N30 10 Year Anniversary

Hard to believe that it was 10 years ago that the streets were filled with non-violent protesters with a dream of a more humane future. The news showed the same few clips incessantly and convinced much of the world that there was out-of-control violence happening in Seattle. Such was not the case.

What I witnessed first hand was entirely different from what the media was portraying. I saw thousands of peaceful, activist protesters filling the streets with joyful civil disobedience. There were people from all over the world intermingled with our neighbors, friends and colleagues. They were a non-violent mass with a dream of a better world.

There was also a tiny group of black bloc protesters who had an entirely different strategy about how to deal with the WTO. They were a miniscule percentage of the people in the streets but they were successful in doing enough damage to scare the crap out of everyone.

My parents, grandmother and family were concerned, watching the news coming out of Seattle. They knew I was in the streets.  I was documenting the WTO protests and getting my video footage down to the Independent Media Center so that the world could see what was really going on. Each night, I’d come home and Michael would be so worried after watching the protests on TV each day. I’d show him some of my video footage and he’d tell me that it was nothing like what he’d been watching on TV all day. The contrast was stark.

I saw a lot of police officers lose control. I saw a few protesters lose control. And I saw a city lose control. I was grateful to see Norm Stamper and Paul Schell interviewed this week. Both shouldered much responsibility for what happened a decade ago. It was really good to hear Norm say that it was wrong to have authorized the use of chemical agents and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters. And to hear Paul Schell speak, seemingly genuinely, about his concern for the rights of citizens to protest. Once he declared a state of martial law in Seattle, where citizens could not enter the downtown of their own city, it didn’t feel like he was looking out for the rights of anyone. Apparently, this caused him great duress and well, hindsight is always 20/20. That said, I’m glad Norm and Paul are speaking the truth about what really happened and explaining how some of the many terrible decisions that were made came to be.

13 miles along the Puget Sound

We ran 13 miles along the Puget Sound today! How many cities are there where you can run along open water for 13 miles? Love it! And my running partner Shannon is the best.

Vera & the turtle

Today’s Vera Board retreat kicked ass! I’m so lucky to volunteer with such remarkable people and such a great organization. And tonight, while i was running with Shannon, we were out on  a pier on Lake Washington and a turtle swam right under us!

Sometimes, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do

I showed up at the Paramount Theatre tonight and was not surprised to find sleeping people in our theatre doorways. This happens on nights when we don’t have shows. I was surprised to see a young woman in her pajama pants sitting on her bag of belongings, blonde and about 16.  While the sleepers were prone and looked experienced at building a home on the street, she did not.  Her eyes made contact with mine. I acknowledged her and debated whether to talk with her. I know my own weaknesses – if she talked with me, I might hear her story. And if I heard her story, I might be compelled to take her home. She did not look prepared to fare well on our streets.

I decided that the smart move was just to assess the situation while going about my business of shooting photos of the Paramount marquee with my friend David. We were across the street framing a shot when I said, ‘Oh God. She just pulled out her stuffed animal.’ Her stuffed lion appeared to be her security blanket.

This was more than I could handle. Now what do I do? I decided to make sure she knew about resources (Youthcare & Orion Center, Peace for the Streets by Kids from the Streets, the Crisis Line, etc) and committed to myself that no matter what her story, I would not take her home. We continued our photo shoot, assuming she’d hang around.

Photo shoot complete and we look for her. She, in her pajama bottoms with her stuffed lion under her arm, was walking away from the Paramount with a man with a bag.

Wherever you are tonight darlin, I hope you are safe.

Star Parts at Bear Creek Studio

The last two days at Bear Creek with Michael were amazing. He and The Doctor worked nonstop. There’s nothing quite like listening to your love sing his heart out. The new Star Parts record is a work of art!

Can’t wait until it’s mastered and you all get to hear it.