Green Party Results 2021

election day and beyond

Green Party of the United States

www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:

11/05/2021

Contact:

Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, [email protected], 202-804-2758

Diana Brown, Co-chair, Media Committee, [email protected], 202-804-2758

Philena Farley, Co-chair, Media Committee,  [email protected], 202-804-2758

 

Greens Score at Least 17 Victories in November Elections

 

2 new city council representatives elected in the state of Maine

WASHINGTON — Maine Green Independent Party candidates Anna Trevorrow and Scott Harriman winning city council races in Portland and Lewiston (the state’s first- and second-most populous cities, respectively) are highlights among the national party’s 17 electoral victories declared since polls closed on Tuesday.

Trevorrow, who ran while holding an elected seat on Portland’s school board, credited her win to “a strong ground-campaign, in which I had 837 conversations with voters, promoting a vision for Portland that is accessible to the working class and enacts policy through an equity lens” in a post to social media. Since 2002, Greens have won two state house, eight city council, 12 school board and two water board seats in Portland.

Harriman pledged to represent his district “proudly and to the best of my ability on the City Council” in Lewiston, where he ran on supporting fully-funded public schools, equity in education and environmental health in the district.

In Minneapolis, MN, Green candidate Samantha Pree-Stinson became the first Black Woman to be elected to the city’s Board of Estimation & Taxation. The Green Party also faced a set-back in Minneapolis, with four-term city council representative Cam Gordon not winning re-election. Gordon faced a backlash for supporting replacing the city’s police department with a Department of Public Safety and a gauntlet of challengers backed by a flood of “money from outside of the ward,” according to his campaign team.

This week’s Green wins add to 19 electoral victories from earlier in the year.

November victories in races that have been called, so far,  include:

  • Anna Trevorrow, City Council, District 1, Portland (Cumberland County) ME
  • Scott Harriman, City Council, District 2, Lewiston, ME
  • Dagmar Noll, Town Council, Willimantic (Windham County) CT
  • Joseph Wetmore, Town Board, Lansing (Tompkins County) NY
  • Megan Parks, School Committee, Lewiston Public Schools (Androscoggin County) ME
  • Matthew Reitenhauer, School Board, Brandywine Heights, Topton (Berks County) PA
  • Samantha Pree-Stinson, Board of Estimation and Taxation At-large, Minneapolis (Hennepin County) MN
  • Charlie Krich,  At-large, Board of Directors, Willimantic Taxing District, Windham (Windham County) CT
  • Cassandra Martineau, At-large, Board of Directors, Willimantic Taxing District, Windham (Windham County) CT
  • Leif Smith, Constable, Redding (Fairfield County) CT
  • Hugh Birdsall, Zoning Board of Appeals, Clinton (Middlesex County) CT
  • Emery Ng, Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate, Windham (Windham County) CT
  • Michael Westerfield, Board of Assessment Appeals, Windham (Windham County) CT
  • Jay Sweeney, Auditor, Falls Township (Wyoming County) PA
  • Abigail Hunter, Judge of Elections Ward 7, Precinct 8, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) PA
  • Jay Ting Walker, Judge of Elections, Ward 7, District 6, Pittsburgh (Allegheny County) PA
  • Andrew Moses Yanez Oliva, Judge of Elections, Ward 15, District 6, Reading (Berks County) PA

Greens nationwide also hailed successful ballot measures to implement Ranked Choice Voting in Broomfield, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Westbrook, Maine.

For a list of 2021 Green Party Candidates and Results as They Become Available, visit gp.org/2021_november_election_results.

Green Party of the United States

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Are you a politically free thinking Seattle Ecosocialist interested in running Green in 2022? First look at the 10 Key Values to see if you are in alignment, then join Green Party of Washington and join the Loomio discussion group to get in touch with other Greens, learn the secret handshake, [kidding] and get on the mailing list for upcoming Seattle Chapter [GPSEA / “jip-SEE”] meetings.


Ecological Wisdom / Indigenous Wisdom

Speakers at Eco-action Webinar

The EcoAction Committee of the Green Party of the United States will hold an online webinar on Indigenous People’s Day this Monday.

 

Topics will include:

Indigenous Ecological Wisdom

Green New Deal and Green Economic Bill of Rights

Climate Change Science – IPCC WG Report

COP26

Rights of Nature

The Fight against Fossil Fuel Infrastructure

Featured speakers include:

Tom Goldtooth, Dine’/DakotaExecutive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)Co-founder, Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN)

Howie Hawkins, Former GPUS Presidential CandidateAuthor 2010 Green New Deal

Mark Dunlea, Cochair, GPUS EcoAction CommitteeGreen Education and Legal Fund

Tom Goldtooth will share Indigenous wisdom including Rights of Nature, talk about climate and indigenous efforts against new fossil fuel Infrastructure.

Howie Hawkins will discuss the recent inaction and retreat by Congress on passing a green and social stimulus package. He will highlight the need for an Ecosocialist Green New Deal which includes strong environmental justice measures and an economic bill of rights.

Mark Dunlea will discuss the upcoming COP26 in November in Glasgow and the need for dramatic increase in funding from the US and other polluter nations to the Global South and developing countries for respond to risks from the climate crisis. He will also highlight the need for increased and binding emission reduction targets to keep global warming below 1.5 degree centigrade.

Register at:

https://www.gp.org/ecoaction_climate_webinar

#IndigenousPeoplesDay

#IndigenousSovereignty

#indigenous

#indigenouspeople


Volunteer with GPWA!

Volunteer with the Green Party!

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Green Party of Washington

The Green Party is governed by our principles and values, and unlike the corporate political parties, we do not accept — and are not influenced by — corporate cash. Our platform is based on our values of peace, sustainability, grassroots democracy, and justice for all. We aim to broaden the scope of political discourse and reshape the political process.

We are currently forming teams for each of the volunteer options in our recently updated Volunteer Form. We want to make good use of your skills, knowledge, interests, and time to support the Green Party at state and local levels.

Your efforts make a direct impact on the growth and success of our party, and we look forward to working with you!

Please complete or update our revised Volunteer Form available at https://www.gp-wa.org/volunteer – and contact us to suggest other volunteer options.

Jody Grage, Volunteer Coordinator

Become a GPWA member, check your membership status, or renew your membership today!

Keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook
Donations are always appreciated and put to good use!

 #WeAreGreen


GPAX Press Release

GPAX Banner

 

WASHINGTON — The Green Party’s Peace Action Committee (GPAX) has issued the following statement requesting public support “for the organization of a preliminary hearing to consider indictment of select i) U.S. political leaders; ii) U.S. military leaders; and iii) leaders of private U.S. arms manufacturers” for war crimes committed during the U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan.
The announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of the invasion.

The entire statement follows:

Twenty years ago today – October 7, 2001 – the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom, a military invasion of Afghanistan that would prove to usher in the longest war in American history. The two-decade military occupation resulted in the death of over 47,000 Afghan civilians, 2,400 U.S. soldiers, 3,800 U.S. contractors, 66,000 Afghan soldiers, and 500 journalists and aid workers, while racking up a more than $2 trillion bill.The end result of these enormous expenditures and unconscionable human toll: Afghanistan lies in ruin, the Taliban is back in power and tens of thousands of people (military and civilian) have been physically or mentally disabled (a reality that will continue costing the U.S. government billions of dollars a year in healthcare costs for veterans for the foreseeable future).While representing a total strategic failure, the war also ignominiously represents one of the gravest acts of aggressive militarism of the 21st century. Many of its political architects in the U.S. remain in positions of power today and private arms manufacturers retain their massive ill-gotten profits. It is high time that the warmongering orthodoxy of public and private sector elites dominating the American foreign policy and national security establishments be held to account!


To this end, the Peace Action Committee of the Green Party of the United States (GPAX) is calling for the organization of a preliminary hearing to consider indictment of select
i) U.S. political leaders; ii) U.S. military leaders; and iii) leaders of private U.S. arms manufacturers on the following counts:Crimes of aggression in Afghanistan, as understood in accordance with Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute);War crimes in Afghanistan, as understood in accordance with Article 8 of the Rome Statute;Crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, as understood in accordance with Article 7 of the Rome Statute; andComplicity in commission of the above enumerated crimes in Afghanistan.We invite all interested organizations and individuals to assist us in convening this hearing, which should take place before the end of this calendar year. We anticipate this hearing constituting the basis of i) a recommendation to the International Criminal Court that investigation proceedings be initiated; and/or
ii) a People’s Inquiry into the War in Afghanistan, modeled on the People’s International War Crimes Tribunal organized by Bertrand Russell in 1966 inquiring into crimes committed by the United States in the war in Vietnam.
Please join us in this effort!
Interested parties should contact us at [email protected].”

MORE INFORMATION
October 9, 2001 Green Party statement rejecting military invasion as response to 9/11
Green Party statement following withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan
Green Party of the United States Peace Action Committee
gpax.gpus.org
202-804-2758

Newsroom | Twitter: @GreenPartyUS
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Green candidate database and campaign information
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Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States
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Seattle Greens Prefer Nikkita Oliver

Vote for Nikkita Oliver for Seattle City Council Position 9. 

Both Nikkita Oliver’s [they/them] platform, as well as their qualifications, make them the Green Party of Seattle’s preferred candidate for Seattle City Council Position 9. 

As a Lawyer, an Educator, a Community Activist, and a Creative they are also the only candidate Greens know as actually equipped with the depth of understanding of all the moving parts necessary to grasp the controls of a future fluent Seattle.

Vote for Nikkita.

Demilitarize the Police, yes. Support youth and families so they may flourish, yes. Environmental Justice, yes. Racial and Economic Justice, yes. Universal Healthcare and Social Safety Nets, yes. Arts & Culture, yes. Quality of Life, yes.

All the things that make sense to Greens, yes!

Volunteer for Nikkita.

Think Globally, Vote Locally. Seattle Democracy Vouchers are increasing voter turnout because candidates now have an opportunity to run on grassroots funding, and this is a portal of entry into politics for individuals who represent us, our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and families. The real ones. 

Donate to Nikkita.

Progressive candidates can only move up on the political food chain if they are elected locally. On the local level, there is no electoral college, your vote is… your vote. Although Greens and other Alternative Party candidates are largely excluded from participation in national politics, our local elections matter because the Grassroots is where we live, where we can strengthen our community, and where regenerative solutions for a sustainable future can begin to take shape. 

Disclaimer: The Green Party of Washington is an Alternative Party. GPWA does not endorse candidates from the cartel parties of War and Wall Street. According to the Green Party of Seattle bylaws, GPSEA may evaluate local candidates based on our Green Party Ten Key Values. We choose to officially ‘prefer’ the candidate that best approximates our ‘Green’ values.


Support The Green Wave!

Wherever you are, you can help support Green candidates! Seattle Greens can help Greens in Forks, WA!

Steve Wright is on Twitter @Wright4Forks and his website is wright4forks.com. We think a Green mayor is just right for Forks, a community near our own PNW temperate rain forest.
A Washington Green is running for Mayor of Forks!

 Sustainability, no longer a fringe idea. Move ahead; forward motion defines a Progressive.

https://www.wright4forks.com/

Kshama Sawant: District 3 Leadership

Green Party of Seattle remains in solidarity with Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Remember to vote against the Recall by December 7th, 2021.

The neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, First Hill, the Central District, Montlake, Madison Valley, and Madison Park in Central Seattle have been the most severely impacted by gentrification, and have reaped the local backlash of seeds planted by opportunistic developers and the continuous erosion of social safety nets. Seattle’s District 3 neighborhoods are rich, vibrant, and diverse communities. Rich and vibrant communities can only emerge from free-thinking individuals who put boots on the ground to solve problems.

Meanwhile, Cartel Party [Duopoly] conservatives frame District 3 Leadership as notorious for outside-of-the-box political experimentation that threatens the status quo. Read CHOP. Manipulating public opinion with fear-mongering is so much easier than offering practical solutions. Alternative Parties and activist organizations that actually represent the interests of Working People, or that favor Regenerative Global Solutions over Extractive Capitalism are considered the most dangerous to the 1%.

Kshama Sawant City Council Committees:

Critical Thinking for Green Voters engages individuals to process real world information.

How do we evaluate if people elected to office are working for us?
Do they represent their constituents or only their party? 
Do they actually work on public policy?
Do they facilitate positive change?
Do they make sense, or deflect from difficult topics?
Do they communicate a vision, or transmit fears?
Do they strengthen communities or disenfranchise them?
Do they make more time for citizens or for lobbyists?

The Recall effort is a fake. It is anything but ‘grassroots.’ The Kshama Sawant Recall effort is funded by CEOs, more than 500 individual Republican donors, and corporate real estate developers. However, when funding limitations on individual donors falter, the 1% can always step in with PAC money and the entrenched ‘status quo’ of cartel politics here in the US.

Despite the amount of corporate PAC money from donors like Amazon, Kshama was re-elected in 2019 by her constituents. That is actually a testament to the level of political intelligence of voters in District 3, and their ability to see through the smokescreen of scare tactics and deflection by the forces that actually foment homelessness, political discord, and wealth inequality in Seattle.

Kshama is a fierce fighter and her overt activism and delivery style pushes panic buttons for those who are triggered by the word ‘Socialist’. As Ecosocialist Greens, the Seattle Green Party supports a local free market, strong social safety nets, environmental protections, Green Technology, and resilient public infrastructure. [Social solutions for social institutions.] Kshama is a breath of fresh air compared to those political forces seeking to commodify every human being on earth, even to the extent of upselling the very air that we breathe and the water that we drink.

The Green Party of Seattle applauds Kshama Sawant for doing her job and supporting the evolution of political consciousness that she represents.

Although the Recall Campaign did not make the ballot this November, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that corporate funds [in excess of those that can send a billionaire to space] will continue to be leveraged against her. A special Recall Election is scheduled for December 7, 2021.

Real talk, for Washington State citizens who see homeless encampments in Seattle and news of violent incidents that occurred at CHOP on TV, consume Fox News media on the regular, and were triggered by the word ‘Socialist’ to begin with, Kshama Sawant appears to be a “politically dangerous” person. Kshama Sawant, for these folks, represents the shape of radical political unrest, and they do not look at root causes once these fears are triggered. Many who address problems head-on experience ‘guilt by association‘ this way. The reality is that to bring focus to the root causes of homelessness and to inspire community empowerment, you have to get loud and emotional to get media attention. Greens are not historically good at this, but we are here for it, and we support her efforts.

A special Recall Election is scheduled for December 7, 2021. This is not a regular election day; this is a strategic date that favors the recall campaign because younger voters tend not to be frightened by Socialists, or participate in local elections. Please remind people you know in District 3 to vote! We need to keep Kshama working on the Seattle City Council! Without someone who represents the people who actually live in Capitol Hill, First Hill, the Central District, Montlake, Madison Valley and Madison Park, they and we will lose the political agency of an empowered political voice willing to stand against the economic oppression that has decimated so much of our city’s infrastructure.

Progressive candidates can only move up on the political food chain if they are supported locally. Although Greens and other Alternative Party candidates are largely excluded from participation in national politics, our local elections matter because the Grassroots is where we live, where we can strengthen our community, and where regenerative solutions for a sustainable future can begin to take shape.

Disclaimer: The Green Party of Washington is an Alternative Party. GPWA does not endorse candidates from the cartel parties of War and Wall Street. According to the Green Party of Seattle bylaws, GPSEA may evaluate local candidates based on our Green Party Ten Key Values. We choose to officially ‘prefer’ the candidate that best approximates our ‘Green’ political values. 


Greens are AntiWar

Green Party of Seattle withdraws support for the EndtheDamnWars event on Saturday.

September 11, 2021, is this Saturday. Stay home and light a candle. Wage Peace.

Greens and Peace activists such as Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Ground Zero, and others are actually peaceful.

GPSEA reverses our previous endorsement of an anti-war sign waving event. The involvement of the Boogaloo Bois in the EndtheDamnWars organization creates an unsafe space for non-violent people.

During 2020, Boogaloo adherents increasingly attended protests and riots, and they often sought to capitalize on high tensions to incite violence and chaos.

https://www.csis.org/blogs/examining-extremism/examining-extremism-boogaloo-movement

Demands of the EndtheDamnWars.org folx:

  • End the Regime Change Wars
  • End the Unconstitutional Military Operations
  • End the targeting of Anti-war journalists, activists, and whistleblowers
  • End global intelligence operations that instigate conflict
  • Cut the US military budget
  • Audit the Pentagon
  • Stop arming and funding oppressive regimes
  • Scale back the US military bases around the world
  • End economic warfare

Seattle Greens agree with those stated points. We can not vet this organization’s event.

Greens do not support anarchy, civil war, or violence against cops, protesters or anyone else.

Unfortunately there actually are sociopaths who pose as legitimate activists. Those that would throw a match in a crowd simply to watch people burn. Where the Boogaloo Bois go, people get hurt.

It’s hard to know how seriously to take the boogaloo threat. Some are likely just joking when they “shit-post” about shooting cops or “yeeting alphabet boys”—killing government law-enforcement agents. But others seem serious. They’ve already shown up heavily armed (and in their signature Hawaiian shirts) at protests and at state capitols. They’ve allegedly killed law-enforcement officers, talked about throwing Molotov cocktails at cops during the racial-justice protests this summer, and plotted to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They say they want a total reset of society, even if they haven’t thought very hard about what, exactly, should come next.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/boogaloo-prepare-civil-war/617683/

Wage Peace.

Wage Peace.


US EPA: Stop Sweeping PFAS Under the Carpet!

What are PFAS?

PFAS refer to a large class of toxic substances that have been used in manufacturing, industry and consumer products since the 1950’s. PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, which create impervious coatings that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate. Detrimental health effects include elevated cholesterol and other serious metabolic problems. Animals do not need non-stick coatings in their blood. These “forever chemicals” do not occur in nature and are now known to have accumulated in people, wildlife, and fish all over the world. At this point they have been detected in the breastmilk of women in the US and Canada and the CDC estimates that over 95% of US residents are carrying some PFAS in their bodies.

Health Effects of PFAS

The EPA reports that “after twenty years of biomonitoring studies of these chemicals in both serum and urine, we have an extremely limited understanding of PFAS concentrations in breast milk of women in the US.” Animal studies show the direct association of toxic effects from PFAS.

The monitoring of these chemicals in food, drinking and wastewater contamination from PFAS is not standardized in the US. Some municipalities do monitor for these substances, and because of their cumulative nature, no safe drinking water levels have been established. Strong carbon and fluorine bonds make these chemicals extremely resistant to breakdown by exposure to water or oil solvents, but the same properties make them problematic in the environment. They work well to smother fires, and are used in extinguisher foam, and can leach into surrounding water tables. As more municipalities begin to monitor for PFAS contamination, more is found.

Health effects associated with PFAS include: lowered immune response to disease, elevated cholesterol levels, thyroid hormone disruption, reproductive problems, organ damage to liver and kidneys, developmental delays, tumors in animals, testicular cancer, and low newborn birth weights.

A growing number of states have set limits on PFAS pollution in water as researchers have discovered hundreds of sites where PFAS from a variety of sources have polluted groundwater. In spite of the persistent nature of these “forever chemicals”, there are no consistent regulation from the US EPA regarding this class of highly toxic chemicals.

PFAS in the Home

The PFAS group of chemicals are toxic in extremely small amounts. Small children and pets are especially vulnerable. The Washington State Department of Ecology chemical action plan identified carpets, water and stain resistance treatments, and leather and textile furnishings as significant sources and uses of PFAS. In their report they proposed that the state advocate for safer alternatives wherever feasible and available. These determinations should be made by June 2022 and would be accompanied by proposed regulatory actions such as increasing consumer awareness and manufacturer labeling to reduce exposure.

Ecology also recommends, “Reduce legacy PFAS-containing carpet and carpet care products remaining in homes, especially in low-income households, where items may be retained past the typical product lifespan… replace PFAS-containing carpet in community centers, libraries, daycares, and other environments where children may be disproportionately exposed.”

Consumer products that may contain PFAS.

Water resistant clothing and gear. Nonstick cookware and kitchen supplies (e.g. baking paper). Personal care products (including cosmetics and dental floss). Cleaning agents. Automotive products. Floor waxes and sealants. Ski waxes. Car waxes. PFAS are used in fire retardant foam spray extinguishers, car washes, and non-stick coatings on food cartons and teflon pans, even some pizza boxes. They are all around us.

Physicians for Social Responsibility PFAS Alert

In June 2021, the Physicians for Social Responsibility reported that PFAS showed up on a list of chemicals which the fossil fuel industry had carefully “redacted” from public record for their “proprietary” nature, which they were able to learn through a “freedom of Information Act” request. These chemicals along with other aggregate ceramic compounds are aggressively pumped into the earth to extract fossil fuel laden sludge that is then transported and refined. Often this corrosive toxic mixture is going through leaking pipelines. PFAS have been identified in the water tables of heavily fracked areas in the US such as Pennsylvania and Texas and are presently putting humans, animals, and ecosystems at risk. The EPA approved their use for this purpose in 2012, despite previously known health concerns. The EPA chose to protect Industry and did not disclose the PFAS use for this purpose. Previous to the PSR revelation, the use of PFAS in oil and gas operations had not been publicized.

Politics vs EPA Scientists.

Under the administration of Scott Pruitt, a known critic of climate science, the EPA failed to define safety guidelines for safe drinking water levels of PFAS by the targeted date of 2019. When the scientific assessment did appear, the Trump administration had it edited; sources told Politico that “these alterations were so alarming that several of the career EPA scientists who spent years working on the study have asked that their names be removed from the document.”

Conflicting information from the EPA, FDA, and CDC undermines their collective scientific credibility. With vague recommendations but no industry accountability in their action plan, this is concerning.

PFAS Action Act of 2021, brought by Michigan’s Debbie Dingell, passed in the 117th Congress this July and goes to the Senate next. The bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate the PFAS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as a hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, thereby requiring remediation of releases of those PFAS into the environment. Within five years, the EPA must determine whether the remaining PFAS should be designated as hazardous substances.

The Cumulative effect of Toxic Substances on the Nation’s Health.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR] states: “CDC/ATSDR recognizes that exposure to high levels of PFAS may impact the immune system. There is evidence from human and animal studies that PFAS exposure may reduce antibody responses to vaccines.”

Competing interests of Extractive Capitalism and Life on Earth are also evidenced in the continued use of glyphosate in the US after it was listed as a human carcinogen in 2015. Experts from 11 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC] to assess the carcinogenicity of the organophosphate pesticides tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate. These substances kill the soil biome which is also a vastly under appreciated carbon and greenhouse gas sink and it also has a cumulative effect on mineral absorption of roots that depletes our health further with less nutritious foods.

An Environmental Research article from April 2021 notes that “the burning of fossil fuels — especially coal, petrol, and diesel — is a major source of airborne fine particulate matter, and a key contributor to the global burden of mortality and disease. Fossil fuel combustion can be more readily controlled than other sources and precursors such as dust or wildfire smoke, so this is a clear message to policymakers and stakeholders to further incentivize a shift to clean sources of energy.”

Accountability.

Across the United States, occurrence data is collected to assess the highest priority drinking water contaminants most problematic for human health, as part of its responsibilities under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This plan came into the fore after water contamination in Flint, Michigan became public. The Monitoring Program for Unregulated Contaminants occurs every 5 years. Action plans focus on decreasing public risk and cost benefit, but these plans have no teeth if the public is not educated and industry is not accountable.

The Department of Ecology scientists setting forth goals to protect water here in Washington State, and their action plan does move us closer to safety. However, one wonders why the contaminants remain Unregulated at the national level? Who does the EPA protect?

States with PFAS Regulation

GPSEA Endorses HON: House Our Neighbors!

House Our Neighbors!

SEATTLE, Washington (August 18, 2021) – Green Party of Seattle endorses the House Our Neighbors [HON] Opposition Statement to Charter Amendment 29. HON is a coalition of advocates who are committed to ending the homelessness crisis in Seattle. The Green Party of Seattle is opposed to the ‘Sweeps’ of homeless encampments, which is a practice that Charter Amendment 29 would allow to continue; Green support for the HON opposition statement focused on that point.

Charter Amendment 29 as proposed by “Compassion Seattle”, a group of concerned business owners, commercial property investors and individuals, contains language around support for addressing ‘Behavioral Health’ issues and building new low-cost housing as if this is the primary cause of homelessness, but their ‘solutions’ do not reflect a true depth of understanding about the problem.

Green Party of Seattle [GPSEA] rejects City of Seattle Charter Amendment 29 on the grounds that it does not sufficiently address root causes of homelessness. We agree that ‘Behavioral Health’ services that address mental hygiene and addiction should be available to all, but this does not put people indoors or give them a safe place to sleep at night.

We recognize that concerned business owners, property investors, and individuals who fund the ‘Compassion Seattle’ charter amendment initiative are important economic stakeholders in Seattle and we empathize with their distress over encampments of homeless folx that take up residence in commercial areas. Obviously, it does not look pretty to tourists, and this is bad for their cash flow. However, this does not motivate compassion.

As an unfunded mandate that proposes 2,000 new low-income residences, it is a drop in the bottomless bucket of housing inequality that exists here in Seattle. What residents and tourists see as encampments on the street is only the tip of the iceberg here. The ‘Invisible Homeless’ have run out of economic capital to afford independent housing but still have enough ‘social capital’ to stay with friends and family in spare rooms, couches, basements, garages, and driveways.

We live in a city where most infrastructure-related workers with families cannot afford homes. This means that the majority of Teachers, Nurses, Union Labor, Utility Workers, and First Responders that work here are commuters. This will not make our city a more secure place during an Earthquake, for instance. We will not be able to ‘Program’ or ‘Sales Funnel’ ourselves out of the rubble.

GPSEA is in complete solidarity with this statement from HON:

“People are unhoused because our region has failed to build enough permanently affordable housing after decades of steady population growth. Compassion Seattle is focused on blaming addiction and mental illness for homelessness. We know that homelessness is a result of greater problems: stagnant wages, job loss, skyrocketing rent, high barriers to healthcare, housing and/or workforce discrimination, and a diminishing safety net. The solution is permanent low-cost housing and supportive services.”

https://www.houseourneighbors.org/opposition-statement

Real-world solutions to Housing Security include Rent Control, Progressive Taxation, and Deeply Affordable Housing. Green Party of Seattle has opposed ‘Sweeps’ since 2017 when party membership was unanimous on that particular point.

Additionally, the practice of funding non-profits to distribute tents, sleeping bags, and blankets to people as ‘outreach’ services and then taking those things away from them during ‘Sweeps’ is wasteful and ludicrous. It is a dysfunctional cycle that perpetuates lack, insecurity, and further social trauma. Public access to safe restrooms, garbage disposal, running water, and sanitation during both a homelessness crisis and a Pandemic is how business owners could be much more helpful to our unhoused neighbors.

The Green Party of Seattle [GPSEA] is a growing group of Ecosocialists in the PNW. Greens are an Alternative Political Party, invested in a Regenerative future for Seattle and King County. Ecosocialism is a vision of a transformed society in harmony with nature, along with the development of regenerative practices that can attain it. It is directed toward alternatives to all socially and ecologically destructive systems, such as patriarchy, racism, homophobia, transphobia, wars for profit, the commodification of human beings, extractive capitalism, and the fossil-fuel-based economics of War and Wall Street.