Indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes continue to kill civilians, children: As President Joe Biden heads to Israel to signal his administration's support for the country, Gaza Health Ministry reports that children make up two-thirds of the 2,778 people killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, according to the Associated Press. Israeli strikes began after a Hamas militant attack on Oct 7, which killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hamas also captured about 200 people. Over the weekend, Hannah covered thousands of protestors marching in downtown Seattle and calling on local and state leaders to pressure Israel to deescalate the situation.
Shooting in the Central District near day care: Monday afternoon a man was shot multiple times outside a local day care center on 23rd Avenue South and Jackson Street. The shooting did not injure any children or staff. Responders took the man to the hospital. Community Passageways, a nonprofit that offers youth diversion services, also has a service center on the block where the shooting took place. That center will reopen Tuesday for anyone who needs support.
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Protest outside King County Courthouse: Yesterday the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (AARPR) organized a protest against the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which has yet to make a determination on whether to file criminal charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave. Dave struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula with his patrol vehicle while driving 74 miles per hour through a 25 miles per hour zone. The prosecuting attorney's office got the case mid-June and estimated its office would make a decision by the end of July. Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said Monday the office had no update but would be as transparent as possible once it completes the case review. AARPR organizer Rob Engel said the organization plans to continue to put pressure on the office to hold Dave responsible for killing Kandula.
Trial for Tacoma police charged with Manuel Ellis's death continues: After a medical examiner said the fight with the cops killed Ellis, and not the methamphetamine in his system at the time, one of the cop's defense attorneys said, "He killed himself by resisting," according to the Seattle Times' coverage of the trial. The Times said the comment prompted "audible gasps" in the courtroom.
"He killed himself by resisting arrest" may be the most disrespectful thing we've heard in this courtroom from the defense.
— Tacoma Action Collective (@tacoma_action) October 16, 2023
KING 5 airs final city council debate: SECB pick ChrisTiana ObeySumner goes up against Cathy Moore in the District 5 debate at 7 pm tonight. We're excited to see ObeySumner reach a larger audience tonight as this multi-disabled, social equity consultant fights to represent the underrepresented in Seattle's north end.
Rite Aid bankruptcy continues to wreck Bartell Drugs: The company filed Chapter 11 over the weekend and plans to close more stores. According to the Seattle Times, Bartell locations tend to be in expensive urban neighborhoods, which might spell their downfall. Bookmark this in case some random Rite Aid spokesperson blames a rise in shoplifting when the closures happen.
Thought about getting a raincoat, but today's weather is supposed to be drier than yesterday, so maybe I can put that off another week. Expect a high of 59 degrees and light winds.
I hated Scholastic book fairs for being a ploy to steal kids' lunch money under the guise of encouraging them to read. But here is Viv with a new reason to dislike the publisher.
Ban Every Story, Censor Every Voice: Scholastic, the largest publisher and distributor of children’s books in the world, is living up to the high-minded principles of diversity in its credo and educational platform with a new policy that empowers schools to categorically exclude books about LGBTQ people and people of color from Scholastic book fairs. These controversial titles—including a picture book about civil rights hero and 17-term congressman John Lewis—are now bundled in an optional case called Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice. Aww!
In a statement, Scholastic said it has no other options than this policy to protect teachers, librarians, and volunteers from 30 “pending and enacted” state laws banning books on queerness and race in schools. But, as many of those imperiled educators and librarians have pointed out on social media, Scholastic isn’t a local book store. It’s a multinational corporation with the power and money to stand up against book bans. Unlike the books they sell, Scholastic has no spine. In one instance, Scholastic wouldn't approve a Japanese-American author's licensing deal unless she removed a paragraph about her family's incarceration during World War II. Reallll nice.
Like so much of this exhausting “culture war,” conservative activists have manufactured this moral panic over books in schools. A stunning Washington Post analysis found that 11 assholes adults were responsible for 60% of US book bans during the 2021-2022 school year. The war on wokeness has dangerous consequences. Vice reported that 11 schools and school districts featured in “Libs of TikTok” videos were targeted with bomb threats.
Captain Underpants and the Shittiest Solution Imaginable https://t.co/tBMPuAZnyI
— Washington Post TikTok Dad (@davejorgenson) October 16, 2023
Murder rate fell nationwide: The FBI's crime data dropped yesterday showing an overall fall in violent crime and murder in 2022, according to the New York Times. Property crime still up, largely due to an increase in car thefts. [Eds note: A note of caution on the statistics: They all come from police departments, they don't include serious crimes committed by police or others in the criminal legal system, and many crimes go unreported, so, apart from the homicides, these stats represent the police narrative.]
Calm down, Citibank: A former Citibank employee tried to sue the company for wrongful termination after it fired him for expensing a meal for two and then trying to say he ate it all himself, according to Yahoo News. The employee later admitted one of the two sandwiches he bought went to his partner. Citibank won the lawsuit. But, I stand with the guy.
Enjoy some incredible work by queer pop icon Troye Sivan. Have a good Tuesday everyone.