NO JAIL: Neighbors Opposing Jail At Inappropriate LocationThis is what democracy looks like; The next step remains to be seen. Yesterday the City of Seattle held the first public forums on proposed City Jail sites made public last month. City Reps, PR reps, and reporters got an earful from residents of Highland Park, White Center, Riverview, High Point, Georgetown & South Park. My neighbor Laura Drake set the tone for the evening with a FIERY DIATRIBE that drew noisy cheers, befitting her experience as an actress. SEE A 2-MINUTE VIDEO at West Seattle Blog. Thanks WSB! Continued below:
Above: Residents listen skeptically to City Reps as they show slides of attractive jail facilities in other states, and repeatedly refer to the "gold standard" in our state, the squeaky-clean Kent Regional Justice Center - although that facility includes courts, which the proposed jail in our area does NOT plan. The City Rep Doug Carey stated that Mayor Nickels dislikes this project terribly - it's his LEAST favorite. The theme of the subliminal rumble that followed that remark seemed to be, Cry me a f%**%@ river Mr. Mayor. About 150 neighbors were told to choose one spokesperson at each of 15 tables to voice their concerns to the city, for the record. Those fifteen spoke boldly, knowledgeably, explicitly and passionately. The testimony was videotaped by the SEATTLE CHANNEL and should appear on that site eventually. If not, I'd like to know why not.
Above: The second speaker was the HPAC Chair, Dorsal Plants. (By the way, that's a KOMO Reporter in red. TV news granted attention to Laura Drake's fine rant as well, but aired only a 10-second crescendo, making her sound slightly unhinged.) Dorsol made a number of points, but drew cheers after stating what we all knew: that the low economic status of surrounding communitities was a strong factor in choosing a suitable jail site, and cited a study (from the city's own website) that such a facility DID downgrade communities. Another speaker was Becca Fong, enviromental expert, who cited studies that uindicated the unsuitability of the location because of watershed issues and liquifaction risk (in case of earthquake.
Several mentioned that there are only a few entrances to West Seattle - a peninsula. The Viaduct and the South Park bridge will be coming down in the near future. Transportation is expected to be a major difficulty, even without the extra traffic the jail would bring.
Back to the litany of protest: Several speakers mentioned the high-density low-income senior housing planned very nearby. One mentioned the Duwamish tribe's historical site on this land that may include artifacts. Several mentioned the lack of facilities and services that newly released inmates might need.
Were there any pro-jail residents at the meeting? Decidedly NOT, although we DO know at least one such person, among the "community leaders" that City consulted during their decision process - although he lives three miles from the site. He's going around telling neighbors to expect positive economic development to spring up because of the jail. I wonder what that might be. A spankin' new Dunkin' Donuts to accomodate the increased police traffic? A fashion boutique or café for the convenience of the newly released misdemeanants or the Corrections Officers' lunchtime leisure? If I were the city's guy Doug Carey, I think that I'd throw in the towel after hearing hours of such impassioned protest, but unlike us volunteers, he's getting well paid for his time - so are the PR folks - so they hung in there.
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE website with all the facts and action items
NO JAIL: Neighbors Opposing Jail At Inappropriate Location | 7 comments (7 topical)
NO JAIL: Neighbors Opposing Jail At Inappropriate Location | 7 comments (7 topical)
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