SAFE newsletter

6:30PM, Tuesday May 20th: SAFE’s weekly meeting with SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER PAUL BODEN. Food will be served.

Paul Boden is the Executive Director of WRAP (Westland Regional Advocacy Project) and he travels the country speaking and educating others on the issues of homelessness and social justice. Please join us to welcome Paul Boden to Seattle and listen to his input on the housing justice fight. Go here for WRAP‘s website.

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

UPCOMING ACTIONS:

4:30PM-5:30PM, Friday May 16th – Picket Kendra Todd!

SAFE will be picketing Real Estate vampire Kendra Todd to demand that they negotiate a bank tenant agreement with local bus driver Jo-Ann Rose. Kendra Todd are guilty of stealing homes, threatening Jo-Ann, and assaulting SAFE members so this real estate agency deserves to be told that we won’t take their abuse. We need as many people there as possible to show Kendra Todd that they’re not going to get away with their criminal actions. Jo-Ann Rose shall NOT be moved. Email bottom-liner Ismael to let him know you’re coming.

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

 

OTHER EVENTS:

10AM-2PM, Saturday May 17th – Work Party at the Beacon Food Forest.

The Beacon Hill Food Forest is a community project to provide locally grown, sustainable food that helps the environment and everyone’s bills. All are welcome to volunteer, they have work parties every month as listed on their website. SAFE unanimously voted to endorse the Food Forest and sends volunteers every month. Come and join us to meet your neighbors, get some sun, and exercise gardening!

 

Where: Corner of 15th Ave S and South Dakota St, Beacon Hill, Seattle WA. map

 

5PM-8PM, Sunday May 18th – SAFE Signs Work Party.

Zarna is coordinating a work party to make the signs SAFE needs over the next few months. It’s plenty of fun so join us to paint, spray, draw, stencil and do all kinds of creative things. Wear old clothing you don’t mind messing up.

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

 

OUR RECENT EVENTS:

This past week has been very difficult for SAFE because Dana‘s house was demolished on Monday by corrupt real estate developer Omar Lee and his associate Adam Nguyen. SAFE tried to stop this disaster by protesting the demolition. Dana and Ivy went onto the property and refused to move, accepting that the police would arrest them. SAFE members told the police that it was immoral to arrest Dana for defending her home but they arrested Dana and Ivy anyway, allowing the demolition team to swoop in and smash up Dana’s beautiful 100-year-old home. KOMO4 covered the disaster on the 6pm news, go here to watch. Go here to read Dana’s story.

On Tuesday SAFE also picketed Real Estate Vampire Kendra Todd to make them take Jo-Ann‘s check so Jo-Ann can pay to stay in her home. Bryce bottom-lined the event and SAFE members made noise outside Kendra Todd’s busy office building. Kendra Todd were well aware that we were outside and they didn’t like the bad publicity so join us on Friday for another picket. We can force them to accept Jo-Ann’s check and let her pay to stay in her home.

SAFE also held a Solidary Potluck BBQ at Jo-Ann’s house on Saturday to inform her neighbors about our upcoming eviction blockade. It was a huge turnout with much food and many speakers who talked about their own individual fight against the banks. Jo-Ann wishes to thank everyone for coming and supporting her fight to save her home.

SAFE’s Board met on Tuesday to approve hiring Zarna as SAFE’s Message Coordinator. Zarna is very excited to begin work as an official employee of SAFE next week! She wishes to thank SAFE for having such confidence in her and will do her very best to further SAFE’s mission of economic justice and systemic change.

SAFE voted unanimously to endorse the Tenant’s Union’s campaign entitled the Theodora Rescue Committee. The Theodora in Ravenna is home to veterans, elderly, and disabled low-income households. It has been providing affordable housing to Seattle for over a hundred years and is one of only a few HUD buildings left in Seattle. Now, Volunteers of America and Goodman Real Estate have entered into a purchase agreement that will displace the Theodora’s low-income households. Go here to sign the Tenant’s Union’s petition for the campaign and learn more about this fight. SAFE Organizer Ismael is our liaison with the TU.

 

SAFE’s 2nd birthday party on May 1st was a lovely event. We had more people than chairs and had to bring in extras. Kshama Sawant also joined us to celebrate SAFE’s two years of fighting the banks. One family drove all the way from Longview to be part of the evening! Selena was our MC, and we had singers, piano players, celebration videos from SAFE’s two years, cake, and great Chinese food. Here’s a video Chris King made of the event.

 

Recently SAFE held a very successful demand delivery and press conference at Wells Fargo Tower downtown on behalf of Jane and Marilyn and as part of the National Day of Action to protest this giant toxic bank. The security guard was all over us but SAFE members focused only on the task of reading our demand letter. Outside, we had both TV and newspaper press coverage. We made the KING5 6pm and 9pm news and Northwest Asian Weekly published an excellent article about the event. Go here to read.

 

Seattle has more empty houses than homeless people on the streets so SAFE is calling for a moratorium on bank evictions in King County. SAFE Organizer Josh did a radio interview with Mike McCormick on this topic and you can go here to listen. SAFE members also attended a meeting in the Seattle City Council Chambers some time ago to demand a moratorium. We dominated the tone of the meeting, totally discrediting the inaccurate foreclosure report being presented. Go here to watch us in action and go here for a press release about the meeting. SAFE Vice President Olu also met with city council members Bruce Harrell, Sally Clark, and Nick Licata to discuss housing justice, urge principal reduction and a moratorium on bank evictions.

DONATE

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

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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–HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT!–