Slog PM: 75% of Kids Caught COVID, The City Suddenly Cares About Rape Apologia, Seattle Is Scary but We Are Scarier – Slog

The council passed a bill to give renters more time to pay debt that accrued during the pandemic, no thanks to Councilmember Sara Nelson RICHARD THEIS / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES

I’ll take my chances on Third and Pine: Despite what KOMO or other copaganda machines may tell you, Seattleites are less afraid of the city than they have been in years, according to a survey by Seattle University. Seattle Times columnist Gene Balk (the FYI Guy — which is a pretty slick name, might I add) said he wasn’t expecting the people of Seattle to feel so brave in the face of rising crime. Honestly, I think the loudest voices shouting about the dangerous poor people live in Bellevue.

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Renters rejoice: Hey, look! The council aligned its back-rent repayment policy with state law, and it benefited renters! Yesterday, the Seattle City Council voted to give renters a fairer timeline to repay the rental debt they accrued during the eviction moratorium. Instead of only having six months to pay off the debt, now renters must pay back one-third of a month’s rent on top of their usual monthly payment over a longer period of time.

So basically, if your rent is $1,200, your landlord cannot stick you with a deal that requires you to pay more than an additional $400 a month, even if that means you need more than six months to chip away at your balance. That’s how the state does it, so passing this bill seems like it would be an easy slam-dunk for the council. But, of course, Councilmember Sara Nelson thought the council did not take enough time to listen to the unheard voices of landlords, so she cast the lone no vote.

Denim Day: In the 1990s, an Italian court overturned a rape case because of what the victim was wearing: skinny jeans. The judge’s disgusting logic went like this: The victim’s jeans were so tight that she must have cooperated in order to get them off. Therefore, she consented. We celebrate Denim Day to remember all the ways our society chooses the side of rapists over victims. Thirty years after that court protected a rapist, the council and the Mayor proclaimed today Denim Day. As a constituent, I hope the council and the Mayor wear denim, take their photo, and then go out and stand up for survivors in their real life and in their policy.

People at Council are sporting their jeans in support of #DenimDay2022. “Denim Day” was founded in order to call attention to misconceptions and misinformation about rape and sexual assault. pic.twitter.com/H34gdoLCzu
— Seattle City Council (@SeattleCouncil) April 27, 2022

The light rail vs. Chinatown: Tomorrow is the last day to comment on the second light rail station Sound Transit plans to put in the Chinatown-International District. The station will create a transfer point between three light rail lines, so naturally it’s gonna be huge. Apparently, it will be the largest transit stop north of San Francisco. Some community members worry the new station will displace residents and businesses.

Cop arrests cop: As Mudede mentioned yesterday, Seattle cops arrested an off-duty Auburn cop who may have killed a pedestrian while driving (very) possibly under the influence. Of course, since there’s no verdict, we gotta use journalist-speak or whatever to not preemptively assume guilt. Either way, a man died and left behind a daughter. Here’s what she has to say about her father who “always saw good.”

Brrrrr: As our friend Jas said in Slog AM, this month was chilly, and the weather nerds will not rest until everyone has heard about it. This weekend, my new neighbor even revealed to me that he fell victim to their highly sophisticated digital marketing scheme (“Finally a nice day! It’s been such a cold April,” my neighbor said as my palms began to sweat. “Cold April? What are you talking about?” I asked, my hands involuntarily wringing each other. “It’s like the second-coldest April in history,” my neighbor replied. “Who told you that?” I asked, my voice cracking. “The news guy,” he said. I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him in close, “What do you know? What did the Seattle Weather Blog tell you?”)

Anyway, as the classic saying goes: April snowfall brings May skiing.

The best high school in Seattle: KIRO 7 posted a list of the top-rated Seattle-area high schools in 2022. I occasionally dabble in education reporting, so I thought I’d take a gander. Unfortunately, the first school made me laugh too hard. Tesla STEM High School. That sounds so made up. I know they were probably going for a reference to the science guy and not to the car, but still. Holy shit.

Most of the kids got the bug: The CDC said that three out of four kids contracted COVID-19. I’ve seen like eight kids in the last year in Seattle. To think that six of them probably got COVID-19 is wild.

Jim Carrey trended today: I got very nervous when I saw actor Jim Carrey trending on Twitter earlier this afternoon. Not only does it just feel like he would be the celebrity to die unexpectedly on a Wednesday in April, but I have a strong connection to Jim Carrey. Something about my dad idk. And I’m still grappling with Bob Saget’s death, which honestly changed my life and continues to impact me for reasons beyond my pay grade. ANYWAY. Jim Carrey is alive. He just might be playing Joe Biden, who might be dead according to online crazies.