Let's start with a rewind from Seattle-based photographer Nate Gowdy, who was on the ground in Minneapolis between January 17—ten days after Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good in her car—and January 26 to document civilian resistance to ICE's fascist takeover of their city. He shared his experience, and photography, in this month's issue of The Stranger.
Here on the homefront, our City Council is pushing back more gently by passing a one year moratorium on new detention centers within city limits. Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck introduced the bill after the feds posted a "presolicitation" for a detention facility in the Seattle area. It passed unanimously, but Councilmember Martiza Rivera didn't do it any favors. She slowed its introduction by a week to take out the word "jail," even though it may put it at greater risk of a legal challenge. But she and the rest of the council really, really wanted to let you know they were into it though, and that they're helping with their own suite of bills (translation pleaseohpleasevoteforus).
County Executive Girmay Zahilay has gotten in on the action too. He recently delivered an executive order barring ICE from non-public spaces on county-owned properties. He's also been on the job for about three-and-a-half months, so Micah sat down with him and asked a few questions about the new gig.
Nathalie wrote about Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans' announcement that the case backlog she inherited from her predecessor Ann Davison wasn't a measly 1,300 cases like she told us back in January. Nope, it's actually 5,100 cases. Hahahah. How the fuck does that happen when Davison spent her term trying to rid her own 5,000 case backlog by throwing nearly 4,000 cases away? Well, a giant data transfer might have fucked things up. The city attorney's office has been using the same software since 1999, an antique system named Damien. They tried to update this and thousands of backlogged cases slipped through the cracks. That, plus Davison's own missteps (not labeling cases, failing to file quarterly reports at the end of 2025, not counting DUI cases waiting for toxicology cases in the backlog) added to the number. Evans believes she can catch up on these cases—and do so without simply throwing them all away a la Davison.
I met up with Hannah Sabio-Howell, an activist, communications strategist, and leftward challenge to state Senate Majority leader Jamie Pedersen in the 43rd District. She believes we can have breakfast sandwiches on every block, and other progressive shit too, like a statewide version of Social Housing. Though Jamie has quite the record, she's betting he's no longer progressive enough for his voters.
Smell ya' later,
Vivian