One thing transformative justice teaches is not to be reductionist about harm. There can be more than one person harmed & more than person who commits or has committed harm. These things often co-exist because our systems, rather than bringing about healing, often perpetuate harm People can be both harmed and one causing harm all in a single moment or different ones. Ie. A person w/mental health issues denied effective care at some point kills someone. The police then kill the person who killed the first person and justify it based on the crime committed.

The Uncle Ike’s protest last night presents us with a microcosm of a much larger issue when it comes to racialized capitalism in the United States on Turtle Island. From sports to corporations to the cannabis industry there are predominantly white male owners and BIPOC workers. Since this land was stolen by genocide of Native peoples the “ruling class” has been predominantly wealthy white men (undergirded by wealthy white women who while oppressed by patriarchy benefit from white supremacy).

People do realize that the reason Seattle hasn’t done anything real to address homelessness and housing affordability is because of wealthy conservatives. Every attempt by the left to change zoning to allow more density & to implement new taxation that could generate revenue to address the crisis has been thwarted by wealthy conservatives who can afford to file law suits or make back door deals.

Corporation should not be allowed to donate to political campaigns or PACs at all. Amazon dropping all this money into Seattle elections in the last few years shows their fear. Amazon big wigs are terrified that Seattle will set a new level of expectations for corporations to act socially responsible.