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Dear WIP, The October issue of WIP carried an introduction to the ProTruth Pledge. The pledge is designed by social scientists to encourage truth in politics. In the political arena today, people seem to have little incentive to tell the truth. In fact, the two local candidates who had signed…

Throughout recent decades U.S. cities have been transformed. Urban demographics are profoundly changing. Historically Black and Brown communities and working–class neighborhoods are becoming whiter and wealthier. Low–cost housing has been demolished and replaced with luxury housing. Economies have shifted, with the demise of mom–n–pop shops and manufacturing, to the opening…

“Medicine is an area we should be organizing around in our communities,” according to David Lavender, a former Olympia resident, who recently completed medical school in Cuba. He’s now back in the states and looking for residency opportunities to continue his training. I was fortunate to hear about his experience…

I think of all the mathematicians, the scientists sewing cheap, poor quality clothing   I think of all the poets, the artists assembling expensive, short-lived electronics   I think of all the teachers, the professors pulling rickshaws along the stray gravel   I think of all the engineers, the architects…

We have been witnessing societal structures break down, a time of instability, where governmental systems, centralized financial markets, and trans-national corporations abuse trust, manipulate markets, hide information, and hoard vital resources. We have been witnessing the end of an era: the archaic era of the hero, the savior archetype, the…

It was a cold night.  A fine sleet pelted me as I walked down Seneca towards town to do some last minute shopping. Walking on the north side of the street, I approached 6th Avenue where cars came roaring off the freeway.  I wasn’t paying much attention as I looked…

On Wednesday afternoon, October 25,  Carpenters conducted an informational picket in front of the offices of Olympia Construction at 1303 4th Avenue East in Olympia. Our picket was an effort to educate the public about the fact that some contractors in our construction industry are willing to pay a fair wage with…

“Marx said that revolutions are the locomotive of world history. But perhaps things are very different. It may be that revolutions are the act by which the human race travelling in the train applies the emergency brake.”  (Walter Benjamin) Cavalier, North Dakota: Work doesn’t stop at sunset Fall was just…

Olympia’s Raging Grannies pictured here delivering a letter (very politely, despite their name) to the managers of Wells Fargo Bank on the Westside as part of the Divest the Globe day of action October 23. It was the same letter that was delivered to bank managers all over the state…

Since 2002, US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been conducting a war, sometimes a covert one, on a disabled US military veteran. The Homeland Security service has worked zealously to deny the Olympia resident the expedited naturalization that President George Bush Jr promised in 2002 to foreign nationals serving…

Report from a threatened forest Dear WIP and WIP readers, The following plea was transmitted in a phone call from a 20-year old tree sitter perched 80 feet up in the branches of a douglas fir in the Willamette National Forest, near the McKenzie River.  Cascadia Forest Defenders are present…

September 2017 marked Leonard Peltier’s 73rd birthday and 42nd year in prison. He is currently held in a high security federal prison in Coleman, Florida –as far as possible in the continental US from any family or community. Peltier has been seriously ill with diabetes and other medical conditions for…

2.3 million people are behind bars in the US—the biggest number in the world. In the 30 years between 1980 and 2010, thanks to the cynical “tough on crime” and “war on drugs” policies implemented in the 1980s the overall prison population grew 11 times faster than the general population.…

[Ed note: Our staff writer reflects on the advice offered by Dr. Barbara Love at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s monthly online meeting October 14. Dr. Love is the Professor Emeritus of Social Justice Education at U. Mass–Amherst, recognized internationally for her work on issues of diversity, inclusion and liberation.] Dr.…

Often when Native nations assert their treaty rights and sovereignty, they are confronted with a backlash from their neighbors, who are fearful of losing control of the natural resources. Yet, when both groups are faced with an outside threat to their common environment—such as mines, dams, or an oil pipeline–these…

In this moment of heightened political tension, fear, uncertainty, and mass protest, it is important to get our bearings through the work of leaders and organizations who have been in the struggle to end poverty, militarism, racism, and ecological devastation for many years. They will still be in the struggle…

Rural Oregonians have been responding to attacks on immigrant neighbors and family members by taking action, organizing our communities, and opening challenging and necessary conversations about what our communities need for every person to truly feel safe. In this way, we counter the constant news of anti-immigrant rants from the…

Lopez Community Land Trust was created almost 39 years ago to meet the need for affordable housing for island residents.  Since then, the Trust has purchased land and built homes in five separate and distinct communities on the island. Each of the projects is built with sweat equity and the…

WIP’s September issue led with the story “Strengthening Sanctuary in our communities”.  This Olympia-area network began to take shape after the November 2016 election. People were enthusiastic about Olympia Council member Jessica Bateman’s proposal that Olympia declare itself a Sanctuary City:  at a minimum this means that local officials and…

Ed Note:  On Oct. 17, Judge Debra Hayes of Spokane District Court will allow the use of a climate necessity defense in another case involving direct action against fossil fuel projects. The trial for Reverend George Taylor on charges of trespassing and obstructing an oil train is expected in January…

Adapted from the website http:://www.shutitdown.today/action_strategy “If people are not acting as though there is an emergency, people don’t believe that there is an emergency.” —Leonard Higgins, Oregonian and grandfather For many of us engaging in work to avert civilizational collapse, there comes a point when it becomes clear that the…

Community-Assisted Resources for Equity (CARE Fund) was formed a year ago primarily to help people pay small fines to get their drivers’ licenses reinstated. The fund’s purpose has expanded to be available for many other court-related expenses that, if not paid, interfere with a person’s ability to get on with…

If you are poor: Ain’t Nobody Going to Pay Your Way! If You Are Rich: Congress Will Give You $ 1.9 Trillion Tax Break! The Largest increase in income inequality in American History. Ain’t Nobody (A Song by Dorie Friedman) Well the boss man said you better get up coal…

Density is heralded as the key to Olympia’s future. With density, so the argument goes, Olympia’s housing crisis can be resolved and the projected influx of some 20,000 people over the coming decades can be accommodated. Density, in theory, entails ecological and social benefits to cities. However, the rhetoric of…

A wave of activity from white supremacist and fascist groups has accompanied the Trump administration’s rise to power. From the burst of reported hate crimes immediately following election day to the violent Charlottesville clashes this August, such groups have been emboldened by Trump’s openly nativist, nationalistic and militaristic rhetoric. Debate…

Matt Lester recently asked Savvina Chowdhury to talk about gender inequality in the US economy, especially considering the alt-Right claim that it doesn’t exist in any meaningful way. Chowdhury teaches feminist economics at The Evergreen State College. ML–Instead of wading into the debate over the best method to challenge white…