Thanks to the fighting spirit of Jean and Byron Barton, last week SAFE members were able to stop their eviction from taking place. The blockade lasted 5 days, and ended in a final push to City Hall to demand justice for the Bartons. Thanks to the Seattle Mayor’s office, the Bartons are now safely in their home awaiting their civil land dispute to be heard in court. This victory could not be achieved without the hard work, quick thinking, and resiliency of SAFE and our partners SHARE, Nickelsville, Seattle Solidarity Network, Jess Spear, Kshama Sawant and her office, Washington CAN, and Food not Bombs. Special thanks goes out to the West Seattle Weekly, who covered the event exhaustively and imbedded with us early Monday morning before our City Hall action, and to every person who sent an email to Mayor Murray demanding justice for the Bartons.

We won this victory together, and we should all be proud!

The next step is to use this momentum to speed up the policy change we have been demanding since we began. We will be meeting with the King County Sheriff’s Department to push for transparent evictions and protocols that protect the safety, rights, and dignity of evicted homeowners. We will be pushing the city council of Seattle to use eminent domain to halt the many evictions of Seattle homeowners. We are also pushing the Washington Attorney General to begin actually pursuing penalties for the criminal activity that banks engage in that result in evictions like the Barton’s.

We know that stopping an eviction is just a victory in a battle, but effecting systemic change is a victory in the overall war on eviction and foreclosure.

 

6:30PM, Tuesday July 22nd

- SAFE’s weekly meeting. Food will be served.

 

Where: The SAFE House, Bethany UCC, 6230 Beacon Ave S (corner of Graham St), Seattle WA 98108 map

 

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UPCOMING ACTIONS and EVENTS:

 

Beginning 9:50am, Friday, July 25^th– RCO Auction Protest!

 

Thousands of homes are sold at auction in King County each year, and not all of them are a result of legitimate or legal foreclosures. SAFE members will be staging a loud protest during a Routh Crabtree Olsen property auction in Bellevue this Friday.  We will be holding a “party-like” protest, with singing, instruments, and a decent amount of noise in very close proximity to the auction. Join us! Bryce is bottom lining this event.

Where: 13555 SE 36th St., Bellevue

 

SAFE members are encouraged to take the fun political compass test to see where they stand in relation to our politicians and leaders, and even historical figures like Gandhi and Stalin! Take the test. Lets see where we all fall in the spectrum, closer to the Dalai Lama or to Hitler?

 

Go here to sign the petition to save the Squire Park Plaza from more Goodman Realty’s greed. (Goodman Realty was the villain in the Tenant Union’s fight to save Lockhaven. Goodman Realty is buying up non-profit properties and turning them into corporate cash cows. We must stop them!

 

Go here to sign the Tenant’s Union’s petition to save the Theodora (home to veterans, elderly and disabled low-income households) and learn more about this fight.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SAFE’s MISSION:

 

1. MOVE YOUR MONEY FROM WALL STREET BANKS – BANK SUSTAINABLY, BANK LOCALLY, BANK AT CREDIT UNIONS!

2. DONATE TO SAFE.

3. COME TO SAFE’S ACTIONS.

4. COME TO SAFE’S GENERAL MEETINGS.

5. GO CANVASSING WITH SAFE IN NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND SEATTLE.

6. VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH SAFE’S MESSAGE WORKING GROUP.

6. BUY SAFE T-SHIRTS AND OTHER MERCHANDISE AND WEAR THEM IN PUBLIC TO RAISE AWARENESS.

7. TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT SAFE AND BRING THEM TO OUR MEETINGS.

8. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK,

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER,

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE.

 

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS  

You can reach us at info@SAFEinSeattle.org or 206-203-2125.

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