by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Protests against the Israel-Hamas war intensified the morning of Monday, April 29, as part of the growing nationwide movement called "Popular University for Gaza," where students at more than four dozen college campuses have set up encampments in support of Palestine. An encampment was started at the University of Washington Monday morning.
The movement gained widespread attention after students at Columbia University were arrested on April 19, though students at Columbia have continued their encampments. More than 900 students have now been arrested nationwide, with some students also facing suspension or further disciplinary action.
At other schools, such as at the University of Texas in Austin, protesters have seen their charges dropped, following an initially heated law enforcement response. Over the past weekend, police broke up encampments or made arrests at Northeastern University in Boston, Indiana University in Bloomington, and Arizona State University in Tempe, among others, with school administrators citing violations of school policy or the presence of antisemitic rhetoric. Protesters participating in some encampments have also not been students, educators, or staff. At Columbia University, for example, part of the negotiations with student protesters allowed them to keep their encampments as long as they removed any potentially inflammatory language or prohibited participants who were not affiliated with the school.
The majority of protest organizers — which are generally comprised of multi-stakeholder coalitions that also include Jewish organizers — have decried racism, bigotry, and antisemitism in the encampments. In a December 2023 statement to Congress, MIT Jews for Ceasefire, Harvard Jews for Palestine, and University of Pennsylvania Chavurah wrote, "Criticism of the Israeli government is not antisemitism. To call being critical of a government 'antisemitic' is to shut down free speech. Our Jewish values tell us that life is sacred; they necessitate that we speak out about injustice."
Student calls for divestment are a part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and also mirror actions taken prior to the dismantling of the apartheid system in South Africa. Now, a month into the encampments, few universities have divested. Columbia University stated on Monday morning that it has not come to an agreement with the students and "will not divest from Israel," and has since called law enforcement onto campus once again. Meanwhile, at Portland State University in Oregon, the college has stated that it will temporarily pause gifts and grants from Boeing and will also set up an open forum to discuss the issue further with concerned parties.
Palestinians in Gaza have shown their support for the student movements through painted messages on their tents, at demonstrations, or on social media. Over 34,000 Palestinians have now been killed and over 77,000 injured due to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, with untold numbers still lying under the rubble of destroyed infrastructure. The war began following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, during which 1,200 Israelis were killed.
The Port of Seattle will be sharing details about its budget and the next installment of the fourth annual South King County Community Impact Fund (SKCCIF) during an in-person meeting on May 2. Participants can learn about SKCCIF's budget process, mission, scope of work, and role.
Established in 2019, the SKCCIF offers $10 million in investments to "develop equity-based partnerships and provide resources and support to historically underserved near-airport communities, addressing noise mitigation, environmental health, and sustainability." As previously shared in the Emerald, SKCCIF recipients in 2023 included Serve Ethiopians Washington, which offers numerous programs for low-income families and urban restoration projects, as well as Dirt Corps, which pays and trains youth to restore public spaces, among many others.
Upcoming information sessions include:
Register for any of the sessions online at the Port of Seattle's website.
KUOW's new podcast, Let the Kids Dance!, recounts the history of an old Seattle law called the Teen Dance Ordinance, which stifled teen participation in Seattle-area concerts from 1985 to 2002. The seven-episode series explores the rise and fall of the law — a time when local legislators and parents believed teen dancing and rock music could result in negative consequences for youth. The Teen Dance Ordinance prohibited many venues from serving underage youth. Following extensive lobbying and advocacy, the law was eventually repealed and replaced with the All-Ages Dance Ordinance.
"A lot of people think they know the story of Seattle's music. This podcast is chock-full of stories that they have never heard before including a full-blown riot pitting teenage punks against police and police shakedowns of Seattle's nascent hip-hop scene. It also chronicles the emergence of a DIY all-ages scene that birthed some of Seattle's most iconic post-grunge bands," said KUOW director of new content Brendan Sweeney for the KUOW blog post announcement.
Let the Kids Dance! can be heard on KUOW's website.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master's in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
📸 Featured Image: Pro-Palestinian supporters set up a protest encampment at Columbia University in New York, seen here on April 24, 2024. Photo via lev radin/Shutterstock.com
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The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
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