by 
Seattle’s most recent citywide election happened in 2023. Kshama Sawant, my beloved rabblerousing socialist council member, resigned after a decade on the dais. Many of the more progressive incumbents lost their seats. The so-called liberal city of Seattle elected 7 new right-leaning members, their seats bought by business groups. Since then, this council has taken steps to roll back laws that help renters and low-wage workers. Tammy Morales has consistently pushed back against her colleagues. Her housing proposal that was years in the works and had widespread support lost 7-1. That same day, she was the lone vote against a costly and dangerous jail contract. The council blocked a vote on a popular initiative for housing paid for by corporate taxes. Morales spoke up about how their actions violated the city’s charter, to no avail. The council tried to cut off funding already awarded to BIPOC-led organizations in the South End (South Seattle). The council tried to approve sub-minimum wages for restaurant workers. They voted to cut student mental health funding in half a mere two months after a school shooting. Morales criticized the council’s moves in every case.
I’ve been making public comments against some of these racist and corporate-centric votes. The council is now trying to reinstate “stay out” zones to push unhoused people and sex workers out of parts of the city. We used to have these laws and they created more problems than they solved. The council repealed these laws in 2020. Police were using them to intimidate people of color and harm sex workers. There’s a final vote this Tuesday for these SOAP and SODA zones. If you live in Seattle, please contact your council member or testify to vote against these bills. Even in the face of well-organized protests, I fear that Morales will again be the sole vote of reason.
This had me wondering what it must be like to be in that position. The council members are ignoring testimony, downplaying studies, and arresting protestors. They vote against Morales’ amendments. They even appointed her opponent in the 2023 election into a vacant seat. Speaking up in spaces like this, when nobody agrees with you, can feel like talking to statues. I’ve written before about knowing when it’s time to leave a fight that could go on forever. Some people in this situation would check out or withdraw. But what if you can’t? What if you have no choice but to tough it out? When none of our arguments move our colleagues, how can we deal?
how we could deal
Check our compass. Are we sure we’re right? This is my need for self-awareness talking. I believe people have an obligation to stand up for their morals. Silence is not support. But it’s always possible that our convictions are out of date or misguided. They may unintentionally uphold oppression or white supremacy. Before we continue our fight, check this first!
Win where we can. Within an oppressive system, I’m pushing in many different directions. They may not all pan out. A lot of people have a vested interest in maintaining existing power structures. Changing those structures is difficult but it’s always possible. We may find new tactics, new allies, or shifting political winds. This year, strippers and sex workers in Washington won the passage of a Strippers’ Bill of Rights. It took years of organizing and setbacks to get to this point. It’s now the first bill of its kind in the nation.
Support new systems. I was talking about the city’s housing bills with Nicole, a new consulting colleague of mine. She’s worked in and around Seattle politics on housing and environmental justice issues for several years. The way she sees it, the conservative city council is not the only game in town. “People are advocating with county government, too. And change at the state level is what really interests me.” In my own work, I try to support alternative organizations to the ones I’m working to rebuild.
Wait for the tides to change again. Change is constant. Whether we decide to stay put, the time will pass anyway. Seattle had a primary for the seat that Morales’ former opponent, Tanya Woo, sits. In the August primary, Woo came in second to her more progressive opponent, Alexis Rinck (50-38%). Two progressives on a 9-seat council isn’t a majority, but it’s better! More people could lose their seats in the 2025 elections.
when the statues crack
As I was thinking about the situations, I asked myself a question that often comes to me. What do we owe each other? Why do I subject myself to a world that is often indifferent to these kinds of moral sacrifice? Most people would have a personal answer to that, but I do it because I have to. I push against my own statues in many situations. That’s how I live with the privileges I enjoy in an unjust world. To me, the universe isn’t cold and uncaring as long as we’re in it. Not everyone can put themselves in the struggles I do. Likewise, there are things I can’t do that others do with ease. I think that’s why we need each other.
josh
my name is josh martinez. i have always loved trying to understand systems, and the systems that built those systems. i spend a lot of time thinking about how to get there from here.
i own and operate a consulting practice, Future Emergent.
say hello: josh[at]bethefuture.space
