Tag Archives: spokane

Imagine Spokane as a community in which people who are arrested and/or incarcerated are not seen as bad, but as people of sacred worth who may have made mistakes.

She cowered, screamed and cursed, as he threatened, harmed and hovered over her a bigger man in his mind than the the little man he actually was on the street. Tires screech, words and means exchange, man to man, now it’s even…until the gun is pulled. Now the abuser is dead, the woman is safe and the good samaritan goes to bed a savior and a killer. Fifth Avenue is bloodier.

Our systems of faith, values and ethics also shape and influence how we choose our leaders and how they lead us. I have asked our leaders how their faith, values and ethics are used in their day to day lives, and am writing an ongoing series about leadership in Spokane.

There’s been a lot of bad press lately regarding scandal in Spokane and sometimes this can sour people’s perceptions of the city. But anyone living here knows that there are many good people, doing good work in Spokane.

The event is raising funds for refugees in Washington, in celebration of World Refugee Day on June 20. The Matching Grant Program is specifically designed to help employ refugees, with the goal of allowing them to be self-sufficient in 6 months. It’s incredibly effective too, with a 97 percent success rate.

I think the world, and especially Spokane, needs another folk singer. Specifically, we need the re-incarnation of Pete Seeger.