Women in Black Vigil February 27, 2019

February 22, 2019 wheelorg 0 Comments

Women in Black will be standing vigil AGAIN from noon to 1 PM next Wednesday, February 27th, outside the Seattle Justice Center at 5th/Cherry.  We’ll be standing for two people who died in late 2018, whose names were just added to the Medical Examiners list, and two who died this year.

This vigil will bring to 992 the number of people we’ve remembered since our vigil’s founding, in the year 2000.

This vigil will bring to FIVE the number of homeless people who died of hypothermia in King County last year, and to TWO the known number who’ve died of hypothermia this year.

More shelter is needed! 

Our hearts will be very heavy when we stand vigil next Wednesday for:

**Jeffrey Emmet Hayes, 29,who died of hypothermia at 1st/Republican (near Seattle Center) on 11/29.  (His is the FIFTH known hypothermia death of 2018.)

**Ashley Roxanne Belardo, 34, who died of overdose (multiple substances) at Rainer/I-90 overpass on 12/22.

**An unidentified woman, appears to be 30-50 years old, who was found dead of hypothermia outside Lakeside Christian Church in Kirkland on 1/12.  (Hers is the second known homeless hypothermia death of this year.)  Here is a link to a Seattle Times notice about her death, including a sketch to aid in determining her.

**Paul Mitchell, 55, who died in an RV in Georgetown (700 block S Fidalgo) on 2/14; cause pending.

This vigil will be dedicated to the memory of Stu Tanquist, respected homeless activist, who died recently in Portland.

PLEASE HELP US CRY OUT FOR ADDITIONAL COME-AS-YOU-ARE SHELTERS, LIKE THE ONES THAT WERE OPENED THROUGH THE SEVERE WEATHER. We need shelter like this year-round because death is year-round. A person can die of hypothermia when it’s well above freezing, if s/he gets wet and can’t get dry. That happened last year, AND this year. Other causes of death, like car accidents and predation, are year-round. The most vulnerable people are the ones most likely to be unsheltered.

In fact, our own WHEEL low-barrier Women’s Shelter, currently at Trinity Episcopal Parish, began as a Severe Weather Shelter 19 years ago because the City recognized the need for survival shelter and asked us to work with them on this important resource. Our shelter now is open year-round, but with the same operating model: any woman, in any condition, at any time of night —no questions asked, no turnaways.

Over the past two weeks, during this terrible weather, both the City and the County did a good job in outreaching folks and opening similar, loving, come-as-you-are-no-questions-asked-no-turnaway shelters.

Over the past two weeks, during this terrible weather, both the City and the County did a good job in outreaching folks and opening similar, loving, come-as-you-are-no-questions-asked-no-turnaway shelters.

The need for these hasn’t gone with the wind and snow. Such survival programs are what ALL vulnerable people on the street need, all year- round.

Please tell the County and City to keep Severe-Weather-Model (loving, low-barrier) shelters open YEAR-ROUND.

And, please join our vigil.

Thanks for your solidarity and support.

WHEEL/Women in Black
wheelorg@yahoo.com

PS We’re very grateful to the intrepid folks who joined our vigil last week, and to Bettina Hansen of the Seattle Times for her thoughtful and beautiful photojournalism.

Join the conversation!