Contributors

Voter Turnout in Washington Was 62%, Not 84%

13

Dec

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Contributors, Features, Russ Lehman

Voter Turnout in Washington Was 62%, Not 84%

This might seem like a weird time to talk about the disengagement of voters in Washington state, right after a “high turnout” presidential election. Sure, the Secretary of State (S.o.S.) reports that the “turnout” in the state was 84.1%, and that is both better than any result in the past (except when Obama was on the ballot), and sure sounds like a lot. Our S.o.S is elected herself, so it is in her interest to use that high sounding number…even if it is misleading and serves to distract from the woeful, embarrassing, and real meaning of the actual number. The…

11

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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City of Olympia, Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers, Uncategorized

Black Leaders Demand Action, Not More Talk, From Olympia City Council

Fears of continued violent escalation as the community braces for a weekend of rallies and protests. An event advertised as a "rally" by right-wing protestors turned into a violent brawl Saturday that left one person shot and another assaulted by right-wing demonstrators. Black leaders and advocates say no one should be surprised. "Many people have called with fears about armed militias, citing specific laws to protect people from intimidation and fear tactics, yet they (city and police officials) have yet to do anything about it," said Krystafer Brown. Brown is a street medic with the Rebel Medic Alliance and a…

They Told the City It Would Happen. And It Did.

09

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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City of Olympia, Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

They Told the City It Would Happen. And It Did.

“We warned all of them that someone was going to get shot, that someone was going to get hurt,”Malika Lamont Saturday's shooting, and the assault of a pastor - fueled by a right-wing protester's reaction to a Black Lives Matter sign - were no surprise to Black leaders. “We warned all of them that someone was going to get shot, that someone was going to get hurt,” said local activist Malika Lamont of attempts to convince the city of Olympia that allowing armed militias and individuals on the city’s streets would lead to the unfettered violence that erupted Saturday in…

09

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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City of Olympia, Columns, Contributors, Mindy Chambers, This and That

No Rhyme or Reason

Act II of the City of Olympia’s tale of the poet laureate is about to open. What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.Juliet, Act II, Scene I, “Romeo and Juliet” As you may recall, the previous act of this drama ended when the city declined to award the distinction to the one poet who applied for the position during the most recent call for entries and declined to respond to calls to reconsider, saying it was unusual to receive just one entry. The poet, Lene`e Reid, whose application has been…

08

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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City of Olympia, Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

“We are about peace and love”

Pastor Tammy Stampfli was assaulted last weekend at her church by Trump supporters enraged over a Black Lives Matter sign. Last Saturday, Tammy Stampfli planned to make just a quick stop at Olympia’s United Churches, where she’s one of the pastors. But when she and a friend arrived about 12:30 p.m., instead of what they and others typically find there, they encountered a violent clash between supporters of President Donald Trump and counter-protestors. After looking around for police and finding none and enduring a string of obscenities spewed by the pro-Trump crowd, Stampfli decided she’d had enough. “I asked the…

Gunfire At MAGA Protest In Olympia Saturday, Local Pastor Assaulted

06

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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City of Olympia, Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

Gunfire At MAGA Protest In Olympia Saturday, Local Pastor Assaulted

What began as a gathering of Trump supporters ended in chaos, one person shot, and a local church pastor assaulted. https://twitter.com/MAGADownfall/status/1335403963252940803?s=20 United Churches Pastor Tammy Leiter Stampfli was shoved to the ground during the altercation, much of which took place on church property. As she began preparing for church services Sunday morning, she explained what happened in a Facebook post: "Yesterday I was knocked down in the church parking lot by Trump supporter. This was after being screamed at for being a pastor of "such a Church." I had stopped with another member to use the bathroom. There had been…

Giving Tuesday Spotlight: Partners In Prevention Education

01

Dec

By Mindy Chambers

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Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

Giving Tuesday Spotlight: Partners In Prevention Education

Today is Giving Tuesday! This worldwide opportunity to support those who support others comes at a time of pandemic-driven woes for many of us unused to hardship. This hardship is nothing new to our neighbors who are unhoused and living outdoors in the wind, cold, and rain. What is new is the growing number of people in these circumstances. (Photo credit: Mindy Chambers) What you can do today, if you are able, is celebrate The Tribune’s alliance with Partners in Prevention Education by making a donation of warm socks. It’s so easy. Our winter donation drive continues and our focus…

Ho-Ho-Hobos Spreads Holiday Cheer And Empowerment

30

Nov

By Mindy Chambers

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Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

Ho-Ho-Hobos Spreads Holiday Cheer And Empowerment

In its sixth year of operation, "Ho-Ho-Hobos creates jobs on the streets and connections in our community during the darkest days of the year." So far, it’s been a great season for Ho-Ho-Hobos. “Ho-ho-hobos off to a blazing start, making 96 fresh, handcrafted wreaths in our first 4 days! Wow!,” read a post to its Facebook page on November 22. By early afternoon Sunday, that number had risen to just shy of 150 and the wreaths were selling as fast as folks could make them. Moving around downtown, the Hobos employ homeless folks to make and sell the decorative greenery,…

We Must Understand Hate If We Are To Combat It

16

Nov

By Mel Wilde

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Contributors, Features, Mel Wilde

We Must Understand Hate If We Are To Combat It

How we view impact and intent is one of the most staggering differences between progressives and conservatives. Progressives believe that actions, or impacts, define the morality of our work. We believe, if our actions harm others, then what we did was wrong. This law hurts people, restricts their rights, gives them less access to resources; let's change it. Conservates tend to believe that intent is more important than impact. For them, they can support any action if it is in service of their morality. For instance; they think gay people are morally wrong, and so restricting their rights and resources…

16

Nov

By Mindy Chambers

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Contributors, Features, Mindy Chambers

Lene`e Reid, Poet For The People

“So I'm gonna make just phenomenal multidimensional truthful inclusive tolerant diverse eclectic spiritual meditative historical environmental black indigenous feminist neurodivergent queer disabled powerful meditative art anyway without punctuation but with percussion and vocals.” ©Lene`e Reid Among her many talents, Lene`e Reid, is an award-winning poet. She’ll be sharing her work with you on our pages in the months to come. Recently, she applied to be the City of Olympia’s poet laureate, but the city put the program on hold when hers was the only application received. “(I was) the only one in town who even cared to raise others' voices…