Good morning! Right this moment can be cloudy, with a excessive of 64 levels. The low is that the Seattle Metropolis Council will doubtless cross some carceral insurance policies this afternoon.
The council is scheduled to vote on the Keep Out of Drug Space (SODA) zones, the Keep Out of Space Prostitution (SOAP) zone, and the prostitution loitering legislation later right now. These new legal guidelines mainly permit judges to banish folks from sure components of the town in the event that they’ve dedicated sure crimes. Additionally they permit cops to arrest you for prostitution and selling prostitution should you’re sort of giving off these vibes, no actual proof required. An extended record of organizations, together with the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (ACLU), oppose this laws, however that hasn’t slowed down the town council.
In truth, even after the ACLU argued that the legal guidelines might violate constitutional rights, the council expanded the zones, together with the addition of a SODA zone alongside Broadway on Capitol Hill. You’ll be able to thank the Capitol Hill Enterprise Affiliation (CHBA) for that. They stated the downtown SODA zone might push drug exercise as much as the Hill, so that they demanded their very own zone. After all, their zone will simply push drug exercise to different components of Capitol Hill.
It is a bit of disappointing to see zero pushback from the remainder of the Capitol Hill enterprise group, however the council pushed these insurance policies by as shortly as doable. CHBA spokesperson and coverage council Gabriel Neuman acknowledged that a lot when he stated the council should not have launched all these payments on the similar time as a result of it limits dialogue. I will have extra on this within the subsequent couple hours, however folks (and companies) nonetheless have time to inform the council what they consider these “ineffective” and “counterproductive” legal guidelines, because the ACLU calls them. The assembly begins at 2 pm right now for anybody fascinated by giving public remark.
In the meantime, whereas the council has moved at warp velocity to cross these exclusion zones and to reinstate the prostitution loitering legislation, they’ve taken their candy time on the subject of the Social Housing Initiative, I-137. Yesterday, the council lastly introduced a plan to suggest a substitute for the initiative, which might raid the JumpStart payroll tax on massive companies for funding as an alternative of making a brand new enterprise tax. If the council passes the invoice, then voters should resolve between two totally different choices when I-137 lastly heads to the poll in a February particular election. Council Member and alleged unhealthy boss Martiza Rivera proposed the choice alongside Council Members Bob Kettle, Tanya Woo, and Cathy Moore.
Metropolis Council, should you raid JumpStart for Social Housing, what are you going to raid in fall to pay in your valuable police division??? You’re ultimately going to must levy new taxes or minimize different providers, departments
— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) September 16, 2024
Actual fast, let’s throw it to Hannah to let her wrap up the council updates right now:
Justice for Ayşenur: Help for an impartial investigation into Israel’s killing of Seattle-based activist Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi is rising. As of Monday afternoon, 90 Washington state lawmakers have signed a letter echoing Eygi’s household’s demand for the investigation. Each Seattle consultant within the State Home, State Senate, and King County Council has signed on, however there’s some stragglers on the Seattle Metropolis Council. Solely Council Members Tammy Morales and Cathy Moore have signed the letter. Fortunately for the opposite members, they’re nonetheless welcome to signal on to face up for his or her constituent.
Thanks, Hannah! Alright, again to me.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy calls for employees return to workplace: Beginning January 2, Amazon employees should seem within the workplace in particular person 5 days every week, in accordance with CNBC. Jassy mainly argued that earlier than the pandemic, employees could not work remotely two days every week. Yeah, Jassy, and earlier than Amazon, folks could not same-day obtain intercourse toys to their doorways. Know-how adjustments shit.
New Monopoly recreation based mostly in … Bellevue? That is proper, the sport firm High Trumps, which is licensed to make metropolis editions of Monopoly, plans to launch a brand new model of the sport based mostly in Bellevue, in accordance with KUOW. The corporate determined to not find the sport in Seattle as a result of “there are simply too many alternative, numerous neighborhoods,” a spokesperson stated.
Sean “Diddy” Combs arrested: The FBI arrested singer Combs Monday night time on fees of intercourse trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors consider Combs abused girls for greater than a decade and “presided over an empire of sexual crimes,” in accordance with the Related Press. Earlier this yr, safety footage from a resort confirmed Combs attacking singer Cassie, who had beforehand sued Combs for allegedly beating and raping her for years. Combs is predicted to look in courtroom Tuesday on federal fees.
Trump’s claims about Springfield, Ohio trigger chaos: After former President Donald Trump made false claims that Haitian immigrants in Ohio had began stealing pets and consuming them, bomb threats have plagued the town and Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered Ohio State Freeway Patrol to station themselves outdoors metropolis faculties, in accordance with ABC Information.
Fed plans rate of interest minimize: In case your credit score rate of interest has began to actually panic you, then the Federal Reserve could quickly grant you some reduction. The Fed is predicted to chop rates of interest for the primary time since 2020, which displays the easing price of inflation, in accordance with CNBC. The Fed has to strike a stability between lowering inflation with out sending the economic system into recession.
Okay that is all! This new monitor from Hinds helped decrease my blood strain this morning as I believed in regards to the council assembly later right now. Hope it helps you all as effectively.
