People are angry. There’s anger in the streets of Bellingham like I have never seen before. It almost feels like the city has reached a boiling point, and a whole lot of ugliness is about to bubble up and spill out. Several times it looked like violence would erupt on March 13, 2021 during a march from Lowell Elementary to the house of Seth Fleetwood, the current Mayor of Bellingham.
Many of the protestors are the same people who showed up to protest the clearing of Camp 210 back in January. In fact, the protesters had three demands which they posted on the Bellingham Occupied Protest Mutual Aid Instagram account (bopmutualaid). First they demanded amnesty for everyone arrested at the Camp 210 sweep on January 28. Second they demanded permanent housing for the homeless, and third an end to all sweeps of homeless camps.
Spring is alive with Summer around the corner here in Bellingham and across Whatcom county. Residents however are wondering about what to do outdoors during this pandemic. There is one activity that has not been limited or closed this entire time and that is outdoor trails. One New trail currently under construction is the Bay to Baker trail.
The Bay to Baker trail is a new trail being worked on right now with the goal of connecting 74 miles of trails between Bellingham and the Mount Baker ski area.
Throughout the past couple of weeks, trails and other outdoor areas have begun to reopen. Like most of us, I have been looking for a way to safely get out and experience something other than the inside of my home. A great place to check out to get some safe exercise is the Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve.
2020 has been a very different year
than normal for all of us. COVID-19 has affected everyone in ways we never
thought would happen, and for the most vulnerable of our communities, it has
made life even harder.
For many in our community, the shutdown means no job, no opportunity to earn money, and no guarantee of food on the table. Nearly 20% of Bellingham visits the food bank on a regular basis, according to data released by the Bellingham Food Bank, and COVID has only made it more difficult for already struggling families to get the food they need.
In the past two weeks, the coronavirus toll in the U.S. surpassed
100,000 deaths, people around the world protested against the killing of George
Floyd, and more than 400 journalists have had their First Amendment rights
infringed upon.
The unjustified deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud
Arbery, sparked a series of protests beginning on May 26 all over the country and
the world. Since that first day, journalists have had their voices and their
rights stripped away as police officers everywhere threaten, arrest, and
physically attack them for covering these protests.
