JUUstice Washington

A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network

Candidate says rethink Seattle. Indigenously.

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Colleen Echohawk launched a campaign Monday to lead Seattle as its mayor, running on a platform of transformation; rethinking justice, mental health and the city’s common purpose.

Echohawk, Pawnee and Athabascan, is executive director of the Chief Seattle Club, a nonprofit that serves homeless Native Americans. Echohawk led the development of $100 million in affordable housing for Native Americans, non-Natives and veterans; improved access to health care and social services or her constituency; and is creating economic opportunities through a farm-to-table Indigenous foods program and a café/art gallery.

If elected, the eighth and 18th largest cities in the U.S. would be led by mayors who are Indigenous: Todd Gloria, Tlingit, in San Diego, California (population 1.4 million); and Echohawk, Seattle (population 725,000). Mayor Jenny Durkan, a former U.S. attorney, is not running for reelection.

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Biden Reaffirms Tribal Sovereignty

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WASHINGTON — As part of his racial and equality initiative, President Joe Biden on Monday signed a Presidential Memorandum that reaffirms tribal sovereignty through tribal consultation.

Speaking in more general terms about the racial divide that exists in the country, Biden said the nation faces deep racial inequities in America.

“In my campaign for President, I made it very clear that the moment had arrived as a nation where we face deep racial inequities in America and system — systemic racism that has plagued our nation for far, far too long,” Biden said.

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Appeals Court Agrees that Dakota Access Pipeline River Crossing Is Illegal

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A federal appeals court has struck another blow against the contested Dakota Access Pipeline.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. District Court of Appeals from the D.C. Circuit agreed Tuesday with a lower court ruling that the pipeline‘s crossing at the Missouri River near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation is illegal and requires an in-depth environmental review, the Grand Forks Herald reported.

“We are pleased that the D.C. Circuit affirmed the necessity of a full environmental review, and we look forward to showing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers why this pipeline is too dangerous to operate,” Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Mike Faith said in an Earthjustice press release.

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Finding Humanity Podcasts

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To unpack some of the biggest threats humanity is grappling with today, each episode will draw on the expertise and life experiences of members of The Elders: former Presidents and Prime Ministers, UN officials, Nobel Peace Laureates, freedom fighters, and human rights champions, brought together by Nelson Mandela in 2007. From leading nations out of conflict, to defending the human rights of the most vulnerable, this series will explore how we, through our shared humanity, bold advocacy, and collective action, can challenge injustice and promote ethical leadership.
Listen here.

As lawsuits mount, government looks into removing Electron Dam

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Just last week, the Puyallup Tribe announced it was suing the owner of the dam, Electron Hydro, LLC, over a long list of environmental hazards and permit violations — including a fish kill that caused the death of thousands of fish and the pollution of the river with un-permitted artificial turf, both of which occurred during construction last summer.

That’s in addition to a lawsuit from the Department of Justice over the Clean Water Act. That lawsuit is specifically in response to the artificial turf incident, in which hundreds of cubic yards of turf that dam owner Electron Hydro had placed in the river disintegrated into crumb rubber and flowed downstream to the Puget Sound.

Read more here.