Dear Community,
Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many other fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, friends and neighbors, protests in Seattle and all over the country this past weekend and today have served as needed reminders and additional demonstrations of the pain, anguish, and trauma of being Black in this country. Some live this daily; others bear witness and either passively or actively benefit from a system that reinforces privilege of those with white skin. While I do not condone violence, looting and vandalism, I absolutely believe in the right and the need to protest and demonstrate against the evils of racism.
Coincidentally, 99 years ago yesterday and today, an act of terrorism destroyed what was formerly known as “Black Wallstreet,” culminating in an event leaving 300 black individuals dead, and known as the Tulsa Massacre. It’s inexcusably not well-known in our American history, but it should be. And it seems in many ways that we haven’t learned from it. Despite the progress made in the Civil Rights Movement, vestiges of white supremacy continue to live on as evidenced in our culture, attitudes, norms, and assumptions, as well as in our institutions and systems. There are many actions we can take as a community and as individuals (more on that later).
On a different item, as a reminder, tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2nd, the Council’s Committee of the Whole will be meeting virtually at 1 p.m. to take up a variety of items including an ordinance I have co-sponsored with Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay related to tenant protection. It would provide COVID-19 as a defense to eviction for residential tenants in unincorporated King County and require landlords to provide a written installment repayment plan for both residential and small commercial tenants who do not now have the funds to pay for their rents. There is still work to be done to increase protections for renters, but, if the Council passes this measure, it will be a significant protection for individuals and families who might otherwise face homelessness. We’re still working on language to assist the small property owners who depend on the revenue they receive from rental payments. Click the following link to read the meeting agenda and find out how you can provide remote public testimony: https://mkcclegisearch.kingcounty.gov/View.ashx?M=A&ID=790922&GUID=FFEE149E-8D6B-4BD4-ABC5-6D4EF885177C. You can stream the meeting live by clicking this link: https://livestream.com/accounts/15175343/events/4485487
The rest of this e-newsletter is meant to provide you with an update on some of the other issues on which I’ve been working as well as helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. You can now read previous updates I sent out on an archive page so you can find any information you may have missed. I have been sending updates every day since March 1 (sometimes more than one in a day). Click here to visit the archive page.
As always, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best,
  Tulsa Massacre, 1921
Latest numbers from Public Health
Since yesterday’s update, Public Health is reporting 33 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (8192 total) and 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (557 total). So relieved, at least for today, that no new fatalities have been reported.
As of May 30th, there were 21,702 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide and 1,118 related deaths. (Note: We do not receive the statewide data in time each day to include in our daily enews.)
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 are available on Public Health’s data dashboard. And, interestingly, you can click on your zip code to learn of the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
Also, and again, here is an excellent website that offers real-time COVID-19 data in clear formats, broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
(A note regarding data sources: The graphs included below are based solely on the daily announced totals from Public Health. They do not take into account that announced cases on a given day are typically diagnosed during previous days. Corrections or adjustments by Public Health that change prior daily totals are not reflected. Moving averages ignore days where data were not available.)
   
Gov Inslee’s Safe Start proclamation takes effect today
Yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee issued his Safe Start proclamation as the Stay Home, Stay Healthy expired last night at 11:59 PM.
The governor announced Safe Start — Washington’s Phased Reopening plan on Friday during a press conference where he detailed the county-by-county approach.
“Thanks to Washingtonians pulling together, we can transition fully to our county-by-county approach to safely reopen,” Inslee said. “If we remain diligent and committed to more effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we will continue to save lives and open up more businesses while protecting our friends and neighbors.”
Washington will move through the phased reopening county-by-county allowing for flexibility and local control to address COVID-19 activity geographically.
Read the rest of the story on the governor's Medium page.
Executive Constantine issues local Proclamation of Emergency
To assist in responding to violence and theft associated with protests in several cities, today King County Executive Dow Constantine has issued a local Proclamation of Emergency. More details are available here.
First wave of supplies to ship as part of state’s plan for widespread testing within long-term care facilities
Supply shipments start today as part of Washington state’s effort to test thousands of staffers and residents at long-term care facilities across the state over the next two weeks. Supplies include test kits, personal protective equipment and return shipment materials to be sent in waves every three days to ensure labs have the capacity to process all of the samples.
On May 29, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) issued an order that requires widespread testing within long-term care facilities. Residents and staff in nursing homes will be tested within approximately two weeks, with a completion goal date of June 12. All residents and staff in assisted living facilities with a memory care unit will be tested within four weeks, with a completion goal date of June 26.
“Information about testing in other long-term care facilities will be forthcoming,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “These congregate settings are a priority for us and we are working with local health jurisdictions, facilities and health system partners to understand the challenges associated with expanded testing and mobilizing the resources to support scaled operations among these facilities.”
Funding Opportunity for Community Response Fund: (Applications close at 5 p.m. on June 9, 2020)
On May 5, the King County Council approved a second emergency supplemental budget proposed by Executive Dow Constantine to provide additional resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Included in the legislation is $1 million for the Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ) to expand funding for the COVID-19 Community Response Fund. First launched this past March in response to immediate effects of the local outbreak, the COVID-19 Community Response Fund invested $800K in grant awards to community-based organizations providing health literacy and awareness, language access, anti-bias and stigma response, and outreach in communities located near isolation, quarantine, and recovery facilities.
As the pandemic has progressed, we understand more about its effects and the disproportionate impact it inflicts on communities of color. OESJ will continue to prioritize funding to partners working with communities at the highest risk of immediate and long-term negative health, social and economic impacts. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded to organizations based on the priorities defined in the Overview & Criteria for Community Responses Fund document.
Click here to download the Community Response Fund Application Form.
Mental health reminders
As Mental Health Month comes to an end, we encourage you to strive for mental stability all year long. Here are some self-care tips from Crisis Connections that focus on reconnecting as the cure to isolation.
- Call a distant relative or friend, reconnecting can brighten your day.
- Host a virtual Netflix party, chat with your friends while watching your favorite shows.
- Connect with nature, state and local parks have reopened during the day.
- Talk it out, holding on to complicated emotions allow stress and anxiety to build.
Some State Parks reopen
On Friday, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced the list of state parks that will be open for day use, camping and overnight moorage on June 1. All parks open for camping and overnight moorage are located in counties that have moved into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan and have approved camping. A list of the opening parks is available here.
State Parks will delay the opening of some areas and campgrounds beyond June 1. Parks is working with local communities, natural resource agencies and our partners in Oregon to determine the appropriate timing for reopening these areas. No specific timeline has been identified for opening these park areas.
Additional helpful and informative links
A moment of silence
Today isn’t the day for a moment of humor or lightness. Today calls for a moment (or a lot more) of silence for George Floyd, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, and the inordinate number of other black Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement in the United States. Say their names. Read their stories.
In truth, a moment of silence isn’t enough. I strongly believe we have to do better and demand better, that we should extend a moment of silence to actual action to do whatever we as individuals can do. The social, political, and legal systems and structural practices that contextualize the events of this weekend are complex and deep-rooted. Racism, inequalities, discrimination are real. It will take work at the individual, group, organizational, government, and societal levels to make the changes that need to occur in the United States. I’m asking all of us to start today by committing to educating ourselves on structural racism, on racial justice, and on the legacy of oppression in the United States. Not sure where to start? Here are a few suggestions:
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect these to continue being sent out on a daily basis, sometimes more than one. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to mark this email address as a “safe sender” by adding the email address to your contacts or address book. And be sure to check your spam folder if you think you may have missed an update.
And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be well.
-Jeanne
|
