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(Ed. — A complaint to the Parks Dept. about nudity at Denny Blaine Park brought this response, which we print here in case other shoreline areas are experiencing nudity in this warmer weather.) We are aware of the situation at Denny Blaine Park. In the state of Washington, the 2003 law (RCW 9A.88.010) provides that being nude in public per se is not illegal. Behavior comprises indecent exposure if one “intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm.” In the case of affront or alarm, the person affronted or alarmed can call the police. The police then decide whether to issue a citation or make an arrest. The state law provides further that “indecent exposure is a gross misdemeanor on the first offense if the person exposes himself or herself to a person under the age of fourteen years. Here is an excerpt from a 2008 Seattle Police blog posting on the subject: In order for the police to make an arrest, we must have witnesses currently in the public place where the nudity is occurring who must make a complaint. These witnesses must be willing to appear in court. Also, in order to prosecute, the burden is on the government to prove that the offender was knowingly aware that their conduct created alarm and offense of others. There are, of course, incidents involving nudity in which the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or is having severe mental problems and the police can take appropriate action. Historically, it has been difficult in Seattle to prosecute cases of public nudity. The position of the police department is to take a report upon receiving a complaint, identify the individual involved and forward the complaint to the City Attorney. In 2008, the Board of Park Commissioners considered a draft rule that would have prohibited nudity in Seattle parks. Upon learning that the state law on nudity supersedes any City action, the Board adopted a motion asking that Parks and Recreation not adopt the rule. We are sorry not to be able to respond to you with a solid solution, and hope you will continue to enjoy other parks along Lake Washington.

Hello Neighbor, My name is Ruby Holland and I’ve lived in the CD since 1961. Being raised in the CD was filled with many warm and pleasant memories. After living in other cities for many years, I returned to Seattle. I never got over my love for the beautiful mountains, water, seafood (Ivar’s) and those plump, sweet blackberries (invasive I’m told) that grow on many street corners. I’ve been back in my childhood home now for 2 years. Of course, my neighborhood has changed. What I miss most is that warm, fuzzy feeling of community that we used to have in the CD. After talking with other long-time CD residents, we realized that it’s time for a good, old fashioned welcoming. Excuse my frankness here, but I want to make sure that everyone knows specifically of whom I speak. On behalf of myself and many other long time, Black or Afro American CD residents, we would like to welcome you, our new White, Hispanic, or Asian neighbors to the CD. It is our belief that we need to know our neighbors in order to look out for and to help each other. While Facebook, NextDoor and email are great tools, community building requires us to leave our comfort zones and use the old school tactics of face-to-face contact to get to know each other. Taking things in bite-sized chunks, we don’t need to know everyone in the CD, only those on our block. When we see each other on the street, let’s say hello and introduce ourselves as neighbors. When seeing other CD residents at the bus stop, library, or out shopping in the neighborhood, let’s smile at each other and say “hello.” (The wading pool at Powell Barnett in use during hot summer weekends this year... Photo courtesy John Barber) Sometimes, we older, retired CD residents like to talk and reminiscence about old times. We realize that younger, working residents may be pressed for time. Don’t feel that you have to engage us in a long, drawn out conversation if you need to go. Politely excuse yourself and get on with your day. We will be okay. We won’t always agree with our neighbor’s point of view. Not everything requires a debate. We should acknowledge the other’s point of view and move on. We must all learn to pick our battles. After all, when all is said and done, we all want the same things: to feel valued and appreciated, to have a safe neighborhood, free from crime and gun violence, to make a better life for our children and grandchildren. Please be aware that many older, black CD residents love our homes and wish to remain in them. Asking us about selling is not a welcomed conversation with many of us. We feel insulted and devalued by those real estate people who are constantly trying to get us to sell our homes. Please help us to rid those folks from the neighborhood. I do not wish to appear one-sided here, but I am Black and so I view life from that perspective. Help us to understand your wants and needs as well. For sure, not everyone from either side will be on board with our new love for each other, but once they see our example of love, harmony, peace and happiness they will surely want to be a part of this. Let’s show them, and everyone else, how to live in a beautiful, diverse neighborhood where we work together on issues and celebrations. Other Bridge Builders who want to build unity in the CD: Cliff Holland, Diane Snell, Paul Green, Troy Meyers, Cynthia Johnson-Garnett. We’d like to invite each and every one of you to be Bridge Builders. If you see any of the above Bridge Builders, please give them a shout out and let them know that you are a Bridge Builder as well. Change will not come overnight. Change is not always easy, but it’s not always bad. Together, we can make this work. Feel free to call me with any questions or concerns. ~Sincerely, Ruby Holland (770) 471-3472. Please meet Patricia, another Bridge Builder: Hello neighbor, I am writing this to you and every household in the CD. I have lived in my home on 28th Ave. S. since 1991. Many others that live on my street purchased their home before me. Now that we have many new neighbors, we would love to at least know who you are and have you know who lives on your block as well. By “know,” I mean at least by name and face. When we know our neighbors on our block, it makes it easier to identify abandoned vehicles or vehicles of visitors or people that do not live on our block. For those who do not have a garage or drive way we can know whose car/s belongs to whom. If someone may be vandalizing, we can alert someone else, pay attention and take notice for later reference/ID. I believe the neighborhood is safer when people know and respect one another. Even though there have been different situations that have occurred in the past, we have dealt with them with respect and helping out in ways that benefit one another before calling the police. There will be times when people are outside and having family fun and may get noisier than some of you are used to. If it’s noisy and you would like to address it, if you know your neighbor you can ask them to please lower the noise instead of first reaching for the phone to call the police, especially If the noise you hear is just people/ families having fun. I’d like to think that the noise will subside out of respect of our neighbor’s request. Different cultures act and respond differently to different situations because of fear. You do not have to like someone to give them your respect and love, after all responding in Love is always the easier way. That is my way of looking at the world. You may or may not agree. With peace and sincere regards, ~Patricia Valentine

Leschi celebrates its 5th Annual ArtWalk on September 10, 2016, from 11-4pm. The arts and crafts displays will be placed along the east side of the business district (Lakeside Ave.) In addition to the jewelry designers, photographers and visual artists, we have attracted some gustatory delights: Bunneh’s Bakery is a new participant. And Lanier’s Chocolates will be back with their handmade delicacies. All in beautiful “downtown” Leschi! We have expanded to Leschi Park with more activities for children. In addition to the awesome slide from last year, there will be nature walks and craft tables. Captain Kimmie, who leads the opening parade, will also lead children on nature walks through the park at 1pm and 3pm. Children’s crafts! Poster art from 12-2pm, with Tracy Bier Make your own ArtWalk sun visor, 1-3pm with Sarah Howes ArtWalk bracelets 2-4pm, with Laurel Allen Music! On the Leschi Park stage, we will hear the Tabernacle Church Band (they rock!) at 11am; In Rio Time (Brazilian jazz) at 1pm. and the Stephanie Porter Band at 2:15pm. Raffle! Check out the raffle at the Leschi CC table for raffle tickets! Win a local business gift! Parade! Meet at the stage at 10:50 if your child wishes to march in the Biggest Smallest Parade!

OK, no blood was shed, but I’ve been waiting about 50 years to use this verb. It was in the 60’s when the-then Pope demoted something like 27 saints to non-saintly status. Our local paper, the San Jose Mercury News, blazoned the news in a huge headline: Pope Axes 27 Saints! One had visions of his immaculate papal robes drenched in blood. I was an impressionable journalism student at the time and that type of headline had not been covered yet in class. Even though the Mayor’s act was not a violent scene, it was shocking nonetheless. The Mayor claimed the District Councils, in existence since 1987, are made up of rich, white homeowners protecting their turf and did not reflect the true demographics of the city. This was particularly unsettling as the Central Area Neighborhood District Council does have diversity in its representation. Several Central Area groups represented at the Council are African-American in membership. The current chair of the CANDC is Hispanic and is a renter, not a homeowner. I have been attending these meetings for many years, first as a “reporter” for the Leschi News and later as an officer of the Council. I have never seen the nimbyism often expressed at the Federation (Seattle Community Council Federation). I think the diverse mix of attendees has caused us to look beyond our own backyards to the area as a whole. The focus has been on safety: better crosswalks, improved lighting, disability access. The various neighborhood groups in this Council supported us in our fight to keep the #27 bus all day, 7 days a week. We sent letters to decision makers at the USPS to keep a post office presence in the area; we sent a supportive letter for the Duwamish as that community was negotiating the cleanup of the Duwamish River. They were ultimately successful in getting some key issues addressed. The District Council has been fortunate to have the Land Use Review Committee looking at all new large developments in our area. They have been able to negotiate some changes in design which reflect the wishes of the neighborhood, such as the cut-through to 24th Ave. at the Promenade site soon to be developed by the new owner, Vulcan. Yet to be solved is the food desert issue. When the Red Apple closes in December, there will be no place in upper Leschi to purchase fresh food. We have apprised Vulcan personnel of the problem for our elderly and disabled residents who no longer drive. A Vulcan representative will be at our November meeting and we need to see what is being proposed. More voices are more powerful than a single voice as we learned from Council Member Sawant at our June meeting. District Council members were encouraged at their 8/11/16 meeting to flood the City Council with letters of concern and pleas to move more slowly, to develop a process of more inclusion before pulling the plug on district councils. How would a handpicked (by the Mayor) commission know what was important in Leschi? ~Diane Snell

Hello everyone, It has been a very busy summer for your Leschi Community Council Board. We have been in the process of revamping our website to allow quicker updates and we now have a contract with a local designer; we are hoping to have the website up to date by October 1. Four years ago, there was a clerical error on our 990 reports with the IRS. This recently resulted in the suspension of our nonprofit status. Amy Fink, our treasurer, has been working very hard with the IRS to regain our non-profit status. Amy spent countless hours on the phone with the IRS, more hours filling out forms and digging through LCC records. The IRS has told us that once all our paperwork is approved, our status will be reinstated and will be retroactive from the date of suspension. The IRS has explained to us that we cannot take any donations at this time until our status is reinstated. If you are looking to make any donations for the Leschi Natural Area, please make your check out to EarthCorps (nonprofit organization) & send to Bunny Wood, 412 36th Ave, Seattle, 98122. In July, the Seattle Police Foundation held their East Precinct picnic at Powell Barnett Park. It was a very successful event; the police were gratified to see many families in attendance. I would like to give a very special thanks to the Seattle Police Foundation for their funding of the Powell Barnett Park wading pool, which has been closed for many years now due to lack of Seattle Parks funding. Plan to attend our 5th annual Art walk on September 10 from 11am to 4pm in the Leschi Business District and Leschi Park. There will be many activities for children and live music in addition to the artist booths. Your local businesses have generously contributed to a raffle, which will benefit next year’s ArtWalk. I hope everyone can attend. Please spread the word around. We are looking for volunteers to help with the Art Walk (no heavy lifting). If you, or someone you know would like to help, or know of any middle school or high school students looking for community service hours, please have them contact Diane Snell at (206) 726-0923 or leschinews@comcast.net . We have set some new goals for the upcoming year. The five main goals are: Revamping our website to allow for quicker updates Keeping stairway project, but including the String of Pearls along lakeshore Increase membership in LCC; I have appointed Yuki Igarashi as Marketing Chair Bring more visibility to Leschi Business District Setup Mail Chimp service to inform the community quickly by e-mail and social media ~Yousef Shulman

Author Judith Bentley will speak about her recent book, Walking Washington’s History: Ten Cities at our September meeting. Bentley is a retired college professor who has taught Pacific Northwest History. She is also an avid hiker. Her book will be available. Sept 7, 2016 at 7pm, Central Area Senior Center 500 30th Ave S, one block south of Jackson

July 13, 2016—Attending: Yousef Shulman, Yuki Igarashi, Diane Snell, Amy Fink, John Barber, Tracy Bier. Minutes: sent to Board members by email and approved and/or corrected by each member. Treasury: Treasurer’s report: Amy is working on IRS forms and will be renewing state non-profit status before the deadline in November. Regarding banking issues she proposed opening a linked savings account in order to keep restricted funds available for intended projects but separate from operating funds. We also discussed adding a funded mandate for annual CPA reviews. ArtWalk: We need to add restricted budgets to the treasury report for the ArtWalk and Art in the Park. The ArtWalk has its own budget based on fees for artist booths and the $1000 reimbursement for the Small Sparks grant which the Board voted to put in the 2016 ArtWalk fund. The 2nd fund is Art in the Park, which is focused on children and will be based in Leschi Park. A Small Sparks grant has been applied for and Leavitt is making a donation for the musicians. Posters and postcards will be available closer to the event. Parks: John is distributing flyers for the East Precinct Picnic at Powell Barnett Park; six volunteers will staff the table and both John and Jim Snell will take photos of the event. Neighborhood map will be used at the table and we will have flyers for volunteer activities. John feels we need to increase the publicity efforts re: the open wading pool. The basketball courts at Flo Ware and Powell Barnett will be resurfaced. The Colman Viewpoint project is on hold; the planned meeting was cancelled, as Parks is concerned that too many trees would be cut. The Moorage contract with Foss will be written for a 40-year term; other details not yet known. Land Use: Jeff had a conflict but sent a report which will be printed following the meeting notes. Stairway Project: Yousef reported date change to July 23 due to conflict with the East Precinct picnic. Marketing: Yuki said there is a new movers list, but it does cost. Mailing to the entire community was discussed and fees for both projects to be researched. Yuki also felt that working with the middle and high schools might bring us some volunteers who need community service hours. Programs: Diane presented a list of possible programs for the fall: Vulcan re: the Promenade plan, ballot issues in October and the possibility of disaster planning. While the Board feels this is highly important, it seems the community would rather do something else and attendance has been poor in the past. Various ideas were discussed and will be pursued in the coming months. Red Apple receipts: Red Apple will accept these to the end of the year, but we have no one to compile them at this time. Diane suggested tossing the minor receipts and just totaling the larger ones, but there was no taker. No decision on this yet. Website: For technical and logistical reasons the board opted to migrate online content to a Word Press version of our current website. We have a well-received initial bid for the migration work. We’re in the process of refining our needs and expectations and hope to sign a contract with a local web design business in the next few weeks. Website: Our layout /production manager Kirsten has expressed interest and we will be asking her to develop a contract the Board can review. Meanwhile we will rely on Facebook for timely communication and Board member email lists. Yousef expressed interest in a MailChimp program for quick notification of important events. Brief discussion of CANDC’s (Central Area Neighborhood District Council) fate: the Mayor issued an executive order disbanding the neighborhood councils that have existed for 30 years. This is the arena where we often obtained support for our own neighborhood issues; it was brought up that the CANDC supported Leschi with a letter to the Mayor and the Council members in our efforts to being back full service of bus #27. ~Respectfully submitted by Diane Snell

Our Stairway work parties ran into some barriers during the past few months. We were rained out in May and June and had a small worker turnout in July at the 29th & Lane stairway. We did have a new fabulous worker, however, who tackled the moss on the steps with an ordinary garden rake. The tines loosen the moss and then turn the rake over: the non-productive side makes a good pusher! Thanks to new resident, Ken Kamm, for joining us and single-handedly conquering the moss on these steps. One discouraging thing about these steps is the amount of trash that folks are throwing out. The trash we create is our own to dispose of properly, not at any unwatched space. There were two large plastic tubs for plants, which can go into the recycling bin after rinsing out. Those of us who volunteer at these projects often have those micro-cans for garbage and find it difficult to get rid of other people’s trash. The plastic bins were only one minor element of the trash we found. At our August Board meeting, we discussed the possibility of taking the Stairway project to another direction to help John Barber with the String of Pearls, those shoreline street end mini-parks that we fought for…all the way to the Supreme Court (of the state, not the other Supremes). John has had difficulty gathering work crews on weekdays and can use the help. A good work party at one of the Pearls each month can make a big difference. In September, we will meet at the Judkins Streetend. Our crew leader will be Joyce Moty of Mt. Baker. Joyce said that pruning and deadheading will be our focus. Tools to bring: loppers, pruners, pruning saws. Join your LCC Board and your neighbors to give this Pearl a new look! Judkins Shoreline Streetend Stairway work party September 17, 10am-12pm ~Diane Snell

June 1, Leschi Community Council Meeting Echoes of concern and motions to organize rang out from beginning to end at June’s Leschi Community Council meeting. The June 2 meeting comprised of an open discussion and lively Q&A with District 3 Seattle City Council representative, Kshama Sawant. Sawant, who is District 3’s (Leschi) City Council representative, was open to any and all questions and shed light on a plethora of important issues facing the community and the city of Seattle at large. Common topics discussed included concerns of affordable housing, gentrification of Seattle neighborhoods, homelessness, non-operational Seattle Park wading pools, a citywide income tax, gun violence, the Jackson Street Red Apple closure and many more important matters facing our local community. Regarding all these pressing affairs, Sawant, encouraged members of the community to first and foremost get involved and more importantly, to organize. In order to be heard, neighbors need to continue to gather in even greater numbers as they do at monthly community meetings. She emphasized that building on small victories gained across the city is what eventually leads to progress and change. The Leschi community and greater Seattle area face a number of issues and are at an interesting position where upcoming decisions will decide the future of the city. As an individual in attendance at this meeting, it was not only inspiring to hear members of the community speak up and rally around one another, but encouraging that if we, as a community come together for a common cause, with the help of Sawant and city legislatures, we can put wheels of change in motion. If there are matters that you are concerned about please attend or continue to attend the Leschi community council meetings and reach out to Sawant, our City Council representative, as she reiterated throughout the June meeting, amazing things can happen when people decide to organize. ~Caroline Emde

We don’t take a vacation in the summer, as we don’t want to leave Leschi! The weather is beautiful, the fruits of the garden are bountiful and there’s so much going on! Yes, there are a few downsides with disrupted traffic for those eternal marathons (aren’t those folks fit YET?) and the chaos of Seafair but overall, it’s a good place to be. Summer events June 1 Kshama Sawant at our monthly meeting June 5 FLO WARE event with children’s activities 1-4; 28th & Jackson June 18 Rock ‘n Roll Marathon: race disrupts traffic along lake south of Dearborn July 9 Hamlet in Volunteer Park 2-4pm July 16 East Precinct picnic at Powell Barnett Park 1-4; MLK Jr. Way between Alder & Jefferson July 31 Hamlet at Fisher Pavilion (Seattle Center) 2-4pm. August 5-7 SEAFAIR Hydroplane races, Blue Angels, lots of noise, scarce parking, good views from Central Area Senior Center August 27 Jimi Hendrix Park grand opening! No details yet but expect big names in music! Sept. 10 Leschi ArtWalk Arts & Crafts, Music, Children’s Activities in Leschi Park And ALL SUMMER LONG Madrona Farmers’ Market, Fridays, 3-7pm in Grocery Outlet parking lot Bicycle Sundays on Lake Washington Blvd from Mt. Baker Beach to Seward Park; safe cycling for the whole family! 10am-6pm on following Sundays: June 19 & 26; July 3, 10, & 17, Aug. 14 & 28; September 4, 11, 18 & 25 ENJOY! WEAR SUNSCREEN! AND SUNGLASSES IF YOU CAN FIND THEM AFTER OUR LONG GRAY WINTER!

I would like to begin by introducing myself: my name is Yousef Shulman. My family has been living in the central area for almost 100 years. My Great Great Uncle Henry (Hank) Edelson and his wife Shirley started a small market on the SW corner of 22nd Ave and East Union Street in the 1930’s. In 1948, they moved their business to its current location and renamed it Leschi Market. Leschi Market and my family have been very active in the community since the opening of the store. I moved to the Leschi neighborhood when I was 13 years old. I began to work at my family business at the age of 13, being the 4th generation to work at the business. I am now currently Co-Owner and Assistant Manager of Leschi Market with my Uncle Steve Shulman and my Grandfather Leonard Shulman. In 2011, I helped start the Leschi Business Association, which has since put on a yearly Halloween “Spooktackular” and Art walk event. In 2015, I joined the Leschi Community Council as Business Associate Chair. In May 2016, I was elected to President of the Leschi Community Council. I am learning how much time and effort is required to provide the residents of Leschi a reputable communal council. I am focused and prepared to continue these efforts. I would like to thank the previous board for all the hard work, time and effort each member provided to the community. I have come to learn how much community involvement it takes to get projects done. Being in the position I am at my family business, I have met many people, gained friends and built relationships. One of my first concerns is the level of participation in community projects and developing issues. In my new role as President, I will work with residents of community to join our meetings, lend a voice, provide input and increase involvement. From personal experience, I have learned that two of our parks have wading pools that have not been in service for many years. As a child, I remember using these pools, developing fond memories of my past time spent with family and friends. One of my many goals is to have the council work with the city and community to get at least one of these wading pools open. While serving as your community President, I will work as hard to address any and all issues. I look forward to working with everyone in the community so we all can be proud of where we live and work. Please feel free to contact me via email: yousefshulmanlcc@gmail.com

Kshama Sawant, our District 3 City Council Representative will answer questions and concerns at the June 1 meeting of the Leschi Community Council. June 1 at 7pm, Central Area Senior Center 500 30th Ave S, one block south of Jackson