Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

We’re back with another weekly reporting round-up from July 13- 19. Last week, we published seven articles on topics like a labor dispute at PCC, the upcoming Erika Kirk event, UW’s AI expansion, and more. Let’s take a look at what you may have missed!

“We’re going to hang you for treason”: WA Congressional candidate receives death threats at midnight

Melissa Chaudhry, Washington Congressional candidate for District 9, received several phone calls at around midnight last night. She refused to answer, but the caller left two voice messages containing anti-Muslim death threats:

“We’re going to hang you for treason, and we’re going to do it publicly.”

“We’re going to hang you for treason, you anti-American, Muslim piece of shit.”

Chaudhry issued TtS a statement: “Fighting for my husband’s freedom last year against ICE and the weaponized federal government across four federal jurisdictions with no lawyers – and winning – taught me a lesson I’ll ever forget: when you stand up to bullies, they fold.

Read the full article here.

Conscious Hip-Hop group, The Neighborhood Kids, performs free show in Olympia

All photo credits are attributed to InfoPig.

The Neighborhood Kids, a young Hip-Hop group from San Diego that rose to prominence around this time last year just held a free show in Olympia, WA, on July 12, behind the Carnegie Library. After it released its “KIDS IN THE CAGES TRACK,” it went viral on social media: rappers Verde and Amon the MC spoke about the perspective of being hunted as a child, while ICE was actively ravaging the state of California.

Click here to view more.

Seattle activist to launch legal and advocacy support for sexual assault survivors after victims of alleged serial rapist come forward

Seattle activist by the name of “Rat Diva,” is in the process of launching Rat Diva’s Legal Haus, a legal and advocacy support website and network for sexual assault survivors, after eight victims have come forward to share their experiences with Mickey Rowe. Rowe, 37, was heavily involved in the city’s leftist activism space until early June, when several victims spoke out.

Learn more here.

“Every day, it gets worse”: Labor dispute at play as PCC workers claim illegal forced removal of union pins

For months, workers at the Puget Consumers Co-Op (PCC) have been pushing back against higher-ups for wearing advocacy pins that promote unions and Palestinian resilience, freedom, and peace. What’s the issue? These pins have been viewed as being too political, despite PCC printing its own Black Lives Matter and Pride Month pins, a source told TtS, who said that union leaders at UFCW 3000 have not been providing adequate support.

“Their advice, to me it’s almost crazy to say…[they said] their team was on vacation,” the PCC employee told TtS. “So, they don’t have a real strategy right now: lay low, play it cool, and rely on this policy.”

Click here to read more.

Several organizers collaborate with cops ahead of July 24, Erika Kirk event; APL Puget Sound is ready to send a clear message

Do you trust the police to keep you safe while protesting national fascist leaders? Refuse Fascism, Capitol Hill Seattle Pride, and Indivisible Eastside recently spoke with Kirkland Police Department (KPD) officers ahead of Erika Kirk’s July 24, “Make Heaven Crowded Again,” event. And the City of Kirkland, as well as KPD, have announced their collaboration with these three organizations to “mitigate traffic impacts and support public safety.”

“While supporting the LGBTQ+ community in the face of continued harms by the Trump administration and Christian Nationalists is a top priority of Indivisible Eastside (see our mission), listening to assessments from others is an important part of any planning process,” the Indivisible Eastside steering committee told TtS.

Full article here.

Groups hold opposing views on UW’s AI expansion yet similar community input concerns

As the University of Washington (UW) expands its use of artificial intelligence through initiatives such as “Purple” and “AI@UW,” students are divided over whether the use of this technology represents an opportunity to improve education or a growing threat to jobs, transparency, and the environment. The debate comes as UW has expanded its partnership with Microsoft earlier this year, launched new AI research initiatives and introduced Purple, which is the university’s enterprise generative AI platform for students, faculty, and staff.

The expanded partnership builds on Microsoft’s previous $165 million investment in the school’s computer science programs and scholarships to advance AI research, education, and workforce development.

Learn more here.

Liberal groups share intel with cops then cancel Erika Kirk protests; APL event still on

Refuse Fascism claimed it did not share intel with local police.

Several protests are taking place for the upcoming July 24, Erika Kirk “Make Heaven Crowded Again,” speaking event in Kirkland, but today, Indivisible Eastside announced how it is backing out due to fear of bad actors. This comes after Indivisible Eastside, Capitol Hill Seattle Pride, and Refuse Fascism shared intel with the local police department for what was originally meant to be a protest from 3-9 p.m.

“In talking with members of the directly impacted groups we have come to realize that the most effective method of dealing with this event is to ignore it,” Indivisible Eastside said.

Earlier this month, far-right propagandist Jonathan Choe got a hold of the group’s protest flyer and said, “I fully expect every patriot in the state to show up and fight back.” Less than a week later, TtS broke news about 20 members of the white supremacist and neofascist group, Patriot Front, marching in a Kirkland neighborhood.

Click here to read the full article.

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