we can fight city hall

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I am writing to share with you the status of the unimproved right of way (ROW)on East Blaine and 11th Avenue East.

For many of us, the destruction of the greenbelt has been a source of great distress and concern.

This morning, in an act of civil disobedience, I blocked access to the ROW, in an attempt to communicate with the City of Seattle, as months of conventional communication and negotiation have produced only broken promises and frustration.

When the police were called by Mr. Wysong, I moved my car. The Seattle Post Intelligencer documented some of the interchange.

I am embarassed that it was necessary for me to resort to such behavior, but the City offered me no alternatives.

The City has failed dismally in its responsibility to protect us, its citizens, and our environment. The unnecessary destruction of mature trees, the devastation of a greenbelt, the failure of the city to require meaningful restoration in deference to the wishes of one wealthy individual: this is the Emerald City?

If such disregard occurs in our neighborhood, we must assume it is happening elsewhere. The cumulative impact is a scarred environment, city, state, and planet, and potentially, a damaged spirit.

I was asked by a P.I. reporter why I cared. Here is my answer, in words that I cherish, from Vaclav Havel, speaking about his political future:

“I want to do everything I can to contribute, in a specific way, to a program for raising the general level of civility, or at least everything I can to express my personal interest in such an improvement, whether I do so as president or not.

I feel this is both an integral part and a logical consequence of my notion of politics as the practice of morality and application of a higher responsibility. After all, is there anything that citizens - and this is doubly true for politicians - should be more concerned about, ultimately, than trying to make life more pleasant, more interesting, more varied, and more bearable?”