Press Conference – Police Response to Feb 9 rally for Palestine
A press conference was held Monday morning by people who spoke out against police use of force during an event supporting end of US aid to Israel on February 9th. Students for a Democratic Society and the Seattle Alliance against Racist and Political Repression chapters held a rally in front of the Seattle World Trade Center. The event was part of the US Palestinian Community Network‘s week of action. At Monday’s press conference, participants in the Feb 9th rally spoke out about the use of force and arrests by the Seattle Police Department. Listen to excerpts of the press conference recording, and the Seattle Police Department’s statement about this event.
Producer – Yuko Kodama (Special thanks to Bob Barnes for help with this story)
Photo: flyer of Feb 9th event
Video: Special thanks to SamidounSeattle for the press conference footage
Families in Solidarity with Palestine
In Gaza, Israeli attacks have killed 8,000 women and children (70% of fatalities). Today, the two largest hospitals in Gaza have stopped functioning as they’ve run out of fuel and are surrounded by Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, yesterday, 300-400 hundred people gathered in Seattle’s Columbia Park for a Ceasefire march around the block and rally for families and children. Participants sang songs, painted murals and prayer flags for Palestine, and wrote postcards addressed to state elected officials to demand a ceasefire.
Listen to some sounds and voices from the event. You may hear the rain in some of the clips.
A longer highlight of this event will broadcast tomorrow on KBCS during the Grit at 7 am.
Producer: Yuko Kodama
Photos: Yuko Kodama
second row – Miwa Nietering (age 6), Nazia Siddiqi
third row – Rose Waterstone and Cypress Waterstone (age 10)
fourth row – Loren, Zachary, Theo, Tony and Didi; mural of handprints
sixth row – the march was around the block
seventh row – Macy Ratliffe “Don’t let the world forget about us. Free Palestine”
eighth row – table to write post cards to Washington state elected officials
ninth row – artwork by Ruth Wilson Gilmore
tenth row – art tent to contribute to the mural and to create prayer flags
Non Profit Aid Organizations in Palestine
While negotiations for a ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas officials are announced, 7,028 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during this war according to Al Jazeera news from today. 2,913 of the dead are children. More than 1,709 of the fatalities, women. Over 1,405 Israelis have been killed. In addition, over 17,000 in Palestine have been injured. These numbers are from Aljazeera and Palestine Red Cross and are confirmed by Human Rights Watch. 50% of Palestinian residential units are destroyed. Most of the 65 sewage pumping stations are not operational. 11 water sanitation facilities are destroyed. (numbers from OCHA and Palestine Health Ministry)
Palestinian American activist, Linda Sarsour was in Vancouver, Washington on October 25th to speak at the Washington State Faculty and Staff of Color Conference. KBCS’s Yuko Kodama was there and recorded an excerpt of Sarsour’s response to an audience question about aid to Palestine.
The two organizations Linda Sarsour refers to are below:
Palestinian American Medical Organization (PAMA)
Producer: Yuko Kodama – Special thanks to Washington State Faculty and Staff of Color Conference and Linda Sarsour for permission to record and broadcast
Photo: Baitulmaal
Activist, Linda Sarsour Speaks Against Islamophobia and White Supremacy
Linda Sarsour, noted Palestinian-American civil rights leader and Executive Director of MPower Change spoke at Seattle’s Rainier Arts Center on Islamophobia and White Supremacy in January, 2023.
The event was hosted by Valley and Mountain Fellowship’s Center for Faith, Art, and Justice in partnership with the United Church of Christ’s Join the Movement Toward Racial Justice. The event was part of the Set Us Free from Fear: Faith, White Supremacy, and Politics series. The series invited scholars, clergy, and activists working at the intersection of race and faith to share their wisdom to our broader communities.
Sarsour was co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March, the 2017 Day Without a Woman, and the 2019 Women’s March. She is also a former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York. She is the author of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance, published in March, 2020.
Producers: Valley and Mountain Fellowship, United Church in Christ’s Join the Movement toward Racial Justice
Photo Linda Sarsour and Women’s Media Center
Emergency Vigil In Solidarity with a Palestinian call for a General Strike
On Tuesday, May 18th, An Emergency Vigil in Solidarity with a Palestinian all for a General Strike was held at Jimi Hendrix Park, next to the Northwest African American Museum. KBCS reporter, Fadumo Ali contributed this story about the event.
Palestinian and Israeli Flags Over Derry, Northern Ireland?
Palestinian and Israeli flags fly over the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. For centuries the city has been a center of tensions between Loyalists who support continued union with Great Britain and Republicans who want a united Irish Republic. Dr. Patrick Fitzgerald is an Irish historian. He says both sides fly these flags as a way to link their political struggle to the wider world.
David Shuer has the story.
Produced with Steve Scher
Remembering Rachel Corrie and continuing her work
In March of 2003, 23 year old peace activist from Olympia Washington, Rachel Corrie was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition. Just last month, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal to decade-long legal proceedings on whether the Israeli army would be held liable for the death of Rachel Corrie. Music + Ideas host, Sonya Green interviewed the parents of the late Rachel Corrie, and co-founders of the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, Cindy and Craig Corrie. And Palestinian student on scholarship at Evergreen State College and Co-coordinator for Students for Justice in Palestine, Mohammed Usrof joined the discussion.
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Speaking Out Against the Occupation of Palestine
In Israel, former soldiers speak out against the military’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. They’re part of a group of veterans called Breaking the Silence. They document violations and abuse by the military, the heavy toll on Palestinians and the lasting impact on Israeli soldiers.
KBCS News & Public Affairs Director, Sonya Green interviewed Breaking the Silence co-founder, Yehuda Shaul.
