By Julie Baldock

(Article formally published in Grit City Magazine with updated edits for the Weekly Volcano)

There’s a common refrain on a small-town Facebook page I follow urging people with dissenting opinions to “go to Seattle.”  It stands in the space that used to be filled in post-9/11 times by anyone who expressed anything but rampant patriotism that bordered on propaganda. You have compassion for the unhoused people suffering from addiction? Take those notions to Seattle. You think masks should be mandated and town-wide events shuttered during the pandemic?  Go to Seattle, snowflake. You know where you can take your thoughts on remote learning and vaccines?  That’s right. Take it to Seattle.

Full disclosure, when the pandemic hit us and we all sheltered in place, I was living in this small town. I realized 5 months into our new normal that if I was going to survive this time, physically and mentally, I had to leave.  Always good at following directions, I took to heart the “love it or leave it” mentality that was permeating everything around me. I didn’t love it, so I sold my house to leave it. But the truth is I was never going to Seattle; I’ve known for years that I wanted to call Tacoma my home.

As an east coast transplant, when I try to explain what Tacoma is to people who haven’t been to our gritty city, I often say it’s the Brooklyn of Washington, which of course makes Seattle Manhattan. I think this is a fair comparison because Tacoma, like Brooklyn, is a little hipper and a little grimier. It hasn’t been all shined up like a bland, golden symbol of capitalism and gentrification yet. It’s still filled with all the energy of a roller coaster cresting the first hill.  Everything is potential energy about to go kinetic.  You can feel it wafting down 6th Avenue past the RAD mural.  Tacoma is a city of possibility.

When I was 21 years old, I moved from Boston to Seattle with the force of an earthquake. That’s literally true. An earthquake caused my flight to Seatac to be derailed and routed to Spokane where we were put up in a hotel for the night. I knew no one in the city, so I had to find my people quickly and find them I did, mainly on stages behind microphones reading earnest poetry.  I can remember Seattle like old photographs flipping in a hand.  There I am, going to the newsstand on Broadway to buy Bust Magazine, singing karaoke, doing guerilla poetry, playing pool at Charlie’s Bar and Grill after open mics.  What I remember most is that the art was both tangible and energetic and when I left, I continued to seek out people and environments that tapped into the spirit of community, creativity, and compassion that I had felt there.

12 years after leaving Seattle, I returned to Washington, this time settling into that Facebook-page small town that put me equidistant from the Sea and the Tac of our evergreen state until it became clear that I was more drawn to Tacoma than Seattle when time allowed for a trip.  In the years I had been gone, the things I had once loved about Seattle seemed to have all moved to Tacoma.  Tacoma had the better food, the better shops, the better waterfront.  Tacoma had a thriving maker market and everyone I met seemed to be creative and artistic.  Tacoma was a little dirty, Tacoma was perpetually evolving. Tacoma felt like a tattooed guy smoking outside a bar compared to Seattle's finance guys hanging their puffy Patagonia jackets on the hooks outside their booths at an overpriced gastro pub.

I found my weekends filling with Night Markets and events like Wayzgoose, and I found ways to make Tacoma my home even before I could technically say I was a resident of the 253.  I volunteered as an official for Dockyard Derby.  I did yoga under the fronds of WW Seymour.  I bought studio time at SPUN, grabbed a sandwich 100 times better than one I could make from MSM, participated in Tacoma is for Lovers events, and consigned my clothes at UXC.  I got Destiny City Comics to sell my self-published book of poetry.  I filled punch card after punch card at The Fernseed.  I linked my Libro.FM account to King’s Books.  I was charmed by each new person I met.

And then, in March 2020, it all shuttered.

As I moved into my apartment in the midst of viral fear, I closed my door to the city around me. The vision I had of sipping a beer outside Bob’s Java Jive or listening to a band at Temple Theater disappeared with so many other ideas of what my time in Tacoma would look like for the foreseeable future. The events that made Tacoma so unique were, rightly so, cancelled.  The roller derby stopped.  The botanical gardens closed their doors temporarily.  SPUN followed suit as did UXC, sadly and permanently on the latter, although an online shop has popped up in its wake.  Yoga studios rolled up their mats and went virtual.  I spent days walking around Wright Park, wondering what would still be here when the leaves returned to the trees. What of all the businesses and jobs that gave structure and joy to people’s days?  What would happen to the livelihood of all these people and what would remain standing when and if we survived this?  I paid membership dues to places whose doors shut in the hopes that any contribution could help the commune needs of our community by buying them time.

As beautiful murals were painted along Pacific Ave reminding us that we were in this together and that a resiliency of the spirit would be needed to persevere, it became abundantly clear that not everyone and every place was going to weather this pandemic storm with equal grace and prosperity.  Four years later, I can say that Tacoma has come back from the pandemic swinging.

Communities need gathering places.  Where you buy your things, whose food you eat, and what businesses you support can truly affect the landscape of a neighborhood.  Stadium District was devastated when Destiny City Comics was going to close, until new owner, Ethan Diaz, swooped in to save it.  Diaz expressed that post-pandemic he would continue “taking a lot more care in regards spacing people out and ventilation when we resume doing in-store events again and ensuring curbside and mail options are still available to customers who are apprehensive and returning to shopping indoors even after things are fully open again.”  When we look for silver linings in this time of our lives, the accessibility that has been afforded to people due to necessity during the pandemic is something that should definitely continue to be prioritized.  It was long overdue.

That inclusivity is also important to Diaz, which is seen in the variety of independent work he supports and promotes.  He created this space to allow “the opportunity to have a larger impact on the community than I would as an individual. Additionally, there isn't another comic shop in town that puts a focus on independent comics, zines, and art like we do, and the shop allows me to give those creators a larger platform to show off their work.”  To small independent artists this platform can feel revolutionary.  It’s that vibe of artists supporting artists that keeps Tacoma and its creative forces relevant and, in some cases, thriving.

Although not the norm, there are indeed Tacoma businesses that have expanded during the pandemic.  Ice Cream Social added franchises to its figurative belt-notches and The Fernseed was able to open a second location, which has now become their primary and only location, an expanded store near the incredible Howdy Bagels.  In fact, one need only look at the way Tacoma rallied around Howdy Bagels during their recent tragic loss to see that this is a community that cares for its own.  It’s these moments of hope and growth that we need to celebrate as we look towards the changes in Tacoma as it recovers and restores from the toll of the last few years.  Tacoma has been invigorated by its diversity and the variety of offerings throughout different neighborhoods as well as through the ways that businesses are willing to collaborate with each other, and it is this vitality and tenacity that has allowed parts of the city to continue to thrive where others have remained shuttered.

This revitalization and synergy can be seen in events like Lincoln District's recent Lunar New Year’s celebration and the Monkeyshines hunting. Events like these, which have prioritized intersectionality and representation, have reenergized Tacoma, allowing us all a reason to exit our houses to gather and talk with each other in an intentional and open way.  In doing so, we become a city worthy of the 600 pound octopus who also calls Tacoma its home.  If there is one thing we can take from these last few years, it’s that we need each other and we are only as strong as our love for our community and city.  Where else can you catch an indie movie, hit up an art store, get some thai food or pho, and then end your day singing karaoke with drag queens, letting the sound of exuberant singing spill out onto the street, reaching toward the mountain, echoing down St Helens all the way to Division and beyond, reminding us that we are still here.

Due to the “glass storefront” pieces needed around various parts of the library’s remodel, and delays in getting the needed pieces, the Tacoma Main Library will have a postponed reopening.

The current estimate of the opening is being put in late August 2024. Despite the setbacks, Director Kate Larsen states that they are “thrilled with how the construction is progressing overall.”

To follow the library for more updates, CLICK HERE

By Kimberly Swetland

[image] house

The Washington State House passed a bill that limits rent increases to 7% annually. The state has had a prohibition on rent control since 1981 (RCW 35.21.830).

House Bill (HB 2114) acknowledges that, “The state is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis.”

Text from the bill reads, “Residential rents and manufactured/mobile home lot rents have increased at a rate that outpaces inflation, wage growth, cost of living adjustments for programs like social security, and other standard economic metrics that drive price increases. During a six-month period in 2023, the United States census bureau estimated that more than 900,000 Washington renters experienced a rent increase, of which 75 percent reported an increase of greater than $100 and more than nine percent experienced an increase of more than $500.”

And, “The legislature declares that failure to act urgently to protect Washingtonians from excessive rent increases will result in continued harm for millions of residents, especially when considering the essential nature of housing. Therefore, the legislature intends to enact rent stabilization policies in order to preserve the public peace, health, or safety of the state by providing Washington renters with predictability, transparency, and the same protections afforded to other consumers.”

The full text of Substitute Engrossed House Bill 2114 is available to read HERE.

The reverse side of the housing affordability issue has been the housing stability issue and at times the two go hand in hand. It is difficult to increase supply in a market where more controls begin to set in, especially for development projects that utilize loans and investors who like to see healthy interest on their returns. It may also put tighter constraints on some of the fixed costs that go into these projects and their eventual renovation. It could even make the difference between viability for certain projects.

The companion bill SB 5961 was referred to the Senate Housing Committee for a Public Hearing on January 26.

The Pierce County Comprehensive Plan is a 20-year policy document that addresses growth in the unincorporated areas of Pierce County. The Comprehensive Plan’s periodic review must be completed by December 31, 2024. It is also the foundation for several community plans and capital facilities planning, which must be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan’s policy framework.

Pierce County is required by the Growth Management Act (GMA) to review the County’s Comprehensive Plan every 10 years and update where necessary. This is also known as a periodic review. Gaining insight from the people who live and work in Pierce County is an integral part of this update.

LOOK AT THE PLAN HERE

By Kimberly Swetland

[image] rainbow

Rainbow Center is temporarily closed as of February 2, to the public for the remainder of the month as the team is hard at work behind the scenes, however their phone lines are still open and they will still continue to serve the community.

On their facebook page they state that, “This temporary closure is a vital step in our journey to reset, rebuild, and strategic plan to enhance our services ensuring we can better support the LGBTQIA2SP+ community. We will reopen with renewed energy on Monday, March 4.”

An article by Becca Most about the temporary closure was also printed in the News Tribune.

This closure will give time for board members to interview for an executive director replacement. Currently, Rainbow Center board president Jayla Watje will be standing in while the search is underway.

Community organizations such as the Rainbow Center play a critical role in mitigating some of the impacts LGBTQIA2SP+ face in the form of discrimination, job loss, homelessness, issues pertaining to mental health, food security and so much more.

Advocacy and educational services continue to operate as the Rainbow Center re-builds its other service offerings. The Center, located at 2215 Pacific Avenue, provides services to 1,000 people directly and 4,000 in Tacoma each year. It also hosts Tacoma Pride and the annual Black & White Gayla.

As the Rainbow Center temporarily closes its doors, it marks not an end, but a pivotal moment of renewal and growth. This period of introspection and strategic planning is a beacon of hope for the LGBTQIA2SP+ community, signaling a commitment to enhancing services and bolstering support. The dedication of the center's team and the resilience of the community it serves shine brightly, promising a future where equality, acceptance, and empowerment reign supreme. With each step forward, the Rainbow Center marches closer towards its mission of inclusivity and advocacy, inspiring us all to envision a world where every individual can live authentically and thrive without fear. For this Rainbow, Here’s to a brighter tomorrow.