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M AY 9, 2012
S EATTLE , W ASHINGTON
V OLUME XXXIV, N O . 19
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C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW
Whooping
Cough
Epidemic
MAY DAY
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
Free clinics open for
vaccinations --
babies at highest risk
Over 2000 people marched peacefully from Judkins Park to the Federal Building to draw attention to the right of
immigrants. Earlier May Day protests resulted in the breaking of windows and destruction of property. Among the
marchers Tuesday were Eddie Rye, center, and Seattle City Commissioner Larry Gossett.
Mayors Strike Against Child Sex
By Manuel Valdes
The Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) -- Mayors of
nearly 50 cities across the coun-
try are urging Village Voice
Media to require identification
for people posting escort ads on
Backpage.com - its online ad
service that has come under
scrutiny from authorities for
allegations that it's used to pro-
mote child prostitution.
"There is an urgent need to act
quickly, as cities continue to find
advertisements on your site that
reflect underage sex trafficking,"
the letter by the United States
Conference of Mayors said
Monday. "We are making every
effort to stop the ongoing traf-
ficking of underage individuals,
but these efforts are made more
difficult by the inadequate safe-
guards of your website, Back-
page.com, to prevent underage
sex trafficking."
The leaders criticizing the ads
include the mayors of New York,
Los Angeles, Phoenix, Philadel-
phia, Austin, Texas, and Laredo,
Texas.
Backpage.com critics say the
site is used to advertise underage
prostitutes who are often victims
of sex trafficking. The mayors
join state attorney generals, cler-
INDEX
News ........................2,4
Calendar ....................2
Opinion .......................3
Bids/Classifieds............3
gy, anti-sex-trafficking groups
and others that have put pressure
on Village Voice Media, Back-
page.com's parent company.
But in an op-ed published in
The Seattle Times on Monday,
Village Voice attorney Liz
McDougall argued that sites like
Backpage.com help law enforce-
ment agencies by attracting traf-
fickers who leave forensic
footprints of their activities and
can then be traced by law
enforcement agencies.
"Backpage.com
already
employs a triple-tiered policing
system that includes automated
filtering and two levels of manu-
al review of the adult and per-
sonal categories," she wrote. "It
also responds to law-enforce-
ment subpoenas within 24 hours
or less in almost all cases. It uses
its own technological tools to
voluntarily collect and submit
additional evidence to law
enforcement from across the
Internet. And it is ready to do
more."
A
message
left
on
McDougall's cellphone was not
immediately returned.
The mayors argued that plac-
ing an ad on Backapage.com is
too easy for those exploiting
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Washington
Gov. Chris Gregoire opened an emergency
fund Thursday to help contain a spreading
whooping cough epidemic, and officials
urged residents to get vaccinated against an
illness that particularly threatens infants.
Gregoire is making $90,000 in crisis cash
available to help strengthen a public aware-
ness campaign about the need for the per-
tussis vaccination. The state Department of
Health is already looking to spend about
$200,000 on the effort.
``Pertussis is very serious, especially for
babies,'' Secretary of Health Mary Selecky
said in a statement. ``It's vital that teens and
adults are current on their immunizations
because they're often the ones who give
whooping cough to babies.''
Free whooping cough booster shots are
available for adults without insurance.
Vaccine is the best way to protect your-
self and others—including babies— during
the ongoing epidemic, so Public Health –
Seattle & King County and Group Health
Cooperative are partnering to provide free
whooping cough booster shots for adults.
Adults without health insurance and those
who cannot afford to pay can get a free
booster on Saturday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. at the Group Health Burien Medical
Center.
The clinic is open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or
until there is no more vaccine available.
Group Health Burien Medical Center is
at 140 SW 146th St, in Burien.
Vaccines are also available at many local
pharmacies and through health care
providers.
Young infants are at highest risk for
severe illness, hospitalization and death
from whooping cough. In older children
and adults, the severity of whooping cough
can range from a serious illness to less
severe cold-like symptoms.
However, the greater danger is that adults
can spread the infection to infants, preg-
nant women and others who have no pro-
tection.
See SEX on page 3
Investors Lose in WaMu Bankruptcy
By Randall Chase
AP Business Writer
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- The judge
in Washington Mutual's bankruptcy case
ruled Monday that a group of investors who
are plaintiffs in a federal mortgage-backed
securities lawsuit against WaMu cannot file
a claim in the company's bankruptcy case
until distributions are made to a group of
low-ranking creditors.
The plaintiffs, whose lawsuit is scheduled
for a September trial in Seattle, have assert-
ed a claim of $435 million in the bankrupt-
cy case and argue that they should be treated
as general unsecured creditors.
Washington Mutual maintains that the
plaintiffs' claims must be subordinate to
those of other creditor classes. WaMu also
says the plaintiffs had agreed in a previous
stipulation not to file a claim unless a group
of low-ranking creditors with securities
fraud claims had received recoveries.
Following a hearing Monday, Judge Mary
Walrath declined to rule on whether the
plaintiffs should be treated as general unse-
cured creditors. She agreed with Washing-
ton Mutual, however, that the filing of their
claim was premature because the required
distributions to the low-ranking creditor
group have not yet been made.
"The trigger has not occurred for purpos-
es of the stipulation.... Therefore, the claim
is premature," Walrath said.
See BANKS on page 2