justice and unconstitutional led to his refusing 5 overturns her findings. must be served. deployment to Iraq. In 2004 and 2005, for instance, These sentiments, reiterated dozens Lt. Watada announced his decision, voice of africa Chief Gil Kerlikowski reversed Pailca’s of times to an eager audience of close and the reasons behind it, last June. He may have been jailed and findings on 17 separate allegations to 400, produced a near-electric charge As a result, he will face a Feb. 5 court- against officers, ranging from the use on the first day of a weekend “Citizens’ martial where he will be tried on one beaten, but Kenyan author Ngugi wa of excessive force to making false or Hearing on the Legality of U.S. Actions count of missing [troop] movement and Thiong’o refuses to be silenced. misleading statements. That was at a in Iraq,” held Jan. 20-21 at Evergreen four counts of conduct unbecoming an time when investigations of complaints State College in Tacoma. Given voice by officer and a gentleman. Those charges page 6 were climbing, from 149 to 163 in 2004 Iraq War vets and a defense analyst, a could land him in a military prison for and from 163 to 174 in 2005. retired Army colonel, and international six years. That’s not to say Pailca hasn’t made law experts, the statements, issued as During a Jan. 4 pretrial hearing, the Change Agent .........................3 strides. As a deputy chief with an of- parts of testimonies during the hear- junior officer, through his pro-bono Just Heard ..............................3 fice next door to Kerlikowske, she set ing, offered the opportunity for citizen civilian lawyer, had argued for the right up the OPA and its complaint system representatives to examine the war in to question the legality of the war as a Short Takes ............................4 from scratch, generating reports on the court of public opinion. defense. On Jan. 16, the presiding judge trends and statistics that Pailca, an Judging by the crowd’s reaction ruled that Watada cannot question the Poetry.................................7, 9 attorney who will start in Microsoft’s — a brew of whoops, hollers, rounds of lawfulness of the war during his court- Arts........................................8 legal department Feb. 26, says brought applause, and standing ovations — the martial, thus stripping him of his main transparency and important policy repeated opinion that the nearly four- means to defend himself. That ruling Dr. Wes...................................9 changes to SPD. year-long Iraq War has little, if any, legal appeared to galvanize those in atten- When Pailca first started her job, foundation, spoke to a commonly held dance, adding import to testimony of Street Watch............................9 which is restricted to two three-year belief in the room: The occupation of a sort that Lt. Watada will not be able appointments, the disrespect she faced Iraq breaks numerous laws and some- to give himself. Letters ..................................10 as a female civilian was so bad that she thing must be done, now, to correct the Military analyst Daniel Ellsberg, Calendar ..............................11 had to call in a mediator just to get her grievous errors. who released the majority of the Pen- own staff to work with her. Today, de- “We, the citizens of America,” said tagon Papers, a 7,000 page chronicle Director’s Corner ...................11 spite the glaring mistakes observers say Zoltán Grossman, Evergreen faculty of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam member, “are putting the war in Iraq First things First ....................11 See PAILCA, Continued on Page 10 on trial.” See HEARING, Continued on Page 12 Real Change January 24 - 30, 2007 Civil Right Make it a crime for landlords to turn down would-be renters because they get government assistance “Ms. M” (whose By MICHELE THOMAS Allowing landlords to discriminate The Tenants Union calls the bluff on Michele Thomas Guest Writer based on how we pay our rent weakens such excuses for discrimination. is a community name is withheld hard-won protections by giving cover The Tenants Union believes that organizer for the to protect the t may come as a shock to Real to prejudiced landlords who close their Section 8 and other kinds of gov- Tenants Union of tenant’s privacy) Change readers that landlords doors to whole groups of people seek- ernment assistance are crucial and Washington State, Ican categorically deny housing to ing a roof over their heads. legitimate resources that help people which works for is 55 years old any tenant who receives a legitimate Take the story of “Ms. M” (whose to pay their rent and to secure safe housing justice and terminally ill. and verifiable government subsidy, name is withheld to protect the tenant’s housing for their families. Indeed, through empow- such as SSI or a Section 8 voucher, privacy), who is 55 years old and termi- many Washington households rely on erment-based She receives SSI to help them pay the rent. Just open nally ill. She receives SSI and is looking government subsidies, and many other education, leader- and is looking for Craigslist to find the many advertise- for safe and affordable housing. She has Washington residents would agree that ship development, safe and afford- ments that boldly state, “No Section a good rental history, but many land- these subsidies are vital tools that can organizing, and 8 accepted.” Only Seattle, Bellevue, lords have closed their doors because help families break a vicious cycle that tenant ownership. able housing. She and unincorporated King County have her SSI is “not garnishable.” keeps people poor. has a good rental outlawed this outrageous, heartless, Or take the story of “Ms. S,” a Implementing Source of Income and irrational behavior. woman escaping domestic violence Protection will close the loopholes history, but many Twelve other states have already who recently was able to pull together a and strengthen our civil rights. It will landlords have created their own laws outlawing couple of one-time rent subsidies from put shame to the notion that those closed their doors discrimination based on a person’s both federal and nonprofit sources. who rely on subsidies to make ends source of income, and now is the However, when she tried to use these meet are inherently bad people and because her SSI is time for Washington to protect our to move into a new apartment, the therefore bad tenants. This legislation “not garnishable.” many residents who are suffering landlord refused them and mischarac- will not force landlords to rent to every from discrimination. terized these programs as fraudulent. Section 8 tenant or SSI recipient. It Local and federal officials have Or take the story of “Ms. W,” whose will only require that they give these already recognized that certain groups name was on the Section 8 waiting list tenants equal consideration and a fair of residents are so likely to meet dis- for three years. She had a great relation- chance. Prejudice and discrimination [Online] crimination in their attempts to find ship with her landlord of four years and are unfair roadblocks for many who The Tenants housing and other public services that had an outstanding history of paying are simply trying to secure safe, warm, Union: www.
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