by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Tensions were expected to build Sunday afternoon, May 12, after The Pursuit NW — a local Christian church with three locations in the region, including in the University District — organized a "United for Israel" march through the pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment on the University of Washington (UW) campus. Despite the hundreds of protesters who gathered in support of both sides, the encounter ended without incident.
The march was initially slated to run from the UW courtyard Red Square through the Quad, where the Popular University for Gaza encampment was located, and up 17th Ave. NE to The Pursuit NW's church location near 50th Ave. NE. When the march actually took place, the counterprotesters were unable to enter the encampment due to metal barricades erected around the encampment by University of Washington police and Washington State Patrol troopers, who were present on-site.
The UW branch of the Popular University for Gaza started in late April as part of a nationwide movement of university students who have been setting up encampments on their campuses to demand that their schools divest from companies that are enabling Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza. Israel launched its campaign after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that killed 250 and claimed more than 200 hostages. The number of tents has since grown from 20 to, by some measures, up to 150.
Two days prior to the march, UW had asked the encampment to disband due to concerns about safety and potential confrontations. The week prior, on the evening of May 7, the UW campus became violent after a visit from right-wing conservative speaker Charlie Kirk led to confrontations between his supporters and participants of the Popular University for Gaza. Kirk is a founder of the organization Turning Point USA, which has nationwide branches and advocates for conservative politics on college campuses.
Despite the ongoing encampment and student demands for the university to divest from companies such as Boeing, UW president Ana Mari Cauce has repeatedly stated that the protests will not result in any divestment. According to reporting from KUOW and The Seattle Times, Boeing has given UW more than $100 million, which includes buildings, scholarships, and professorships. President Cauce has said such a large amount of funding would be difficult for the university to replace, and that students who have issues with Boeing and their support for Israel's war on Gaza should attempt to influence policy at the federal level, with the State Department.
Last week, the Seattle Public Schools (SPS) School Board unanimously voted on a plan that will allow Superintendent Brent Jones to explore the closure of approximately 20 elementary schools in the next school year, to help reduce an estimated budget deficit of over $100 million. The plan would reduce the current number of elementary schools from 73 to around 50, and students from closed schools would be consolidated with those in remaining schools.
The SPS school district will now undertake an exploration process to determine which schools would close. Should the plan move forward as presently outlined, the closures would apply to the following 2025—2026 school year and would likely close schools that have low enrollment numbers of fewer than 300 students. No closures would be anticipated for the current 2024—2025 school year.
"The district has also lost more than 4,000 students since 2019, and it does not expect enrollment to reach pre-pandemic levels in the next decade," reported The Seattle Times. "While the district has pointed to declining birth rates and the smaller share of Seattle-born children enrolling in its elementary schools, some parents have said they've left SPS for private schools or other options. An expensive teachers union contract, which increased staff support for special education services, also added to the deficit."
The concept ties into the SPS School Board's plan for "well-resourced schools," which was developed following a number of community engagement sessions during the past spring and fall. It was created with the goal of keeping schools with robust services and stabilizing operational budgets, as opposed to scaling back services to address the budget deficit. The SPS School Board has suggested that if schools do not close, individual schools would need to lower their teaching staff and core school staff, lose preschool services, or reduce curriculum.
To address the deficit, the consolidation plan would prioritize stable support staff; access to technology; inclusive learning curriculums; social and emotional learning support; preschool services; access to school grounds; and teachers for art, music, and physical education.
Additional meetings and community engagement sessions will be announced throughout May and June. Following those sessions, Superintendent Jones will bring recommendations to the SPS School Board in June for further public comment. A final SPS School Board vote may take place in November.
Details will be updated on the SPS website.
On May 18, the Multicultural Community Coalition (MCC) presents its second African Diaspora Community Market. The event will include vending by Black, immigrant, and refugee local businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations, as well as the unveiling of a new mural by visual artist Yeggy Michael.
MCC is also inviting vendors to participate. Vending is free, and vendors will receive free outdoor booths to use in MCC's parking lot.
Those interested in vending at the African Diaspora Community Market can sign up via Google Forms. The market takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 18 at the MCC, 5811 Rainier Ave. S.
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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-Israel demonstrators challenge pro-Palestinian protesters Sunday on the University of Washington campus, where an encampment protest has been established calling for UW to divest from companies supporting Israel's war against Hamas. (Photo: Susan Fried)
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