Being a target of Nazi displeasure for several months wasn't really fun. I'm still learning quite a bit from that time, one thing I learned is how wonderful our community is (thank you everyone).

My definition of community now includes the Olympia Police Department. Detective Paul Lower talked with me via email and phone about my experiences. He did more than "just his job" and he did it well. Our phone conversation was especially helpful. I asked Det. Lower the questions that were looping around in my weary mind.......Should I hide? Should I become invisible? Det. Lower was quite clear that I have rights and that my rights include socializing/writing/living as I wish.

Another member of O.P.D. I've interacted with is Officer John Tupper. He has also talked with me about my adventures and safety. Recently he was one of the officers responding to a 911 call I had to make concerning another issue altogether.

The call involved possible violence in my neighborhood. Officer Tupper was skilled, professional, and courteous. At one point I told him that if I came across weird, it was because I was upset and angry. He remembered what I said and called me the next day to make sure all was well.

I've decided that part of my personal responsibility as a community member is to continue to speak out about injustices and also to speak up about the good stuff.

loiter
v. to linger or hang around in a public place or business where one has no particular or legal purpose. In many states, cities and towns there are statutes or ordinances against loitering by which the police can arrest someone who refuses to "move along." There is a question as to whether such laws are constitutional. However, there is often another criminal statute or ordinance which can be applied specifically to control aggressive begging, soliciting prostitution, drug dealing, blocking entries to stores, public drunkenness or being a public nuisance.

What would a purposeful public loiter-in be like? A planned, peaceful and friendly, legal shared activity of being downtown without a focus of spending money?

What is really going on when the word loiter is applied to the act of living? Existing. Enjoying. Sharing public space. Sitting. Standing. Dancing. Relaxing. Observing. Communing. Dozing. Contemplating. Reading. Conversing. Snacking. Sipping. Hanging out. Music might be made, cards might be played, babies might be nursed, stories might be shared.

The neighborhood puts pedestrians first. The outdoor space is shaped for the primary goal of the experience of human beings, their interaction and exchange. Cars and other transport systems fit into this primary structure, and do not damage it. Buildings primarily shape and support this realm and enhance it, and object buildings and expressions are secondary.

Neighborhood that are vibrant and alive

Well, I'm in class up on campus, utilizing all the free wireless I can.  I wish I could be downtown, hanging out, dare I say, loitering, on such a gorgeous early autumn day. 

I've been riled up seven ways to Sunday since attending the town hall Thursday night.  Which is not to say I didn't see some good in the meeting, I'm just all het up over some of the comments I heard and the fact that the meeting wasn't flexible enough to accomodate to the congregation's desires.  Yes, I understand that talking about the legislature and sustainable practices were on the agenda, but the division into discussion groups didn't quite work for me.  I wanted very badly to hear as many people speak as possible, and while I was in the largest group, it didn't have the feeling of a town hall meeting.  When I hear town hall meeting, the first thought that springs to my mind is the meetings that take place on the Simpsons, especially the Monorail epidsode where everyone starts singing.  Why didn't that happen?  Why didn't we spontaneously break into a whimsical song and dance number? 

I am so disappointed.

If you missed the last town hall meeting, you apparently like me, missed a lot. Don't miss out next time January 9!

Also, make sure they talk about something that concerns you by going here and help create a list of topics for the next Town Hall meeting.

This is a review of what I can glean from the city council packet, posted here every week. I don't talk about everything in the packet, just what seems interesting.

This week on the city council. there will probably be more talk about all of the downtown issues that were talked about last Thursday. Hopefully, there is some talk about an interesting memo written by councilmember Joe Hyer, somewhat in response to the efforts by Jeff Kingsbury and Doug Mah to add four new ordinances to the city's roster in terms of dealing with social issues downtown.

Hyer didn't type his memo in a standard font, so I can't copy and paste the text here, but as a teaser he does refer to Orwell's 1984 in talking about so called "social issue" ordinances. I attached it, so read it here as a pdf.

What I can copy and paste is a draft list of dowtown problem/issue statements the council is discussing. Pretty interesting reading:

Problem/Issue Statements:
• “Bullying” of downtown patrons
• Scofflaws – unpaid and delinquent tickets
• Drug use/dealing in downtown
• Pedestrian interference/obstruction (vague ordinances)
• Smoking on sidewalks in front of/near doorways
• Non-reporting of crime
• Panhandling – aggressive or otherwise
• Public urination – shortage of public restrooms
• No centralized outreach services
• Criminal prosecution not an effective tool for a variety of reasons
• Living in vehicles
• Unsanitary camps – public health concerns
• Too many empty storefronts and unkempt buildings
• Nuisance behaviors that are not illegal
• Graffiti and vandalism
• Availability of high octane alcohol, fortified beer and wine

So why would somebody move to Olympia to raise his daughter?  Why risk exposing the future of America to a downtown brimming with antisocial behavior and almost as much feces as its neighboring lake?  Could it be the water?  The chemical hotbed within walking distance of a McDonalds?  The free bus?  Or maybe it was the free pizza at Thursday night’s Town Hall meeting?

Friends, known and otherwise, my partner and I decided to move to Olympia because we consider it an excellent environment for raising a questioning individual and establishing roots in a community.  The reasons for my writing are several:  to serve as an introduction, to make more transparent my own agendas and to give a one-time outsider’s perspective on why Olympia is a damn fine place to be (in case you may have forgotten why you live here).  I will not name either my partner or my child and I will attempt to relate only those opinions which are my own or explicitly shared by both my partner and myself.  I’m a major privacy advocate.

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[via omjp]

Attention anyone interested in doing some politically tinged street theater during Artswalk.

We will be meeting at Media Island (816 Adams, across from the Oly library) on Sunday at 2pm to plan out skits and make props and outfits. Bodies and materials are needed. This should be a lot of fun. We have several ideas kicking around. Materials to make masks and signs, also, if anyone has a high quality color printer and would like to use it for this project it would be much appreciated.

If you can not make it Sunday and would still like to be part of our Artswalk activities, we will be meeting next Friday (Artswalk) at 6:30 in front of Last Word Books. Also, Rob has graciously agreed to let us set up a table in front of Last Word so we can pass out flyers.

Let's shake things up!
Tyler

Thanks for all your steady consistent vision and dedicated work on OlyBlog.

I know I'm not the only person who comes here to find out the local whats - wheres - whys - whens - whos of Olympia.

You have a deft touch with the unknotting of tensions, you encourage individual voices, and you inspire us all to participate in this grand adventure.

From email:

Notice of Public Meeting on Remodel of former Madison Elementary School into New Bridge Community Church

The City of Olympia has received a requested Conditional Use approval forthis project.  The application, plans, and related studies are available for review from 8am to 4pm on regular business days at the Community Planning and Development Department, Smith Building, 837 7th Ave SE.

This project will include 122 additional parking stalls.  The City has requested that the applicant prepare the following project studies:
Topographical Survey, Traffic Impact Analysis, Stormwater Plan, Landscape Plan, and Tree Plan.

A public meeting for neighborhood residents has been arranged and will be hosted by City staff at the Smith Building from 7:30pm to 8:30pm on October 3rd.

The first written comment period ends at 5pm on October 9th.  Comments should be directed to Kraig Chalem of the Olympia Community Planning and Development Department, at 753-8314.

In addition, a public hearing will be held on Monday, November 13th at 7:30pm, in the City of Olympia Council Chambers, located at 901 Plum Street.

First I have to set The Olympian's report to one side. I am angry. My reaction to the article is "What the f*ck??". I initially thought I would write both about my experience of the meeting and the newspaper report, ain't gonna happen. So I'm imagining my copy of The Olympian waaaaaaaaay over -there- across the room, out of sight out of mind, for now.

The Town Hall meeting was planned before the recent public renewal of excitement about downtown life. The Town Hall meeting agenda we were handed last night had the title: "Invest in Downtown - Getting the most bang for our buck".

So this was not organized as a meeting focused at all on what many of us were actually there for. Many of us wanted to talk about life downtown, about how to mediate differences and conflicts.

The 3 page agenda gave us schedule, goals and accomplishments concerning downtown, and some budget info. Out of the 13 listed goals, only 2 had to do with what I'm going to loosely call -the bottom line-. These were: "Increased Emphasis Patrols and Arrests" and "consideration of 'civility' ordinances".

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