Daily digest: New SeaTac bike trail + cruel ICE tactics + should queer folk get guns?

Good, morning! Here's your daily roundup of news and arts from across the Cascadia bioregion. I'm trying to meet a goal of 50 paid subscribers by the end of June and I'm eleven short of that. Your paid subscription helps me put out this email every day. Thanks! – Andrew

New trail opens near SeaTac airport

Over at The Urbanist, I had a chance to write about some good news! The opening of a new segment of a paved trail that will eventually go from the southern tip of Lake Washington to the shores of Puget Sound in Des Moines. It's a great project that offers bikers and walkers a great east-west route in area South of Seattle that's been plagued by increasing crashes involving cars and pedestrians.

Detention of trans woman highlights ICE tactics

OPB has a detailed report on the detention of a trans asylum seeker from Mexico known by the pseudonym O-J-M, who was one of the first peopled seized by ICE agents at an immigration court in Portland. Immigration attorneys say the tactics employed by ICE at courts in Seattle and Portland punish undocumented immigrants attempting to do the right thing:

“I think for O-J-M it felt very much like a bait-and-switch,” Stumpf said. “She was required to come to this court hearing. She was told it was being dismissed. It sounded like a favorable outcome for her, and then all of a sudden she was arrested and put into a much worse position, procedurally.”

Meanwhile, RANGE Media reports that various faith groups will be participating in a prayer vigil at the ICE center in Spokane on June 24.

Should LGBTQ folks arm themselves?

With hate crimes up against queer people 135 percent since 2017, some folks, including trans folks who have been subject to a national campaign denying their right to exist, are considering getting a gun for self defense. Eugene Weekly has an in-depth feature, "Armed and Fabulous" on the hows and why of purchasing and training to use a weapon – and perspectives from those skeptical (owning a gun dramatically increases suicide risk, for instance). It's part of a trend of queer and leftist folks arming themselves for self defense in the face of hate crimes and violent right-wing threats – some groups promoting the idea include Pink Pistols, Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club and Redneck Revolt. In related news, Oregon Capital Chronicle has an op-ed on the need for Oregon to crack down on the illegal gun trade.

Renters in Seattle cost-burdened

The South Seattle Emerald reports that evictions in Seattle are up, and more than half of renters in the city's central and southern end are cost-burdened (paying more than a third of their income for rent). Meanwhile, at Real Change, Chappin Eze writes that Seattle is becoming increasingly divided by wealth inequality and urges people to participate in the comprehensive planning process to make change. And Cascade PBS looks at Seattle's new upzones – and how long it will take for more housing to be built.

Portland women tackle football

The Portland Mercury has a great feature and photo essay about the Oregon Ravens – a women's tackle football team that's part of the Women's National Football Conference that includes 17 teams (including the other team in Cascadia, the Seattle Majestics). The season is nearly over – the Washington DC Prodigy face the Texas Elite Spartans this weekend) – but if you're a sports fan, it's always a good thing to celebrate women's sports!

--Andrew Engelson