PIONEERING RACISM?
My jaw dropped as I read the article on the affordable neighborhoods in Seattle [Turf, "The Hot Pockets," Nov. 13]. I have always thought of this paper as a bit more sensitive to the racial issues which often divide this city. After opening the article to see the photo of the "pioneers"who had obviously NOT broken turf and built their house of sod in the barren wastelands of SoBeHi, to the inference that living around "Thai people, not Thai restaurants" is an experience in human isolation, I had to force myself to finish reading to see if you could redeem yourselves in any way. You did not.
The whole article reads as a thinly veiled promotion of gentrification, to the utter exclusion of all those who live, work, struggle, celebrate, commune, and die on a daily basis in those "hoods." To imply that those who are buying in now are in some manner saints for doing so is an insult to a large portion of the population and to those of us sensitive enough to read between the lines.
I realize that there are good things that happen when gentrification occurs (lowering of crime rates, more business, etc.), but the article marginalizes people living in the neighborhoods you're promoting and perpetuates the belief that they are just one more thing to fix along with the "decrepit fixers" in South Park.
I, too, bought into a neighborhood that is full of people of other colors than myself. I am guilty of contributing to the gentrification of the Central District, but I do not consider myself a pioneer in any sense of the word. I am a person who bought a house I could afford in a neighborhood full of wonderful, vivacious people, and I am NOT waiting for "others to follow." They are already here.
Eileen Sliwinski
Seattle
HOT POCKETS ARE HOTBEDS
Thanks for pointing out these improving neighborhoods—and thanks for not mentioning Columbia City [Turf, "The Hot Pockets," Nov. 13].
I was raised in the ghetto and settled in this state six years ago. I think Seattle at large is afraid of the "ghettohoods"; the reality is that they are hotbeds of potentially great neighborhoods for those of us who are not afraid to take ownership and make our communities better. Sure, I have to call 911 to report the fewer and fewer drug dealers and crack hoes; however, the prospect of affordable housing spurs me and others on!
Bert Chavez
Seattle
GO WEST, PEOPLE
Bremerton is the real Seattle access bargain [Turf, "The Hot Pockets," Nov. 13]. I live in a 2,500-square-foot, 100-year-old home with views of the water and the Olympics, within a safe, 10-minute walk to the passenger ferry, which whisks me away to a no-hassle, 30-minute commute to the heart of downtown Seattle and access to all mass transit. I see orcas, seals, and the bountiful Northwest landscape at a fraction of the cost it would take to live in a shoe box near high-density traffic in North Seattle! And a real-estate investment now will pay dividends. New mayor Cary Bozeman, progressive ex-Bellevue mayor, is working with the community to rebuild downtown with a mixed-use plan that calls for condos, retail, and a high-end restaurant on the waterfront due in 2004. We've got a thriving arts community; alternative, friendly people; and a future of promise! West Edge? West Sound!
Mark Kines
Bremerton
CHICKEN-FRIED LUTEFISK
I live in Crown Hill, and the one thing I think you missed was that there are some pretty nifty places popping up where I meet my friends around here [Turf, "The Hot Pockets," Nov. 13]. Within walking distance of 85th/15th is a new restaurant, the Wild Mountain Cafe—it's no McGrath's, where the blue hairs meet to eat what must be chicken-fried lutefisk. Heck, "the Mountain" even has a full bar. Too, we're within walking distance of upscale Blue Ridge: We can take a Sunday stroll up to Swanson's Nursery to shop, take classes, and have coffee or lunch in one of the best unknown cafes in Seattle. True, we've got two strip joints, one adult store, and a liquor store. But our several seedy pubs boast cheap drinks, decent crowds, and pool tables that an average player can approach.
Now if we could just get a PCC, a Trader Joe's, a book/record store, and an indie coffeehouse, we'd truly become the "unaffordable of the affordable."
Robin Haglund
Seattle
SAFE AND SANE REPORTING
The Aurora story was good reading [All Politics Is Local, "Roar on Aurora," Nov. 13]. George Howland's careful and sane reporting of the dilemmas and conflicts involved gives credit for the one thing everybody deserves—people from all sides bringing their goodwill and best efforts forward to solve a problem.
Of course, he got the right answer—namely, it isn't easy balancing differing and competing needs. Safety—you bet we pay attention to it. Millions of drivers expect us to. Small business is the backbone of our economy, which is hurting enough right now. We need 'em both. Getting there is a continuous effort of working together. Thanks for recognizing and reporting this in a manner that goes beyond sound bites and us-versus- them oversimplifications.
