September 21, 2022 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 5
News
Events & Announcements
Community
Calendar 2022
cont’d from pg 4
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1 – 4 PM
WE’RE ONLY 60¢ APART: We’re Only 60¢ Apart will invite partic-
ipants to gather and write letters. Free postage. Letter writing
supplies; paper, envelopes, etc. will be supplied. IPRC 318 SE
Main St #145 & 155.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 4 – 6 PM
CREATIVE ENTREPRENUERSHIP: A casual event for creative free-
lancers, artists, podcasters, and creators – let’s connect and
support each other! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pdxdf-cre-
ative-entrepreneurship-happy-hour-tickets-409690714957. Hi-
Top Tavern, 5015 NE Fremont St.
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 6 – 8 PM
LARGE SCALE MAGNETIC POETRY: We will be using the tools
of our trade (wood, lasers, magnets) to create a collaborative
“magnetic poetry” installation. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
pdxdf-figuring-it-out-together-tickets-409693974707
Ribbon Cutting at Art Noir
As several staff members look on Laverne Hall, Art Noir Founder Vivian Phillips and Art Noir Executive Director Jazmyn Scott celebrate
before the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of Arte Noir and the Onyx Gallery at Midtown Square. The independent arts and
cultural space is a place designed to center Black art and uplift Black artists.
Briefs cont’d from pg 4
King County Executive Dow Constantine shared
new public safety investments today focused on four
key themes that will support a robust public safety
network. Joined by the King County Sheriff and di-
rectors from Public Health, Metro, and the depart-
ments of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) and
Community and Human Services (DCHS), Executive
Constantine laid out a plan for how King County can
provide genuine and just safety for people in all its
communities.
The investments, which are part of the Executive’s
biennium budget proposal set to be announced next
week, will fund programming across the five depart-
ments and focus on reducing crime, gun violence,
and behavioral health crises.
“The health of our communities depends on the
ability of every person to live a safe and productive
life, and starts with knowing that when you call for
help, it will be there. To deliver genuine communi-
ty safety and uphold our highest values, we must
invest in the programming and workforce that will
both stop immediate harm and get to root causes to
prevent future offenses,” said Executive Constantine.
“By breaking down silos, working with communi-
ty-based organizations, and broadening our options
beyond just the traditional responses, we can help
end harmful cycles and implement new partnerships
that bring about systemic change.”
The plan’s four themes include:
• Deploying a highly trained and coordinated safety
network by filling 200 key county vacancies and
providing the latest training, supporting commu-
nity safety programming, and reimagining the
Sheriff ’s Office.
• Ensuring safe and appropriate places for people
in crisis by expanding behavioral health, restoring
jail services, identifying youth detention replace-
ments, and seeking alternative options for the Se-
attle jail.
• Being data-informed and responsive to community
needs by prioritizing diversion and intervention
programs in hotspots and preventing repeat of-
fenses; and
• Providing accountability and victim support by re-
ducing the pandemic-created criminal legal back-
log, supporting victim restitution, and partnering
with other governments in safety planning and im-
plementation.
WAISN Announces New $340
Million Pandemic Relief Fund for
Undocumented Immigrants
SEATTLE - Washington Immigrant Solidarity Net-
work (WAISN), the largest immigrant-led organi-
zation in Washington State, announced today the
launch of the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief
Fund, which will provide an unprecedented $340 mil-
lion in economic relief to undocumented immigrants
impacted by COVID-19. Eligible people can apply to
receive at least $1,000 in financial relief that they will
receive between December and January.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the ineq-
uities that immigrants face on a daily basis. For years,
WAISN has been working with the Washington State
government to increase healthcare access for immi-
grants, and swiftly expanded the scope of their de-
mands for economic relief when the pandemic struck
in 2020 to ensure immigrants were not left behind.
“Immigrants have been on the frontlines of our
communities and our economy during the pandemic,
but do not have access to resources or benefits like
healthcare, stimulus checks, or the ability to work
from home,” said Brenda Rodriguez Lopez, Executive
Director at WAISN. “The Washington Immigrant Re-
lief Fund is the largest of its type in Washington State,
and WAISN is proud of this opportunity to bring re-
sources and relief to our community.”
The fund will be available to immigrants who have
been impacted by the pandemic, including but not
limited to those who have lost jobs, contracted the vi-
rus, or have cared for a family member who contract-
ed it. Unlike most funds of its type, WAISN has been
uniquely able to maintain a low administrative cost
of 10 percent on the Washington Immigrant Relief
Fund, so more than 90 percent of the money will go
directly into the hands of the people who need it most.
All of the organizations involved in the fund have
worked for years with immigrant communities, in-
cluding underserved farmworkers, low-wage work-
ers, and immigrants who are Black, Indigenous,
LGBTQIA2+, living with disabilities, and many oth-
ers. They are all committed to the well-being and pri-
vacy of immigrant communities. While the Washing-
ton State Department of Social and Health Services is
providing the money and oversight, the government
will not review any applications or see any personal
information of applicants or recipients of the fund-
ing. The public charge rule should not apply for this
fund, so receiving this money should not prevent
people from seeking a pathway to naturalization.
Applications for the Washington Immigrant Relief
Fund open on September 19 and will close on Novem-
ber 14. People can apply in Spanish, English, Chinese,
Korean, and Tagalog, and community organizations
will be available to help people apply over the phone
in many more languages. To be considered, appli-
cants must live in Washington State, be at least 18
years old, and have been significantly affected by the
pandemic. People who are eligible to receive federal
stimulus funds or unemployment insurance because
of immigration status are not eligible for the Wash-
ington Immigrant Relief Fund. This may include ref-
ugees, asylum seekers, COFA migrants, and DACA
applicants who receive federal funds and unemploy-
ment benefits.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 12 – 2 PM
DEATH TO UX: As screen proliferate our everyday lives, how can
designers reimagine their role -- and responsibility -- to commu-
nity in a modern world? Part-mixer, part-discussion, this event
will convene people interested in interaction design to discuss
what the discipline of user experience has wrought on modern
life, and contemplating what the future might look like. Pacific
NW College of Art, 511 NW Broadway.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6 – 8 PM
INVASIVE WEED IDENTIFICATION: Love to spend time outside and
interested in protecting local habitat for bees, birds, salmon and
everything in between? Join us to learn about invasive species
in Clark County and how you can report sightings of invasive
species to a network of professionals who can address them.
Clark Public Utilites, 8600 NE 117th Ave, Vancouver
Seattle
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
YERBANA YOGA IN THE PARK: Yerbana’s weekly Seattle summer
series returns! Yoga In The Park is welcome to all levels and
bodies. Join us and find your flowstate. Reserve your spot at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yerbana-yoga-in-the-park-tick-
ets-348545548117 Gas Works Park, 2101 N Northlake Way
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 7 – 9 PM
DESC’s IMPACT FILM FESTIVAL: A short film festival that features
international submissions that explore how we can have an
impact on homelessness and poverty. Ark Lodge Cinemas, 4816
Rainier Avenue S.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 12 – 1 PM
SEATTLE LATINX BOOKCLUB: CEMETERY BOYS: Join us in comuni-
dad & discussion of the New York Times Best Seller, Cemetery
Boys by Aiden Thomas. Location TBD, check online for more
details
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattle-latinx-book-
club-cemetery-boys-tickets-313054523507.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 7 PM
DRAG BINGO: Join Seattle’s own Sylvia O’Stayformore for a fun
evening of FREE-PLAY BINGO and PRIZES at Old World Tasting
Room in SODO. Old World Tasting Room, 3861 1st Avenue S.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 3 – 7 PM
TOGETHER WE’RE BETTER: Come out and enjoy us for National
Gay Men Awareness Day. There will be food, drinks and pre-
sentations. Also you will have the opportunity to hear some
educated and experienced speakers w/different backgrounds
discuss their insight on HIV/AIDS and the affects and stigmas
it has in our communities. Testing will be available. Lakewood
Seward Park Comm Club, 4916 S Angeline St.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 11 AM – 12:30 PM
VICTROLA HOME BREWING CLASS: These are short classes
where our coffee professionals will give tips on techniques
and brew methods for brewing coffee at home. https://www.
eventbrite.com/e/victrola-home-brewing-and-tasting-class-
tickets-379934493297 310 E Pike St.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 6 PM
EYE: University Book Store is proud to present poet Sati
Mookherjee, who will be reading and signing copies of her new
book Eye. This event is free to attend, and registration required
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/university-book-store-pres-
ents-sati-mookherjee-tickets-408320957977. 4326 University
Way NE.