💡 What did local activists learn in Minneapolis?

The Seahawks' Championship Parade Is Tomorrow!

By now you know the news: the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday night, and now they are coming home to celebrate! [Seahawks]

• What’s Happening: The celebration begins with a free-but-ticketed Trophy Celebration at Lumen Field at 10 a.m., with gates opening at least an hour before then. The parade begins at 11 a.m. at 4th Avenue and Washington, and will travel north along 4th Avenue through downtown for two miles, ending at 4th Avenue and Cedar. It’s expected to last about two hours.
• Road Shutdowns: Expect some serious traffic downtown into the early afternoon. Streets that intersect with 4th Avenue will be closed between Lumen Field and Seattle Center. Vehicles exiting 1-90 onto 4th Avenue will be routed southbound. I-5 and I-90 on and off ramps will be held at the start of the parade. Sound Transit and King County buses will operate on alternative routes. If you’re going to the event, use King County Metro’s online trip planner to figure out the best route there. Definitely take public transportation. The service advisories page will keep you updated on changes. Sign up for transit alerts for the latest.
• Let’s Keep It Safe, Seattle: Estimates have this celebration at as many as one million people. That’s a lot of folks. Mayor Wilson wants us all to join the party “responsibly, together, and with pride.” Just make sure not to climb the pergola if you find yourself in Pioneer Square.

New Bill To Address Making Change Without Pennies 🪙

Late last year, the U.S. Treasury stopped making pennies, citing increased production costs — and the federal government has left it to states to figure out how retail businesses should distribute change. A bill going through the Washington House and Senate would direct retailers to round cash up or down to the nearest 5 cents when they make change. Credit and debit transactions will not be affected. And don’t worry, there are still 114 billion pennies in circulation! [Washington State Standard]

Seattleites Are Really Good at Budgeting 💰

Speaking of saving our pennies, it turns out Seattle residents are among the most disciplined budgeters in the U.S., according to a study from WalletHub, a personal finance company. The company says its study looked at how adults in 180 cities manage their money, including how well households stick to budgets, manage credit, and build emergency savings. According to their results, Seattle has some of the lowest non-mortgage debt ratios in the country. Good job, us! [MyNorthwest]

A Delegation of Activists Learn From Minneapolis 👏

Seattle-based nonprofit Common Power recently took a group of staffers, as well as leaders from the nationwide organizing nonprofit The Indivisible Movement and members of Mayor Wilson’s team, to Minneapolis to see how they are responding to Operation Metro Surge. They observed organizers setting up local Signal networks and delivering groceries to immigrants in hiding, and they say that what they learned there will help scale up responses here in Seattle, if ICE mounts a Minneapolis-like deployment in our city. City Cast Seattle contributor Marcus Harrison Green also reflected on his recent reporting trip to Minneapolis on his podcast In The Meanwhile. [Seattle Times]

Shut Down the Cameras, Says Seattle Times Op-Ed 📹

An op-ed in The Seattle Times by Dan Howes, a member of UFCW 3000 and campaigner for Katie Wilson, is calling on the Mayor to shut down the CCTV camera system already in place on Aurora Avenue, Third Avenue, and the International District, and to stop a planned expansion of the program that would include new cameras on Capitol Hill and in the Central District. The op-ed references a policy memo that states that this kind of surveillance does not reduce crime and could disproportionately affect racially and socioeconomically marginalized communities. [Seattle Times]

Go See Seattle’s Black History Month Museum in February 🖼️

In 2023, Tony Benton of Rainier Avenue Radio curated the Black History Month Museum, a month-long interactive installation and exhibit at Columbia City Theatre. Converge created a short video with highlights from the exhibit — be sure to visit this month! [Converge Media]