Inlander 06/25/2020 by The Inlander

JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2020 | YOUR HOMETOWN PAPER

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How the p andem has impact ic affordable ed housing PAGE 18

PARTY FOUL

CATS AND DOGS

DRIVE-INS

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PAGE 31

PAGE 35

How the Spokane County Democrats self-destructed

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INSIDE

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EDITOR’S NOTE

he coronavirus pandemic put a stop to what had been nearly 11 years of economic growth, and now, slowly, with things beginning to reopen, certain sectors of the U.S. economy are bouncing back. This week’s look at HOUSING in the Inland Northwest includes optimism and data suggesting the industry is, indeed, rebounding. But there’s also a bit of if-wishing-made-it-so sentiment. “Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I can’t think of a reason the Spokane economy and real estate market is going to do anything other than continue on the strong path it’s on,” Tom Clark, president of the Spokane Association of Realtors, tells us. Get the full scoop on changes coming to the housing market beginning on page 18. Also this week: Culture editor Dan Nailen talks with Scott Moran, a Spokane native, who’s co-created Comedy Central’s first binge-oriented sitcom (page 27). — JACOB H. FRIES, Editor

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Normally, we ask our question of the week of people we randomly encounter on the street. But with the coronavirus pandemic, we instead asked our followers on social media to share their thoughts.

SHANE MABREY: Doesn’t really matter. It’s probably going to be Kamala Harris because “electability.” Just like with Biden. The better candidates just haven’t had the screen time and have zero name recognition. From what little I read I liked Val Demings and Stacey Abrams. I liked Elizabeth Warren till she didn’t shake Bernie’s hand but with all the racial tensions it’s clear it can’t be two old white people. Anyone who has a progressive track record and will nominate progressive Supreme Court picks has my vote. I hate for it to be about race and gender but it absolutely will be. The symbolism is necessary even if we don’t get the best candidate. I really hope people just show up to vote this time.

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LAINEY WATERS: No one... he should give up the nomination to someone who can remember what they are doing. NICOLE BISHOP: Definitely Elizabeth Warren or Stacey Abrams. I’m torn because ideologically I’m more aligned with Warren, but I also would love a woman of color on the ticket. Either way, Warren or Abrams on the ticket feels like a win. CONRAD KOVASH: Since he appears to have the memory of a wooden post, how about SIRI so he can get some answers correct. CLYDE HERRINGTON: Stacey Abrams. She’s smart and tough. I’d love to see her in a debate.

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LARRY CEBULA: In terms of governing, the clear choice is Elizabeth Warren. Biden is talking about a big New Deal presidency, and Warren has a plan for that. In terms of winning the election, Stacey Abrams. He needs the enthusiasm of black women voters, and Abrams puts Georgia in play. n

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To Be Sheltered in Place It is no longer possible for me to remain stationary BY HEIDI LASHER

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uring the last few months at home in quarantine, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be sheltered. How it feels to be stuck in place. Shelter, as in respite, a roof and four walls, protection from the elements, or in our case a virus. Place, as in geography, a physical place to stay put, stay safe. Since March, like you, I have been sheltered in place. It’s been moderately uncomfortable, but not unpleasant. But then a black man was killed, then another, then a black woman. Perhaps it was just one death too many. Perhaps I was finally paying attention. But, like many Americans, I felt (and feel) compelled to get up and move. It is no longer possible for me to remain stationary and watch this parade of deaths, each increasingly outrageous for its blatant disregard for life,

liberty and the pursuit of anything resembling happiness. But move how? For the second time in just a few months, I have been asked to set aside my plans and priorities: my interest in rivers, my worries over climate change, my efforts to raise my children. The truth is there are a hundred other things I would rather do than think about racism and our democracy and the 450 years of harm our country has systemically imposed on people of color. I want it to be someone else’s problem. And when I admit that to myself, I see the outlines of my shelter. Stand-

ing under a solid roof on the outskirts of one of the whitest cities in the United States, I don’t have to think about George Floyd. I choose to. Even reluctantly.

These are real and dire concerns, which I concede must seem irrelevant to a mother whose black son has just left the house for a jog or a walk or a drive. I am now drinking from the firehose of avoided learning. It is not a pleasant experience. I am being asked to examine deeply held assumptions about myself and my sense of meaning and purpose. I am asking myself if I am willing to be changed by what I’m learning, and if so, what that looks like. Previously, I had never put racism at the center of things I care about. I have been much more concerned about the future habitability of the planet: wildfires, rising sea levels, mass extinctions. These are real and dire concerns, which I concede must seem irrelevant to a mother whose black son has just left the house for a jog or a walk or a drive. I am looking more closely at the extent to which this country has left people outside, unsheltered, exposed to the whims and suspicions of a populace consumed by fear. Bombarded with unsolicited questions, pelted with comments, and saturated with conjecture over whether their lives matter and by how much. Even the huge marches and protests, the arrests, the disbanding of police departments, as promising as these actions are, do not provide relief or shelter. Rather, they shine a bright light on the place, and by that I mean, station or standing, that have been offered to people who are considered white versus people who are considered black. It is painful to sit in this light. For in the very act of validating injustice, of saying yes, we see this too, we have now made it more real, which can make it unbearable. We were all born into a place we did not choose, and it should feel just as uncomfortable to be safe for being white as it is to be unsafe for being black. One’s sense of progress is tempered by the exhaustion of having seen it all before. All this supposed movement, motion, and moLETTERS mentum: Who has the stamina Send comments to to run endlessly in place? editor@inlander.com. I am buoyed by one thing. We have proven ourselves capable of stopping the world to avoid future harm. We have endured hardship, job loss, economic collapse, virtual learning, Zoom conference calls, and loneliness to prevent, even just to delay, untimely deaths of total strangers. We have done this because we understand that we are connected to each other, even in the most ethereal ways: on the currents of air, a song, our breath. We protect each other because we know it is the only way to protect ourselves. I have spent a lifetime being sheltered in place. And now I, like all my fellow white citizens, am being called to build a bigger shelter, to replace systems and strategies that make other people vulnerable. We are being called to do this in the midst of a public health emergency because it’s all a public health emergency. If we can enact drastic measures to prevent future harm from a virus, surely we can take action to prevent future harm from racist institutions and, while we’re at it, from ways of living that are destroying the place, the planet, on which we all live. What’s required is a reframing of purpose and responsibility. And above all a commitment to rethink what it means to be sheltered and whether we want to continue moving in place. n Heidi Lasher is a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant. She is working on an MFA in nonfiction writing at Eastern Washington University. She lives in Spokane with her family.

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COMMENT | GUEST EDITORIAL

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The Future We Want It starts with more affordable housing BY JIM FRANK

eing in a forced lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has changed our patterns of living. We work more from home, talk with friends and family on Zoom, enjoy walking on roads that are quiet and birdsong loud. We have time to think. One day on my playlist, Nina Simone’s song “Backlash Blues” came on. “Mr. Backlash, Mr. Backlash Just who do you think I am You raise my taxes, freeze my wages And send my son to Vietnam “You give me second class houses And second class schools Do you think that all colored folks Are just second class fools?”

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Hearing those words made me realize that not much has changed since 1967 when these lyrics were written. Perhaps we all should use the current crisis to rethink the sort of future we want for our region. Is picking up where we left off and scrambling back to the way we were actually the future we want? Simone’s reference to “second class houses and second class schools” struck a chord with me. I have been in the business of building homes and communities for more than 30 years. Racism and economic inequality have long been built into our institutions and regulations, and nowhere is that more true than in housing. This has been a long walk… decades in the making. We fund affordable housing projects and then locate them in low-income neighborhoods. State regulations prevent affordable condominiums from being constructed, thereby reducing the opportunity for families to enter homeownership. Local zoning regulations prevent the integration of housing types (townhomes, small cottages and condominiums) from being built in all neighborhoods. The American dream of owning a home is becoming more and more unattainable. Housing is separated by economics

and race, and rather than having economically and racially diverse neighborhoods, we have segregation. Just look at the difference in opportunity between neighborhoods in our city. This segregation is driven by housing regulations and policy rather than mortgage “redlining,” but the effect is the same. How we regulate housing and build neighborhoods has to change. Regardless of the color of their skin or economic status, families need to be welcomed into all of our neighborhoods. Families have the right to choose where they live and want neighborhoods that provide opportunity. The barriers to affordable housing and economically diverse neighborhoods need to be removed. While these barriers are complex, here is a short list of places we can start:  Ask your state legislators to support Condominium Act reform that exempts small infill projects and to remove the requirement to meet Evergreen Standards that are imposed only on affordable housing.  Ask the city of Spokane to adopt changes to development regulations submitted by housing advocates and endorsed by the Low Income Housing Consortium.  Endorse the extension of the West Quadrant Tax Increment Financing District in West Central that will make funds available for public infrastructure and permanent home ownership affordable housing.  Ask the city to extend the Multifamily Tax program to high opportunity neighborhoods. Let’s use this giant interruption in our lives to figure out the future that we want. Foremost in our planning should be the ability to look after our most vulnerable and those impacted by inequality. Attainable housing is where we need to start. n Jim Frank is the founder of Greenstone Corporation, the developer of Kendall Yards and an advocate for affordable housing with 30 years experience in dealing with housing issues and working with nonprofit providers.

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JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 9

POLITICS

PARTY FOUL

Yelling matches, formal grievances and preferred pronouns: How the Spokane County Democrats self-destructed BY DANIEL WALTERS

arlier this month, the Inlander contacted Spokane County Democrats Chair Ed Wood to ask about a barrage of complaints and accusations leveled against him — including a formal grievance from his own vice-chair that had been filed with the state Democratic Party. Initially, Wood responded with outright denial. No, he repeatedly insisted, he was not aware of any recent strife or conflict within the party. No, he wasn’t aware of any grievance filed against him, and even if he was, he wouldn’t be allowed to talk about it because of the party’s rules. That was on June 5. But a week later, Wood — and all the other executive officers on the board of the local Democratic Party — declared they were resigning. To Wood, the mass resignation was entirely the fault of Tina Podlodowski, chair of the Washington State Democrats. “It is because of the lack of leadership and disrespect from you towards myself and my executive board,” he wrote in a June 13 resignation letter to Podlodowski, accusing her of sitting on the complaints against him for months, of meeting with local groups about him behind his back, and telling the local party how he should be punished. He continued, “This is not a way to run a party and I will no longer be a part of this.” Wood repeated the charge in a follow-up interview with the Inlander, claiming he was being smeared by a lot of people. “I thought we are a country of laws with due process!” Wood yells. “I’m being told that I’m this and that, and I don’t even know what the hell it’s about. ... I have retained an attorney and I am very prepared to go to court over this.” Wood has a cadre of fervent supporters — they praise him for his ability to rapidly raise enough funds to pay for the $47,300 in campaign finance fines left as a consequence of previous leadership’s mismanagement. “I was in that office for seven months, six hours a day for seven days a week,” says former City Council President Ben Stuckart, who ran for Spokane mayor

10 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

last year with the Democratic Party’s support. “I saw Ed Wood at a minimum of four days a week, giving of his time. I never had one single bad experience.” But the voices against Wood have been growing increasingly louder over the past two and a half years — and in the last six months they’ve become a fervent chorus. In December, a squadron of progressive activist groups — the Peace and Justice Action League, the criminal justice organization I Did the Time, local chapters of the NAACP and Planned Parenthood, and the National Organization for Women — co-signed a letter pleading with Podlodowski to intervene and push Wood to meet with those groups to address a variety of issues. “While we cannot speak to his intent, the impact of Ed Wood’s leadership has been to further marginalize people of color, people who have been justice-involved, and LGBT+ people,” the message read. “As we move forward, if nothing changes, it would be very difficult to keep our collective voices silent about our concerns.” In February, Vice-Chair Jac Archer resigned. “Once it became clear that the party is a toxic place for me, as a queer person, as a black person, as a young person, I realized I could not be a good soldier anymore,” Archer tells the Inlander. “I couldn’t in good faith encourage people to get involved with the local Democratic Party anymore.” By March, the Spokane County Young Democrats put out an official statement on Facebook, publicly calling for the party’s leadership to resign. “Over the course of the last year, the leadership of the Spokane County Democrats have, on multiple occasions, belittled young people, engaged in bigotry, refused to use preferred pronouns, and exhibited racism towards our members,” the group wrote. Wood dismissed the Young Democrats’ allegations as essentially slanderous and the party didn’t respond to it. “My leadership, to me, is impeccable. Impeccable. We welcome everybody in the party. Totally,” Wood told the Inlander before his resignation. “When you attack me, you attack the entire party.” But Podlodowski says that it wasn’t just one formal complaint against Wood — it was three. All of them, she says, were serious enough for the state party to recommend the local grievance committee take action. And when it seemed like the grievance committee was dragging its feet, she says the state party began to take matters into its own hands. She casts Wood as a “fundamentally good man — an honest man — who is struggling with change” and who had repeatedly failed to adapt to Democratic values of inclusion and equity and listen to those who’d been demanding a voice. So in one sense, the sudden collapse of the Democratic Party had to do with procedural arguments and personal affronts. But in another, it was a symptom of the fracture running through the left as a whole, a divide between those who see championing protections for gender identity, race and sexuality as a central mission for the party and those who feel it’s a distraction from “getting

Democrats elected.” The split is generational as much as ideological. But Podlodowski argues that Wood wasn’t prepared to heal that rift — or even truly acknowledge it. Change is a struggle, she says, but a party leader has to be able to grapple with it. “It feels like he didn’t want to face those things,” Podlodowski says. “It feels to me in this situation, Ed is giving up in that struggle and placing the blame elsewhere.”

THE EDS

To understand the divide, start with Jac Archer and Ed Duhaime. Like Ed Wood, Ed Duhaime is a white-bearded white man. A 66-year-old Bernie Sanders supporter, Duhaime argues that Democrats spent too little time on labor issues and “ordinary working people” and too much time on things like “racism, feminism, gender issues, those kinds of things.” From 2016 to 2018, he was the local party’s state committeeman. And until last year, he was the local group’s unofficial volunteer coordinator: He’d greet people at the front desk, he’d do odd jobs around the office, he’d help manage volunteers for events. But Archer, who served as the local party’s vice-chair, is a black trans activist, passionate about precisely the sort of issues that Duhaime disparages as a distraction. It’s personal. Archer identifies as a “demi-guy” — a nonbinary person who leans toward the masculine gender identity — and prefers the gender-neutral pronoun “they.” Duhaime refuses to extend that courtesy. He says it’s a matter of principle, of linguistics. If he thinks a trans woman looks enough like a man, he’ll call her a “he,” he tells the Inlander. It’s either “he” or “she,” he believes, but never “they.” “I just thought that the issue was itself insane — and also politically a negative for the party,” Duhaime says. So in early 2018, shortly after Wood was elected chair, Duhaime made his opinions known to Archer.

Jac Archer identifies as a “demiguy” — a nonbinary person who leans toward the masculine gender identity — and says local party leadership was disrespectful. “I don’t know how to explain what it’s like to have someone look you in the face and say, ‘I do not care how my words make you feel,’” Archer says. DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO

Duhaime went off on a 15-minute tirade about his pronoun policy, Archer says, denouncing activists for “bullying” changes into the language. “I said, ‘If you keep referring to me as she/her, I will correct you,” Archer recalls. “And he says, ‘And I will ignore it.’” Archer remembers ducking around the corner after the meeting and bawling. While Wood called Archer to apologize for Duhaime’s behavior, Duhaime remained in his position as the local party’s state committeeman. Wood casts Duhaime’s refusal to use a person’s preferred pronoun as merely an agree-to-disagree situation. “That’s his free speech right to do that. But it’s also Jac’s free speech right not to recognize him,” Wood says. “If he doesn’t want to respect they/them and they, then she has the right to not respect him.” To Archer, Wood’s failure to take action against Duhaime — in a year when a trans woman was running as the Democrat’s Spokane County Commissioner candidate — was inexcusable. “I don’t know how to explain what it’s like to have someone look you in the face and say, ‘I do not care how my words make you feel,’” Archer says. “’I do not care how important this is to you. I am going to willfully intentionally disregard you, your identity and your feelings.’”

Spokane County Democrats Chair Ed Wood resigned his position on June 13. “My leadership, to me, is impeccable. Impeccable. We welcome everybody in the party. Totally. When you attack me, you attack the entire party.” DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO Calling a transgender person by the wrong pronoun is exactly the sort of behavior that leads to hostile work environment complaints, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Archer’s complaint wasn’t just about Duhaime. Archer and several other local Democrats interviewed complained that Wood would frequently refer to Archer as “she” or “her” when Archer was outside the room, despite being frequently corrected. While nearly every person the Inlander interviewed for this story inadvertently used the wrong pronoun to refer to Archer at least once, several sources argued that the frequency of Wood’s misgendering went beyond simple carelessness. But Wood says he’s genuinely trying, and you should cut him some slack. “I’m 73 years old, OK!? ‘They and them’ is new to almost everybody in our age group,” Wood counters. “For crying out loud, you are trying to attack me over ‘they, them and their’ and it’s not even my culture and I’m doing the best I can to remember when I can to do that. What more can society expect from me or anybody else in the Democratic Party?” Mary Winkes, who also resigned her position as the local party’s state committee member earlier this month, says Archer gave “no latitude and no grace” when it came to misgendering screwups. “We need to elect Democrats. If we get caught up in all these side issues, we use energy needlessly,” Winkes says. “A single person’s identity is not our mission. Our mission is electing Democrats.” ...continued on next page

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NEWS | POLITICS “PARTY FOUL,” CONTINUED...

nationalism would be simple. Two years ago, the Spo“She came up — pardon me — they came up and kane County Republican Party had made national news spoke! For crying out loud, Jiminy Christmas,” Wood Another of Wood’s supporters in the party hands the when their chair hosted a member of the white supremasays. “For an all-volunteer organization, this kind of Inlander two 11-inch-by-17-inch color printouts of Facecist group Identify Evropa and claimed he’d been “label crap makes very dedicated people not even want to be book screenshots showing Archer praising Wood in 2018 lynched.” involved with anything.” for informing a bank teller about Archer’s pronouns. But when the Spokane County Democrats set out to He points out that both resolutions ultimately But the issue wasn’t settled. While Duhaime didn’t pass a resolution condemning hate groups in early 2019, passed. But Archer felt that Wood had attempted to take run again for state committeeman, he continued to it quickly devolved into infighting. away their voice. serve as the front desk volunteer. And after a marathon “It was tearing the party apart,” says Winkes, the “Literally,” Archer says. “I know it wasn’t just my Facebook argument last year with other local Democrats, former state committeewoman. “We couldn’t seem to feeling, I know other people saw it that way as well.” where he decried preferred pronouns as “narcissism run have a reasonable discussion on this.” amok,” the calls for Duhuime’s resignation got louder. Some members of leadership proposed sim“Our party is supposed to stand for inclusivity and ply affirming a 2017 Washington State Demoacceptance, and these qualities are not shown by this crats resolution that dedicated Democrats to individual,” Autumn Reed, NOW’s president at the time fighting white supremacy and systemic racism. and a Democratic precinct committee officer, wrote in a But Archer and others wanted to go further: March 2018 letter. Their proposed resolution dedicated Democrats But when local Democratic precinct committee officer to ask local leaders — including every candidate Rebekah Mason wanted the letter to be read aloud at one asking for the party’s endorsement — to refuse of the party’s board meetings, Wood refused to allow it, to ever offer a platform to hate groups. It named claiming that would be against the party’s rules. organizations like Identity Evropa, Patriot Prayer “I was yelled at, told that I was out of order,” Mason and the Proud Boys as examples. says. But Winkes and others worried that the So in April 2019, Mason filed a grievance with the resolution could put their lives in danger. local party, charging that Duhaime’s behavior violated “My back is to the front door of the office,” Ed Duhaime, a 66-year-old Bernie Sanders supporter, argues that Democrats spent the party’s bylaws. But with the party engaged in a fullWinkes says. “And I didn’t want the Proud Boys too little time on labor issues and “ordinary working people” and too much time on scale rewrite of the party’s grievance procedures, it took or somebody else busting in and shooting me things like “racism, feminism, gender issues, those kinds of things.” DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO five months for her complaint to even get processed. And because they were mentioned in some resoluthe verdict? Since Duhaime was only a volunteer at that tion.” time, the committee determined, the party’s bylaws didn’t The party could lock the doors, Winkes says, but Wood’s predecessor, former Spokane County Demoeven apply to him. then an attacker could shoot through the glass. crats Chair Andrew Biviano, left particularly disturbed But Duhaime had already resigned way back in May And Wood was outraged that their proposal hadn’t that at a meeting about a resolution to support people of 2019: Wood didn’t tell him to do it, he says, but he gone through the resolutions committee first. Precinct of color, a person of color was initially barred from also felt the party no longer had his back. committee officer Erin Ormsby recalls Wood declaring speaking. He saw it as an “openly exclusionary act” and he’d been “stabbed in the back” by Archer at a he decided he wasn’t going to be involved in the party February 2019 resolutions meeting. going forward. “He came in and was very angry, he was “I can’t tell any of my black friends that they should shouting about how Jac hadn’t consulted with join the Democrats, because I haven’t seen any evidence him with the resolution,” Ormsby says, “and that that they’ll be treated well,” Biviano says. “I had hard he was resigning if it passed.” evidence that they weren’t going to feel accepted or feel According to witnesses, Wood stormed safe. I didn’t want to be a part of a place that wasn’t out after getting into a yelling match with Jeff welcoming other people.” Beaulac, a state committee member who had a One of the reasons Biviano had recruited Archer to reputation for aggressive verbal exchanges. become vice-chair in the first place, he says, was because “Ed threatening to resign had become comthe local Democratic Party had struggled to recruit black monplace. And he never did, and I don’t see that and LGBT community members to join. he ever would. He likes being chair,” Archer told “And now I know why,” Biviano says. the Inlander a week before Wood’s resignation. When the Inlander shared Biviano’s concerns with While Wood later apologized for yelling, Wood, Wood blamed Biviano for not telling him how he Former City Council President Ben Stuckart says there would not be a loArcher says they didn’t feel safe continuing talkfelt. cal Democratic Party organization today if not for Ed Wood, who resigned ing to him without a mediator and brought in “Andrew has never brought one concern to me!” he on June 13. “I saw Ed Wood at a minimum of four days a week, giving of Breean Beggs — a Spokane City Council memsays. “I would have listened to what Andrew had to say! his time. I never had one single bad experience.” DANIEL WALTERS PHOTO ber and an attorney trained in mediation — to And I would have addressed it! This is what’s driving me try to broker a truce. Wood declines to say what nuts. You’re getting more information from these people To Wood and Winkes, Duhaime’s resignation reprehappened during mediation, while Archer blames Wood than I’ve got. I don’t have any.” sented an irreplaceable loss of a tireless volunteer. for the mediation not continuing. One of Wood’s big complaints about Podlodowski, “Was it a hardship on me? It’s still a hardship on me,” By the time the two anti-white nationalist resolutions head of the state party, was that she’d criticized the SpoWood says. “He was the best I’d ever seen do that job.” came up for a vote at the Spokane County Democrat’s kane Democrats’ apparent lack of diversity. But Duhaime quitting didn’t solve the concerns that quarterly central committee meeting in March of 2019, “You gave no credit to anyone in the room for all LGBT members of the party had with the leadership. Wood officially endorsed both resolutions. the work they did to get progressive candidates elected,” Archer sent a grievance over Wood’s leadership to the But that doesn’t mean the meeting went smoothly. Wood wrote in his resignation letter to Podlodowski. state party in December. “People were screaming at each other,” Winkes says. “Not a one of us felt any love from you after you made And Mason, feeling her concerns had been met with “It was stupid. There were tears. It was nuts.” the comment that we were not diverse.” “resistance, denial and gaslighting,” filed a grievance with At first, Wood refused to allow Archer to speak Still, local NAACP President Kurtis Robinson says the state in February. about the proposed resolution, claiming that Archer he’d expressed his own concerns to Wood last year and Ultimately, it’s a central question for the Democratic hadn’t signed in. offered to help address some of the issues. Party: Can the Democrats’ big tent include both Ed “We have rules, I hate to tell you,” Wood tells the “We offered a race and equity statement,” Robinson Duhaime and Jac Archer? Inlander. says. “We had offered to do race and equity training — “A party where transphobia is acceptable,” Archer But Wood had interpreted the rules wrong. A ruling we never heard anything.” says, “is not a party that I’m going to be a part of.” from the party’s parliamentarian concluded that Archer Ultimately, Robinson was one of the community was allowed to speak. leaders to sign onto the letter of community organizaWood scoffs at the notion that anyone could object to tions calling for the Washington State Democrats to By contrast, you’d think a resolution condemning white how things went down. intervene in the local party and push Wood to address

SAFETY ISSUES

12 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

these concerns. While Wood and Robinson recently spoke in a video chat about the party, Robinson says there’s a lot more to be done. “Have our voices been adequately heard?” Robinson says. “When the dust settles and the smoke clears, that’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

THE EXODUS

Other controversies have abounded. In Archer’s grievance, Archer provided the state party with evidence suggesting Archer’s email account was being accessed by other members of the party without Archer’s knowledge. In November, Young Democrats Chair Nick Castrolong emailed Podlodowski with complaints about everything from transphobia to the lack of childcare during the quarterly meetings. In April, another precinct committee officer, Angie Beem, filed a grievance with the Washington State Democrats that recounted angry outbursts from Wood and described the Spokane County Democrats as being controlled by “a small group of people manipulating and playing games to fulfill their personal agendas.” But Stuckart, the former City Council president, continued to defend Wood. If it weren’t for Wood, Stuckart says, there wouldn’t be a local Democratic Party organization today. Wood put in the time and put in the work — while his critics didn’t. “The people who are the loudest complaining about Ed in the leadership, I didn’t see them once during the seven months,” Stuckart says. “Not once did I see the vice chair.” After the argument with Duhaime, Archer acknowledges only going through the motions for much of the time. “I wasn’t really hanging in there. I just slowly diminished and diminished and diminished,” Archer says. “I just faded for a while.” Still, there’s a stark difference between the way the two sides of the party understand the issues confronting it. Wood’s complaints are all about rules, about processes being followed and hierarchies being honored. Archer was out of line for talking too publicly to the press about the various complaints, he claims, and Podlodowski was out of line for exceeding the state party’s authority. Similarly, Mary Wissink, who’d served as the head of the local party’s grievance committee, sees it as a clash between those who have experience and those who don’t. “A lot of people come into the party thinking they were going to change everything,” Wood says. “There’s structures, there’s rules, there’s regulations, there’s the PDC, there’s bylaws.” But to Archer and others, it’s about an unwillingness to address the party’s deeper issues including transphobia, racism and representation. Wood was part of the problem, Archer says, but only the symptom of a larger issue. “I don’t want to make it sound like he was a big bad wolf, because there are no big bad wolves,” Archer says. “There are just bullies and the people who empower them.” Pressed before his resignation on how he’s tried to fix the wounds within the party, Wood scoffed at the premise, since most of the people who’d complained were no longer a part of the party’s leadership. But today, he’s no longer part of the local party’s leadership either. Neither is Wissink. “At this point, it no longer matters,” Wood says. “It no longer matters, anymore. I’m done.” Wood says the party has 30 days to hold a special election to choose new leadership. Archer was “honestly completely shocked” by the resignation and says, “I am hopeful that this could mean a fresh start for the party.” This, after all, is the moment of a dramatic societal shift, Podlodowski says, and while that can be tough for some, it’s the job of the Democratic Party to embrace it. “The thing that, in the end, makes us Democrats is that we move forward with that kind of progressive change,” she says. “Just saying ‘All we do is elect Democrats’ is not good enough.” n danielw@inlander.com

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NEWS | EDUCATION

‘There’s Remorse’ Parents call for the resignation of a Spokane school board member who previously defended a school cop who pinned a student’s neck BY WILSON CRISCIONE

hen a school resource officer kneeled on a black Ferris High School student’s neck — more than a year before an officer in Minneapolis used the same maneuver, killing George Floyd — students reacted in horror. A school counselor who witnessed the student being restrained by resource officer Shawn Audie says she heard the student say, “I can’t breathe,” school records show. Later, dozens of students staged a walkout to protest what they saw as the officer’s racist treatment of the student. Community members were “outraged” at the pictures taken of the teenager pinned to the ground. But Kevin Morrison, then the interim director of safety and security for Spokane Public Schools, wrote to Audie a week later and expressed sympathy. On Jan. 29, 2019, according to an email thread obtained by the Inlander, someone messaged Audie to thank him for his work, five days after the incident at Ferris High School. “Despite a few protestors and ill-informed critics, a great many support you and appreciate the often thankless job you have. Keep up the great work,” the message said. Audie forwarded that to Morrison, who responded to say that he “echoed” the “sentiment below.” “Thank you for forwarding this Shawn. As a veteran LE Office and public official, you know all too well that you are being held to standards that are far above those who go into ‘normal’ careers,” Morrison wrote. “It is a responsibility that we all go into with our eyes open, knowing that our actions will always be open to scrutiny by those who have less training, are less informed, or have a value system that is not in alignment with those norms we have established to operate safely and without disruption.” He went on to dismiss social media posts circulating, which at the time depicted Audie kneeling on the student’s neck. “The decisions we ask our CRO’s [campus resource officers] to make in a fraction of a second are always going to be under public scrutiny — especially when a photograph, video or single narrative is used irresponsibly,” Morrison wrote to Audie. “I am a life-long resident of Spokane. Our public is wiser than a Facebook post.” Morrison is now a member of the LETTERS Spokane Public Schools Send comments to board of directors, and editor@inlander.com. weeks ago he voted in favor of a racial equity resolution that could eliminate the ability of any school employees to arrest students. But his comments from more than a year ago during his time as the acting director of safety and security are facing renewed criticism. Earlier this month, a petition began circulating demanding his resignation from the school board based on comments he made to the Inlander in February 2019 in which he said he had “no reason to believe that there was an unreasonable use of any kind of force on any individual,” referring to Audie pinning the black teenager’s neck down.

14 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

Before joining the school board, Kevin Morrison, above, served as the interim director of safety and security for Spokane Public Schools. In that position, he defended Shawn Audie, below, a school resource officer, who physically restrained a black student in 2019.

“It’s easy to Monday morning quarterback these situations,” Morrison said. “You have to look at the totality of the incident and the evidence of the incident.” Ileia Perry, a Spokane parent with kids in the school district, started the petition after hearing during a recent school board meeting that Morrison previously said he saw no wrongdoing with Audie’s actions. “The more I thought about his statement, the more upsetting it was,” Perry says. “He had just voted in favor with the rest of the board, unanimously, to pass an antiracism resolution, but has not once seen his statement as problematic.” Morrison, reached by the Inlander, now says he does think it was an unreasonable use of force. He says “there’s remorse” for his own reaction at the time, but Morrison stopped short of apologizing for his statements made a year ago or saying he was wrong. “I would have to take it into context of the time, and the information I had at the time. Obviously my thinking has changed quite a bit,” Morrison says. “If I was defending [resource officers], it’s because I defend the work they’re doing, because we don’t have another system in place.”

day after he sent the email sympathizing with Audie, the Inlander published an article on Feb. 1, 2019, detailing Audie’s history of alleged excessive force during his time as a Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy. Audie had been sued in federal court three times for alleged violent behavior during arrests. In 2013, he applied a neck restraint that killed a man named William Berger. Audie was cleared of criminal wrongdoing, and a federal jury said that Audie did not use excessive force. But that jury wrote an unusual note to the judge saying that “we have reservations regarding the actions of Deputy Audie on June 6, 2013.” Audie retired as a deputy in lieu of termination following an internal investigation when Audie allegedly choked a suspect, dug his knee into his spine and kicked him while the suspect lay on the ground. The school district told the Inlander it did not know of Audie’s alleged violent past when Audie was hired. The background check did not turn up civil matters, and, as KREM reported, the school district says paperwork filed by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office didn’t indicate that anything should have prevented Audie from working as a school resource officer on a limited commission through the Spokane Police Department. Morrison stresses that he was not involved in hiring Audie. Rather, Audie was hired when Mark Sterk, former Spokane County Sheriff, was the director of safety and security for the school district. Morrison says he took over in the role “mainly as an administrator,” having no law enforcement background. The incident at Ferris occurred on Jan. 24, 2019. According to district records, it began over an argument between two students about a pair of shoes. Witnesses say they got in each other’s face before a principal assistant stepped in. Something caused the principal assistant to spill his water bottle — possibly a shove by a student — and that’s when Audie took the black student to the ground, eventually pinning the teenager face down with his shin. When the student’s brother saw this — amid a chaotic scene that injured multiple staff members — he tried to pull Audie off, witnesses say. The brothers were arrested for assault. Those charges were dismissed. Meanwhile, the family plans to sue the school district, says Krista Elliott, an attorney representing the family in the lawsuit. The district’s initial investigation found that Audie did not use excessive force. But the “new information” presented to the district about Audie’s past led human resources to review Audie’s application starting Feb. 1. Ultimately, Audie resigned. Morrison to this day says Audie was doing what he was trained to do. While he disagrees with it, he says it fell within district policy at the time, since the resource officers have a limited commission through the Spokane Police Department, which used the knee-to-neck technique. “I certainly didn’t mean to send a signal that I was justifying that action as it happened,” Morrison says. “The fact that it did happen, and that is what the officer was trained to do — he was a new officer, and no longer works for the district — helped to shine some light on some of the additional challenges that we as a district have.” However, the Spokane Public Schools policy on restraint says any practice “interfering with a child’s breathing” is presumed to be “unreasonable.” Dan Ophardt, a staff attorney with TeamChild and a member of the Every Student Counts Alliance student advocacy group, has demanded Morrison apologize for defending Audie, in part because he says Morrison was simply wrong to say that Audie’s actions were justified by district policy. “What Director Morrison said was shameful then, ...continued on next page

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“THERE’S REMORSE,” CONTINUED... even before the murder of George Floyd showed us the extent of what that type of violence can do to a human life,” Ophardt says. In an interview with the Inlander, Morrison says that a year ago he didn’t have any indication that the breathing of the student was being restricted. But when it was pointed out that witnesses and a counselor gave statements recounting that the student said that he couldn’t breathe, Morrison says, “I’d have to refresh my memory to that time.” Morrison repeats that he’s “not going to Monday morning quarterback that decision or what happened specifically at that moment.” But while he says Audie was doing his duty to protect students and staff around him, he says it was “wrong” what happened to the student. He says he disagrees with restraining students by kneeling on their neck, adding that he apologized to the family personally. “That shouldn’t be the way that we treat students or adults,” Morrison says. “That’s not how you should be able to restrain another human being.”

erry, who started the petition, says she still hasn’t seen Morrison take personal accountability for his statements. The fact that Morrison is on the school board makes it more important that he do so, since his decisions can impact tens of thousands of children, she says. “How can they or their families trust him to make the right decisions for their families?” she says. “He should not hold a position to be able to do so much damage to so many.” Lacrecia Hill, a parent of children in Spokane Public Schools, says she signed the petition demanding Morrison’s resignation because it’s a “major issue” that resource officers in schools have used the same technique that killed George Floyd. She takes is-

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sue with Morrison saying last year, and now, that he’s not going to “Monday morning quarterback” what Audie did. “Why wouldn’t you?” Hill says. “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t reassess your employees’ behaviors especially knowing what’s happening now and especially knowing the history of that officer [Audie].” Morrison says that he doesn’t think school employees should act as law enforcement. Part of the reason he ran for school board is so that he could enact change, he says. “The main regret that I have is that as the interim director of safety and security, I didn’t have, I guess, more ability to legislate policies, procedures and trainings,” he says. Salliejo Evers, the new director of safety and risk management for Spokane Public Schools, says the “knee-to-neck maneuver is not allowed.” The Spokane Police Department recently sent a training bulletin excluding that restraint, unless there are “exceptional reasons,” and all resource officers have “read and acknowledged the guidance.” It hasn’t been used by any resource officers this school year, the district says. The racial equity resolution the board passed promises the district will develop a new safety plan by the fall. “It’s one of the reasons I ran because I think we can effect some change,” Morrison says. “I am trying to affect it through policy and procedure at the highest level we can. And no one knows better than I what that should look like in a school, because I’ve seen both sides.” The situation at Ferris, he says, had an “enormous impact on me.” Hill doesn’t think Morrison’s statements are sincere. “That’s just saving face,” she says. “That’s an after-the-fact situation. I don’t think it’s genuine. I don’t think there’s a genuine concern for the experience that kids of color are having in our school system.” n

CALEB WALSH ILLUSTRATION

QUIET PLEASE! The Spokane City Council voted 4-3 on Monday night to ban the use of noise-emitting devices commonly referred to by the brand name Mosquito, which downtown businesses have used to deter loitering. The legislation now heads to Mayor Nadine Woodward for her signature or veto.

A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE Also on Monday, Eastern Washington University’s faculty senate approved a vote of no confidence in university President Mary Cullinan. A total of 35 out of 42 faculty senators supported the no-confidence vote. Board of Trustees chair Vicki Wilson says the board is “disappointed” by the vote, but intends “to move forward with the course we have charted.” GOGGLES COME IN HANDY Two years ago, Whitworth University chemistry major Jessie Lewis used safety goggles in a lab to prevent anything from getting in her eyes. More recently, that same pair of goggles was used for protection against Spokane Police Department’s tear gas. Find her harrowing story on Inlander.com.

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JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 17

18 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

National and local home prices continue to rise, with the median local listing up more than 10 percent over last May. Pictured: Kelsey Martin uses FaceTime to help her friends from Seattle look for a property in Spokane last week. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

BLA C K LIV E S M AT TER

HOMEBUYING

Sudden Slump

A portion of commissions donated to the NAACP

Spokane home sales dropped dramatically during the pandemic, but prices are up as the stock is low

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BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

s people around the world were told That mirrors the major downturn in sales of to stay home and shelter in place this single-family homes and condos throughout the spring, home sales around the country Western U.S., which was the hardest hit region in took a dramatic dip, with the nation seeing its the country, with sales down 27 percent in April largest month-to-month decline in sales since the this year over April last year, according to the fallout from the Great Recession. National Association of Realtors (NAR). For a few short days after Gov. Jay Inslee Plus, the country saw the biggest month-toshut down restaurants, bars and most “nonessenmonth drop in sales since July 2010 when sales tial” businesses in mid-March, it didn’t even look dropped 17.8 percent from March to April, NAR like realtors would be allowed to show clients notes. homes, says Tom Clark, president of the Spokane At the same time, however, national and local Association of Realtors. home prices continue to rise, with the median lo“We were dead in the water for like three cal listing up more than 10 percent over last May, days, and then came back which is largely due to a on like a life support limited supply of homes AN ONGOING SERIES system,” Clark says. for sale, Clark says. Since those first Coeur d’Alenerestricted days, real estate area home sales are also agents have been aldown for the year, while The Inlander is checking in on local industries and lowed to show homes to prices are up 10 percent how they’re evolving in a world with coronavirus. prospective buyers with as well, according to the Follow along at Inlander.com/recovery. safety measures (masks, Coeur d’Alene Associawiping surfaces) and tion of Realtors. strict limits on how many people may be in the Despite a dip in April sales and the significant house at one time. At first, Clark says he could drop in May, sales are still up 1 percent for this only take one other person in the house at a time, year compared to last year, Clark says. Interestmaking things awkward for couples who had to ingly, he adds, several sales that would have take turns walking through. taken another month to finish were finalized Still, even with creative workarounds like early due to COVID-19 concerns. virtual home showings on Facebook Live and “Every buyer I’ve had in the last three digital paperwork for contracts, Spokane home months closed early. They said, ‘Ooh ooh, let’s sales were down 27.1 percent in May, compared get this done,’ as soon as COVID hit,” Clark to May of 2019, according to Spokane realtors says. “Two [of my] closings from April closed in ...continued on next page data.

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THE ROAD BACK “SUDDEN SLUMP,” CONTINUED... March, and two from May closed in April, so that left very few for May.”

TIGHT MARKET

The good news is, this economic crisis is not expected to result in a housing crisis like the Great Recession, which was largely caused by the subprime mortgage scam and resulted in many foreclosures. That’s not to say there won’t be major impacts, though. Clark says he thinks we haven’t truly seen the economic fallout yet, since most people got $1,200 stimulus checks, and those on unemployment have been receiving an additional $600 a week from the federal government. Plus, evictions and foreclosures have not been allowed under moratoriums. Not to mention, we have yet to see how many of the restaurants, bars and other businesses that were forced to shutter will not reopen, he says. “I think that’ll probably affect the real estate market to some degree, but again, we still have more qualified buyers than homes,” Clark says. There may also be a silver lining from COVID closures, he notes: More people than ever are realizing they can work effectively from home, and maybe don’t have to live near their office to do their jobs. Plus, rural areas with more space are more appealing than ever. “I think the pandemic will be somewhat of a blessing in disguise for rural communities, for those of us in the less densely populated areas,” Clark says “We still have more people moving in than moving out.” With Amazon’s warehouse set to add about 2,000 employees this year, and other economic opportunities, the economy in this region remains strong, he notes.

Real estate broker Mike Crowley opens a storage room door as Kelsey Martin helps her friends from Seattle look for a property via FaceTime. “Overall the economy is still fairly strong in Spokane, and Spokane is a much more desirable location to people than it used to be,” Clark says. “Honestly, in my heart of hearts, I can’t think of a reason the Spokane economy and real estate market is going to do anything other than continue on the strong path it’s on.” Things aren’t all doom and gloom for millennials and other first-time homebuyers either, he says. The main struggle is the increase in home prices, which have gone up about 10 percent, he says. While that’s great for sellers, Clark says he prefers an annual increase closer to 3 percent so it’s not too hard on the

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

market for buyers. But knowing that essentially all single-family lots in Spokane that can be developed are being developed, Clark says that many potential buyers are acknowledging that waiting isn’t going to save money. “The prices aren’t going down tomorrow, they’re going up, so today’s a good day to buy,” Clark says. “If they’re gainfully employed, most millennials I know are buying. They’re not putting off the fact they’re going to live indoors most of the rest of their life, so they’re doing it now.” n samanthaw@inlander.com

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THE ROAD BACK

Home builders still have to follow a raft of coronavirus safety rules, including keeping 6 feet apart and wearing masks and goggles.

CONSTRUCTION

A Rebuilding Year

How the home building industry snapped back from the stay-home shutdown BY DANIEL WALTERS

hen spring hits, it’s construction season — a boom time for contractors and laborers across the county. The specialists and tradesmen — the framers, foundation workers, drywall specialists — work twice as hard to make up for the slower winter months, says Joel White, executive officer of the Spokane Home Builders Association. “A lot of times, they’re not just working 40-hour shifts,” White says. “They’re working 60 hours a week with a lot of overtime.” But this year the unexpected hit: the coronavirustriggered stay-home orders, temporarily halting most home construction. Spokane area contractors like Corey Condron, owner of Condron Homes, were forced to walk away from projects — and give their employees bad news. “I had to lay off half of my crew,” Condron says. “About 10 projects, we had to lock the door and walk away from.” And while a Paycheck Protection Program loan meant he could rehire his employees, the future was still uncertain. Today, the shutdown order for home construction has been lifted. But with a partial shutdown still constraining the local economy, and with unemployment still high across the state, many sectors of the economy are still suffering. But for home builders? The construction boom resumed almost immediately. “I thought there was going to be a slow year because of this, but it’s turning to another banner year for us,”

22 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

Condron says. “That was a pleasant miscalculation.”

ost governors in most states, including Idaho, largely left home construction alone in their stay-home orders, declaring it an essential business. But Gov. Jay Inslee — with Washington state suffering one of the country’s earliest waves of the virus — banned almost all commercial and residential construction. “There was a lot of anger in our community for the way this was handled,” White says. In particular, home builders were annoyed that Inslee allowed government construction projects and low-income housing projects to continue, despite the ban. Initially, many contractors were only allowed to complete projects if there was a safety or “spoilage” risk if abandoned — like finishing putting a roof on a house so it didn’t get flooded when it rained. The shutdown not only denied frontline construction workers the chance to get paychecks, it left some people effectively without housing. “It’s tough to have a home, sell it, buy a new home and need it to be finished, and then find yourself homeless,” says Spokane County Commissioner Al French. The construction went away, but the need for construction didn’t. It wasn’t until April 24 — a month into the shutdown — that Inslee allowed the remaining incomplete construction projects to be finished. It took nearly another month for Spokane County to enter Phase 2 of the state’s economic reopening, allowing most new construction projects to go forward.

By then, demand had built up. A few weeks into the shutdown, Condron’s phone began ringing. Even when he wasn’t allowed to build new homes, he was hearing from people who wanted to reserve their spot in line. “I started putting more sales together,” Condron says. “I continued talking to new prospects during the shutdown.” As soon as Phase 2 launched, White says, most of the homebuilders in the association became so busy he was barely able to find time to reach them. That trend has continued. “We’ve sold six homes in the last two weeks,” Condron says. “It is absolutely booming.” Maybe you could attribute that to the federal reserve’s promise to keep interest rates low, Condron says. Or maybe, despite all of this, people still have faith in the economy. “I think the purchasers understand this is a temporary situation,” Condron says. “There’s a general attitude that the market is coming back.”

ut even if the residential construction business is thriving, there are still plenty of roadblocks slowing down the actual home building. During the initial stay-home order, French says, even getting an inspection for a building permit required elaborate workarounds, like having county employees conduct virtual inspections over video-chat apps. Even now, White says there’s a significant delay in getting building permits approved as officials work through a backlog of paperwork. Home builders still have to follow a raft of coronavirus safety rules, including keeping 6 feet apart and wearing masks and goggles. While those measures help protect workers, White says, they can also slow building down as a consequence — and drive up prices. And for every $1,000 price increase, he estimates, about 200 potential homebuyers are priced out of the home. The biggest challenge, however, is finding enough skilled laborers to meet all the demand. “The builders were scrambling for workers, just like they were before,” White says. But that’s not a new issue. After the last major

just keep with my signage color better). Thanks, recession — sparked by the housing crash — gutted the housing construction industry, scores of experienced tradesmen left the profession entirely and never returned. White says some of the construction workers laid off during the shutdown haven’t come back to work yet, even though there’s room for them. Maybe that’s out of an abundance of caution — coronavirus is still very much a threat, particularly to older employees. But he also wonders if it’s a consequence of the temporarily boosted unemployment checks, which, for some lowerwage workers, can make not working more lucrative than having a job. “That will end July 31,” White says. “So I’ll be interested to see how that affects the industry come Aug. 1.” Condron, however, doubts unemployment checks are much of a factor in the labor shortage. “Construction guys are a different breed,” Condron says. “They enjoy working.” After all, a low supply of home builders and a high demand for housing means the construction workers who remain can charge a premium. “Framers can make six figures now,” Condron says. “That doesn’t even take a high school diploma.” The question is how long the housing boom can continue when unemployment is so high. “My feeling is that the demand side isn’t very sustainable,” says Jim Frank, owner of Greenstone Homes, the developer behind projects like Kendall Yards. After all, when people lose their jobs, they’re less willing to take risks on building a new house. They’re more willing to room together to make ends meet. That means fewer homes get built — and the downturn spreads to the construction industry. But for now? The home building market remains a bright spot in a dismal economic climate. “We’re blessed, we must admit that,” Condron says. n

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Wilson Criscione contributed reporting to this story.

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 23

THE ROAD BACK AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Delayed Impact

Construction on affordable housing has continued through the pandemic, but the biggest impacts may be yet to come BY WILSON CRISCIONE

hile Gov. Jay Inslee’s first stay-home order halted construction on both commercial and residential construction, there were exceptions. One of those exceptions? Publicly financed lowincome housing. That allowed local affordable housing providers to mostly continue with new projects as planned. It allowed Catholic Charities — in May, amid shutdown orders — to open a new 50-unit low-income complex on Sprague and Division in Spokane called Schweitzer Haven. “We were able to get people off the streets and into housing,” says Jonathan Mallahan, director of housing for Catholic Charities. “Any project in current construction, we were fortunate we were able to complete and we weren’t terribly impacted.” That’s been true for other affordable housing projects as well. Spokane Housing Ventures says it’s ahead of schedule on Jayne Auld Manor, a 48-unit affordable housing project that should be ready by September. Hope House 2.0, a Volunteers of America project, will feature shelter space and low-income units, and it’s on track to finish by April 2021. Fawn Schott, CEO for Volunteers of America Eastern Washington & Northern Idaho, says the fact that the state made an exception for affordable housing was crucial. “Without that, we would have been shut down until now,” Schott says. “That was really kind of the key component in Gov. Inslee’s declaration, that affordable housing and low-income housing projects are built.” The real challenges, however, lie ahead. Local housing providers say they’re concerned that there will be a spike in demand for low-income housing when the state eviction moratorium is lifted. And they’re not sure they can keep up. “The pain that renters are feeling right now… is my biggest concern, and making sure people don’t lose their housing, which has all sorts of other impacts on wellness,” Mallahan says. “Keeping people housed through this, and sustainably housed, is crucial.”

urrently, there are significant barriers for affordable housing projects with significant demand for them. But that was true even before the pandemic. Greenstone Homes, for instance, is assisting Habitat for Humanity and Community Frameworks in developing a 20-acre parcel in Airway Heights, with the goal of providing alternative affordable housing for families located in mobile home parks in the Fairchild Air Force Base crash zone. Jim Frank, CEO of Greenstone Homes, says they’ve encountered a series of obstacles in getting it

24 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

Jonathan Mallahan, director of housing for Catholic Charities: “Keeping people housed through this, and sustainably housed, is crucial.” done. The land needed to be rezoned, for instance, and they needed permission to build smaller homes on the lots. “These structural barriers are just everywhere,” Frank says. None of that had to do with the pandemic. But now, even though construction is allowed for low-income projects, these projects can still be indirectly impacted. If contractors can only work on affordable housing, it may not be enough for them to work. “The pandemic didn’t affect the previous two or three years,” Frank says. “If I were to do it today, the pandemic just makes it worse, because the whole construction environment is far more difficult to deal with now. We’re losing a lot of subcontractors who have not been able to operate in this environment.” Mallahan says future Catholic Charities projects could be impacted in the long term. Many of their low-income housing projects are tax credit properties, in which Catholic Charities sells tax credits from the state to banks for equity. But when corporations start losing

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money, the value of those tax credits goes down. “That can continue to impact us down the road,” he says. Yet, already, people are in line to find affordable homes. John Hancock, executive director of Spokane Housing Ventures, says it can take years for someone to get through the waiting list for an apartment. “We have apartment buildings with 20 people in line for one vacancy. The waiting list we have stretches for years and years and years and years,” Hancock says. “The tragedy is it’s hard to rebuild a life if you’re sleeping on a couch, or on grandma’s back porch, or in your car.” Arielle Anderson, homeless services manager for Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners (SNAP), says she’s concerned that when the eviction moratorium is lifted, there might be a huge influx in people losing homes. Already, SNAP is seeing an increase in rental assistance requests. She adds that rent in recent years has skyrocketed to the point that those on a lower fixed income can’t afford a place. “So, yes, I am absolutely concerned about the lack

Your Home, Your Happiness of affordable housing,” she says, “and for those who are the most vulnerable and are on extremely tight budgets.” Schott adds that they’ve seen an increase in services at the shelters they operate as well, highlighting the need for more housing. While construction on current projects could continue, she says there will likely be more obstacles in beginning new projects due to the economy taking a turn. For one, if the state has to slash the budget, social services might be the first place to start. And fundraising overall will be a challenge when people have less money in their pockets. “The demand for our services goes up, even though the ability to fundraise goes down,” Schott says.

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ousing providers say elected leaders can help prevent a major influx in evictions when the state lifts the moratorium. But they may have to use some of the $90 million Spokane County received from the CARES Act, passed by Congress in March. Ami Manning, director of housing services for Transitions, a nonprofit that works to end poverty and homelessness, says some of that money should go toward rental assistance, but she’s concerned by reports that the Spokane County Commission may spend some of it on jail capacity. “When that eviction moratorium is up, we have to have a plan for that and we have to have a way to not have a larger population of homeless people because our system can’t handle it,” Manning says. How much money would it take to help with rental assistance? Mallahan says it’s “going to be a massive number” — $10 million would be a good start. Those decisions haven’t been made yet. But he says he’s hopeful some relief in rental assistance can at least decrease the demand for affordable housing in the future. “It’s the right thing to do,” Mallahan says. n

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Now on Inlander.com: National and international stories from the New York Times to go with the fresh, local news we deliver every day

Cheap ice cream, bad basketball and a dumb-but-lovable guy combine for real laughs on Robbie.

Meet Robbie Spokane native Scott Moran and comedian Rory Scovel co-created Comedy Central’s first binge-oriented sitcom BY DAN NAILEN

hile nothing in show business is a sure thing, this had all the makings of a potential hit. An appealing and increasingly famous stand-up comic with some real acting chops in the lead role. A killer supporting cast of up-and-comers and familiar famous faces. Backing from Gary Sanchez Productions, the company founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. For Spokane native Scott Moran, who co-created Robbie with comedian Rory Scovel (along with Stuart Jenkins and Anthony King), the show was the next natural step in a career that started with a move to Seattle decades ago after graduating from Lewis & Clark High School and taking a few classes at Spokane Falls Community College. After years of doing stand-up comedy, then moving behind the camera as a director, the 43-year-old Moran and Scovel figured they’d found the perfect showcase for a goofball Southern character Scovel had been playing around with among friends. Comedy Central agreed, outbidding two other networks for Robbie and ordering up eight episodes the team filmed in Atlanta last year. The plan was to premiere the show in January or February on cable networks across the country. But, as we all know, plans are folly these days. The CBS takeover of Comedy Central parent company Viacom last year sent the network into some inner turmoil, Moran tells the Inlander from his Los Angeles home, and Robbie found itself caught in the chaos. With little to no fanfare, Comedy Central decided to air the pilot in early May, then immediately released the entire

series online as the network’s first-ever binge-oriented release, available free on YouTube and Comedy Central’s website and app. While neither Moran nor Scovel love the lack of network promotion, they’re embracing the approach of putting the entire series out at once in hopes of finding an audience. “I actually love that it’s on YouTube, because everyone can see it,” Moran says. “If the comments on the show are good, I know it’s going to spread. It’s already growing.” “I think the way the show came out, being on YouTube as opposed to coming out every week, works because our show is very digestible,” Scovel adds, noting that the show’s light tone and ongoing stories and characters might have been hard for viewers to remember if they had to wait a week between episodes. “There’s a part of me that’s really grateful that the show is out there and people can see it,” but “there’s also a part of me who wishes there was support.”

oran’s path to becoming a semi-regular creative partner of South Carolina native Scovel started back as he made his way through Jefferson Elementary, Sacajawea Middle School and LC. While he says “nobody in my life influenced me to go out and watch, like, French films,” Moran was educating himself on comedy via DVDs of movies like Rushmore. The Wes Anderson classic was a gateway drug to a passion for both film and comedy. He took a few film classes at SFCC, and then Comedy Central (of all places) inspired him to pursue a life in entertainment.

“What really got me out of Spokane and to do something else with my life was, Comedy Central was airing these Andy Kaufman documentaries,” Moran says, musing on the manic comic’s bizarre characters and guerilla confrontations with audience members. “It really clicked with me that, ‘You can just do anything you want. He’s proving it to me right now.’ Whatever that did to my brain, it got me to Seattle.” Before long, he’d taken the stage as a stand-up, formed a crew of like-minded comics and hosted a weekly show at the music venue Chop Suey. It was there he met Scovel, touring early in his comedy career. “You get to know people and you do some shows. It’s like sitting at a new table at lunch in high school,” Scovel says of arriving in the Pacific Northwest and meeting Moran and other Northwest comics. “He was very easy to talk to and super-accommodating to me in Seattle. He became one of those guys I’d reach out to when I was in the area.” For Moran, Scovel provided a new impetus to go even bigger in his showbiz dreams, inspiring him to move to New York City by asking him, “Do you want to be a Seattle comedian, or do you want to be a comedian?” They ended up being roommates in New York, and while Scovel’s stand-up career blossomed, Moran says after about five years “it wasn’t really clicking” for him on stage. He turned his attention to directing short documentaries about comedians, which turned into 26 episodes of a show called Modern Comedian that got him a deal with PBS and a manager in Bob Odenkirk’s wife, Naomi. ...continued on next page

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 27

Sta Saf y e Hav & e Fun !

CULTURE | TV “MEET ROBBIE,” CONTINUED... Scovel eventually moved to Los Angeles, where there were more opportunities in film and TV as his career blew up, and Moran followed a few years later. Since their early days as friends, Moran has filmed Scovel’s stand-up sets, and in 2015 when Scovel was ready to make his first “real” stand-up special, Moran directed it. He also directed Scovel’s followup special, Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up For The First Time, which they sold to Netflix in 2017. Moran calls that Netflix special “a huge career landmark for both of us,” and a real signifier that they worked well together and should keep doing that.

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obbie revolves around Scovel’s title character, a buffoonish man-child who works at an ice cream shop and coaches a church-league kids basketball team, forever living in the shadow of his coaching-legend father. In the first episode, Robbie finds out he’s the father to an adolescent son with his black exgirlfriend, and the series spins out in a style of humor that’s both sweet and salty as Robbie navigates new fatherhood, his father’s legacy and relationships with co-workers, his team’s parents and a ditzy-but-loving girlfriend. Between slapstick-y laughs around internet celebrity chickens and KKK-founded ice cream shops are some real poignant moments and thoughtful points made on issues like race and class. Scovel’s natural charm makes Robbie likable even as the character is, Moran says, “a guy who thinks he knows everything, but he’s really a dum-dum, a guy who gets in his own way.” And the supporting cast boasts a chemistry that serves the show incredibly well; it includes Sasheer Zamata as Robbie’s ex-girlfriend Ava, Mary Holland as his scene-stealing girlfriend (of sorts) Janie and Beau Bridges as Robbie’s dad. Scovel says the beginnings of the Robbie character go back more than a decade. “I was in a phase, I think it was 2009, where I didn’t really have any new jokes,” Scovel says. “As a comedian, that’s a scary place to be.” He started playing around with this “Southern guy character” off stage with his friends like Moran, and eventually started doing whole stand-up sets in character because “it was so fun and easy to do that character.” Turning that character into a TV show is something he gives Moran “almost all the credit for being the idea spark.” “Like so many things in art, you sometimes need a friend from the outside to see what needs to be done,” Scovel says. “It needs that ignition. Scott was that ignition.” Moran and Scovel made some clips of the character to pitch TV networks, and ultimately picked Comedy Central because, Moran says, “it made the most sense.” Whether that decision ultimately proves wise remains to be seen. For now, both Moran and Scovel are in pandemic lockdown in Los Angeles, still working together despite social distancing — Moran is helping Scovel set up his own YouTube channel while they’re stuck at home. n Robbie is streaming now on YouTube and cc.com/shows/robbie.

CULTURE | DIGEST

Past Due Recognition ANIME REVIVAL Shortly after Avatar: The Last Airbender joined Netflix, the mid-2000s animated series became the streaming giant’s No. 1 show. The saga of teens on a quest to save the world from evil has a reverent fanbase, and its Netflix arrival precedes a planned new live-action adaptation. Set in a mythical world of four distinct nations, each home to magicians that can harness, or bend, the power of the elements (earth, wind, water, fire), Avatar centers around the return of a boy destined to save the world. While its intended audience may skew young, Avatar’s examination of themes from colonialism to friendship, militarism to courage, are timeless and ageless. (CHEY SCOTT)

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

powerful country must choose sides in a conflict fought elsewhere but impacting their own bottom line. Another government stealthily convinces that country’s citizens to choose war, fanning flames of patriotism through a propaganda campaign. The country enters the war, and under the guise of national defense, looks to prosecute any dissenters. Sound familiar? It should, but maybe not if you’re focused on modern times. It’s American history circa early 1900s, with a compelling local component multiplied by two. Retired attorney and former Coeur d’Alene City Councilman Stephen B. McCrea has produced a timely read titled Silencing Thomas Kerl: The Espionage Act of 1917 and the War Against Dissent. It’s based on the life of Thomas Kerl, a turn-of-the-century attorney, legislator and businessman who developed Coeur d’Alene’s Fort Grounds neighborhood. Kerl and his legacy were casualties of President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, whose Espionage

THE BUZZ BIN

THIS WEEK’S PLAYLIST Some noteworthy new music arrives online and in stores June 26. To wit: HAIM, Women in Music Pt. III. The poprock killers delayed their third album in April, but there’s still plenty of summer for digging their breezy new tunes. CORB LUND, Agricultural Tragic. The Canadian country star releases his first new studio set in four years. RAY LAMONTAGNE, Monovision. The reclusive roots artist pops his head up with a new album. (DAN NAILEN)

Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 following America’s entrance into World War I sidestepped certain inalienable rights, according to McCrea. Kerl criticized the government and put himself in its crosshairs. But there were other factors. Kerl was caught up by the human tendency to demonize “the other,” equating ethnicity with loyalty (during Kerl’s time, Germans like him were suspect). Not only were his criticisms outside the mainstream, but he was also educated, making him suspect to patriotismor-else types. Nebraska native Kerl was arrested there and convicted of violating the Espionage Act. As the war had ended, Kerl escaped jail time. Word of his transgressions followed him to Idaho, however, which disbarred him from practicing law — a fact that intrigued McCrea enough to pursue writing about Kerl. McCrea’s narrative concludes with Kerl raising his family in Coeur d’Alene, and continuing his interest in agricultural science. His mental health had suffered, though, and eight days after the death of his youngest daughter, he hung himself in 1933. Silencing Thomas Kerl is a fairly quick read, even though it’s dense with scenesetting details culled from newspaper accounts, personal journals and the like. The trial, his death, his financial successes, his philanthropy, any of it might have warranted recognition in the town he called home. Yet even though he donated generously to numerous organizations, including the library, his story was never chronicled. Until now. n Available at the Art Spirit Gallery, Well-Read Moose, Museum of North Idaho, Coeur d’alene Public Library and stephenbmccrea.com.

POWER TO THE LISTENER Whenever Killer Mike and El-P hop on a track together as the duo known as Run the Jewels, it seems like they’re ready for war. They have a battle-rap energy that makes it seem like they’re competing against each other even though they’re from the same group. Their new album, RTJ4, delivers a signature lyrical explosiveness while making a critique on society that makes you want to rise up against authority. It’s easy to imagine this album being the anthem of revolutionaries. (JEREMEY RANDRUP)

WHO I’M GONNA CALL Actor Josh Gad scored a coup June 15 in bringing the cast of the original Ghostbusters together (online) for a stroll down memory lane. Bill Murray (inexplicably wearing a sailor’s hat), Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson and Annie Potts swap stories with director Ivan Reitman (and poke fun at each other) through a pretty delightful half-hour. Search “GHOSTBUSTERS Reunited Apart” on YouTube if you ain’t afraid of no ghosts. You can make a donation to the Equal Justice Initiative while you’re there. (DAN NAILEN)

RIPPLE EFFECT Everyone knows that history repeats itself, but the new podcast Flashback shows that history also begets more history. In each episode, host Sean Braswell interviews historians and journalists about a watershed historical moment that was the direct consequence of another watershed historical moment — for instance, how the advent of indoor air conditioning led to structural changes in the American political system, how a conspiracydriven Henry Ford inspired the Oklahoma City bombing, and how Hitler’s meth-prescribing doctor could have inadvertently escalated WWII. (NATHAN WEINBENDER)

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 29

CULTURE | POP CULTURE

Late to the Party My first time… watching a Harry Potter movie BY DAN NAILEN

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don’t have anything against wizards per se. Granted, I’ve spent much of life avoiding fantasy novels and albums by ’70s rock bands who could be mistaken for wizards. (Check out old photos of Lynyrd Skynyrd sometime.) But I loved Merlin in campy film classic Excalibur, and my family watched The Wizard of Oz every year back when most of America only had a few TV channels. All that is preamble to say the reason I never saw (or read) a Harry Potter story before now wasn’t some anti-wizard bias, or a principled stance against author J.K. Rowling’s unfortunate tendency to insult the trans community, but rather sheer circumstance. When the first book came out, I was a 25-year-old single dude without a TV. And when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone hit the big screen I was still single, still childless and still more interested in other 2001 movies like Gosford Park, Amelie, even the first Lord of the Rings flick. See, definitely not anti-wizard! Obviously I’m aware of the cultural phenomenon that is Harry Potter. My nephews and friends’ children have been obsessed with the books for years, and I sat next to my old newspaper’s film critic for much of the movie series’ 10-year run. Films and books that generate literally billions of dollars don’t really slip by under the radar. As I sat to watch Sorcerer’s Stone with my partner’s 16-year-old daughter, she delivered the characters’ lines throughout, even though it had been years since she last screened it. As someone who can do the same with the original Star Wars from my childhood, I can appreciate the obsession required for that kind of thing. Consider this the unofficial launch of a new sometimes-series of Inlander staffers experiencing a pop culture phenomenon for the first time — way after most people did the same. Here are a

Daniel Radcliffe’s hair has seen better days since 2001. few random observations of my inaugural trip to Hogwarts: u As a kid who grew up with bangs, I look forward to Harry’s first effort to do something different with his hair. I hope it goes better for him than it did for me. u When Harry, Hermione and Ron got caught in the Devil’s Snare, I’m guessing everyone my age thought of the trash compactor scene in Star Wars. u I’ve heard of real-life colleges starting Quidditch leagues. How does that work, exactly? Personal jet packs? u I know John Williams’ score was nominated for an Oscar, but it was not a highlight. It felt very generic “children’s movie” (which, fair enough, this movie is) and didn’t strike me as particularly memorable. I’ve since been told by a Harry Potter-loving friend that said score is “iconic.” Another friend has it as her phone’s ringtone. I’m clearly in the minority on this one. u It was delightful to see all the British actors dotting the cast. Right from the jump, when Fiona Shaw (so great on Killing Eve) shows up as Harry’s mean aunt, I was loving seeing people like Robbie Coltrane, John Hurt, Maggie Smith, Julie Walters and John Cleese show up in roles big and small. And of course Alan Rickman slays in everything, a great choice for Severus Snape. Had I paid attention to the casting when this movie came out, I might have checked it out back then. And if Harry Potter served as a gateway for young fans to later find their way to Rickman’s greatest role (Die Hard’s Hans Gruber, duh) all the better. u The bad guy is the only character wearing a turban? Really? Seems, um, problematic. u My favorite character might be Nearly Headless Nick, because I love John Cleese, but a strong second is the Sorting Hat. I thought that might be a weird choice and then saw that Elvis Mitchell’s New York Times criticism of the film included the idea that the Sorting Hat had more personality than the human characters. When it comes to Harry, Hermione and Ron in this first film, he’s not wrong. I’m sure the child actors get more lifelike as the series goes along. Despite the fact Harry, Hermione and Ron all nearly died trying to keep the Sorcerer’s Stone from the bad guys, I never felt like the stakes were super high throughout this first chapter of the Harry Potter saga. Obviously, there’s a lot of that story still to come in the ensuing films, and from what I understand, most of them are done with more directorial flair than Chris Columbus displayed in this one. And I can’t lie — it didn’t take me long to fire up the next chapter and dig into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. n

OPENING

CAFÉ AU CAT

Gunner Yake, 7, plays with Henry at Spokane’s Kitty Cantina.

YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Spokane’s Kitty Cantina cat cafe offers a laid-back space for cat lovers and adoptable cats to meet BY CHEY SCOTT

uring its opening week, Spokane’s first and only cat cafe, Kitty Cantina, had a hard time keeping its cat room consistently “stocked.” That week alone, 16 cats — mostly kittens — were adopted out of the new business that merges a modern coffee shop experience and cat adoption services through a partnership with the local nonprofit shelter SpokAnimal. Last Tuesday, Kitty Cantina’s instantly successful “Kitty Lounge” was the temporary home of four felines: three young adult cats — Jody, Coco and Slinky — and one rambunctious three-month-old, tuxedo-patterned male, Henry. A new batch of four kittens arrived the following day, just in time for a busy second weekend at the northeast Spokane business. “We’ve done really good with cat adoptions, almost too good,” says Justyn Cozza, who owns Kitty Cantina

with his wife Tori. An urban trend that began in Asia in the early 2000s, cat cafes have since become popular in cities around the world. Part of the cafes’ draw, beyond helping pair adoptable cats with potential homes, is the chance for people living in residences where pets aren’t allowed to interact with these sort of communal animals. To visit Kitty Cantina’s rotating lineup of resident felines, there’s a $6 cover charge for a 50-minute session, which includes a $2 drink credit, or a $1 credit for alcoholic beverages. The fee helps with the business’s regular overhead; most importantly the housing of the cats in their luxury, cage-free digs. The chic, black-and-white space features dozens of cozy cat beds and soft surfaces. Hexagon-shaped cat beds on the wall above a seating area are accessible via

ramps and high perches. A swinging wooden bridge is suspended between two corners, serving as an aerial cat highway or an out-of-way napping spot, evidenced by Slinky’s personal preference one afternoon. The cats also enjoy plenty of sun-filled windows for both people and bird watching. Their litter boxes and food, meanwhile, are stored in an attached, closed room with a cat door. Reservations to visit the cat lounge are recommended, since walk-ins are only available when the lounge isn’t closed, full (six people is the maximum capacity), or there are no outstanding reservations, which can be made online at kittycantina.com. When walk-ins are available, there’s also an option for a $3, 20-minute-or-less pop-in. Groups can schedule private reservations ($140-$160), and an unlimited VIP pass ($120) lasts for a full year. ...continued on next page

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 31

FOOD | OPENING “CAFÉ AU CAT,” CONTINUED... Customers can bring food and coffee from the cafe side of Kitty Cantina into the cat room, but staff are not allowed to go between the two spaces during their shifts. The cat area is always staffed for everyone’s safety. “We don’t want this to be a petting zoo,” Tori says. “We don’t want a constant flow in here because that is not best for the cats.” For that reason, Kitty Cantina’s cat room is currently closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to give the cats a break from their ardent admirers. Those days also let new arrivals from SpokAnimal acclimate to their surroundings and each other, Justyn explains, and when staff deep clean the cat room. “We had a hyped-up beginning because a lot of cats did find homes, and I would like to keep up that momentum, and also to remind people why we’re doing this,” he says. “It’s to give these homeless cats a better alternative than just living at a shelter.” He and Tori hope Kitty Cantina can regularly feature special needs or older cats to help expose them to more potential adopters who may better see past a cat’s lack of youthfulness or other differences in the lower-stress setting. “It’s a lot easier for a family that might or might not be considering adopting to come and get a cookie or an Italian soda, and then they see these cats,” Justyn says. “And when they do meet them, because [the cats] are so comfortable here, they might bond more.”

ven when the cat room is closed or full, customers can still enjoy observing its mischievous residents through a fully windowed wall between the lounge and cafe. A long bar normally lines the long window facing the cats’ space, but it’s currently been replaced with tables due to social distancing requirements. For its espresso menu ($2$4.25) filled with cat-inspired FROM TOP: Kitty cookies are wordplay (cat-uccino, meowfeatured in the cafe; owners cha), Kitty Cantina is serving Tori and Justyn Cozza; Jody DOMA Coffee. Beverage opwas one of SpokAnimal’s tions also include Italian sodas, cats up for adoption in the smoothies, energy drinks and Kitty Cantina’s early days. kid-friendly sips like chocolate YOUNG KWAK PHOTOS milk and hot chocolate. Craft beer from local breweries such as Lumberbeard and YaYa Brewing, as well as wine, seltzer and cider, is available for the 21+ crowd, with daily “happy meower” offering $1 off those from 4-6 pm. On the food side, the menu offers bagels ($3), breakfast sandwiches ($3.50-$4.25), oatmeal ($3.50) and a few simple sandwiches ($4.25-$7) like grilled cheese or turkey and Swiss. Baked goods — cake pops, cat-shaped cookies, muffins and sweetbreads ($3-$3.75) — are supplied by the locally operated Lilac City Bakery. The Cozzas initially announced Kitty Cantina more than a year ago, and spent the time since then planning, securing funding and finding an ideal location. The couple and their 5-year-old daughter are longtime feline enthusiasts, sharing their home with two cats of their own, as well as frequent fosters from SpokAnimal. “It’s been incredibly adorable to see little girls show up with cat clothes and cat ears on, and they are just pumped up like they’re going to Disneyland,” Tori says. “This is our family dream.” n cheys@inlander.com Kitty Cantina • 6704 N. Nevada St. • Cafe and drivethru open Sun-Thu 6 am-6 pm and Fri-Sat 6 am-8 pm; Kitty Lounge open Mon, Thu, Sun 1-6 pm and Fri-Sat 1-8 pm • kittycantina.com • 509-558-7093

32 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

TETHER UP. EARN MORE. PAWS AND PINTS Happy hour is going to the dogs (and cats) at the newly announced Bark, A Rescue Pub. The pub-meets-animal-shelter is a partnership between owner Josh Wade, of Nectar Beer and Wine and Nectar Catering and Events, and the Spokane Humane Society. The animal shelter-restaurant hybrid is set to open this summer at the former home of the Blackbird restaurant in the historic Broadview Dairy building at 905 N. Washington St. in downtown Spokane. Bark’s unique format allows guests to interact with adoptable cats and dogs before or after ordering food and drinks. The eatery plans to serve a pub-inspired menu in addition to supporting the Spokane Humane Society’s mission as an extension of its local adoption services. Animals will be housed away from food preparation and dining areas, and cared for by a designated team separate from the restaurant’s operations. A portion of proceeds from food and drink sales and reservation fees also support the humane society’s mission. “We are excited to bring a new and unique restaurant experience to Spokane,” Wade says. “My fiancé and I are dog and cat lovers. We have adopted several shelter animals over the years and love being their forever home. Bark provides animal lovers like us a fun interactive dining experience while knowing that we are supporting the Spokane Humane Society with each visit.” Follow Bark on Facebook for the latest progress updates. A website (barkrescuepub.com) for the venture is also live, where interested applicants can apply for jobs, including positions in animal care and restaurant leadership. — CHEY SCOTT

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FOOD | TO GO BOX

Expect a fresh floor and fresh faces on your next visit to Fresh Soul, reopening July 8.

Reopenings & Fresh Flavors Several spots reopen for dine-in service; plus, a new restaurant is bringing Cajun vibes to Spokane BY CHEY SCOTT

hile Spokane County’s move to Phase 2 of the Safe Start Washington Plan has allowed restaurants to offer dine-in service at half of normal capacity since May 22, many local establishments opted to postpone making the transition to give staff more time to safely prepare. A handful of those eateries have now reopened their patios and dining rooms, or plan to soon. Chaps Diner and Bakery, at 4237 S. Cheney-Spokane Rd., opened its dining areas June 17, after being completely closed (save for a few special events) even for takeout service since mid-March. Chaps’ new temporary hours of operation are 8 am to 3 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, but diners are advised to check its social media accounts for the latest updates as the restaurant adjusts to this new format. Takeout orders are also welcome, and the restaurant asks that customers wear face masks whenever they’re not eating or drinking. Italia Trattoria in Browne’s Addition, at 144 S. Cannon St., also opened its dining room and patio June 17 after three months of offering only a takeout menu. The restaurant plans to operate Wednesday through Sunday for dinner (5 pm to close), and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday (9 am-2 pm). Masks are also required to be worn by guests when they enter the restaurant and any time they are not eating or drinking. Italia plans to continue offering its menu for takeout orders. In about two weeks, on July 8, Fresh Soul in East Central Spokane, at 3029 E. Fifth Ave., plans to reopen. While it was closed, the restaurant underwent some

34 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

updates including fresh paint and new flooring, along with the hiring of a new cohort of local youth through its job-training program. The Southern soul food spot, known for classics like barbecued ribs, fried chicken, collard greens and more, is also bringing back its popular seafood gumbo on the first and third Friday of the month, and will be accepting preorders for the gumbo next available July 17. In related news, one local restaurant that had reopened in May for in-person dining has since opted to close due to lack of business. In a Facebook post earlier this week, Austin’s Live Fire Barbecue, at 421 W. Main Ave. in downtown Spokane, shared that owners hope to reopen again this fall “if the pandemic situation is resolved and business can get back to normal.” The restaurant is under the same ownership as nearby Mizuna restaurant.

BIG EASY EATS

A historic building on Broadway Avenue is soon bringing a little slice of old New Orleans to West Central Spokane. Vieux Carre NOLA Kitchen is a new Cajun-themed restaurant moving into a 1903-built brick building at 1403 W. Broadway Ave. that’s framed by a pair of Victorian-style architectural towers. It was recently painted a warm, soft yellow. Building owners Bob Kelley and Chris Skinner are teaming up with Korri McElfresh for the eatery, which is slated to open in late summer or early fall. “New Orleans-based food and atmosphere, that is what we’re going for,” McElfresh says. “We’re trying to

ERICK DOXEY PHOTO

capture the feel of New Orleans; the lush green with the old, exposed brick.” While the project is still seeking an experienced head chef, says McElfresh, who has 17 years in front-of-house restaurant roles, the menu will center on classic Cajun flavors and dishes that combine elements of French and Spanish cuisine. “So we’ll have rabbit etouffee all the way to shrimp po’ boys and oysters any way you want them — fried, fresh on the shell, shooters, an oyster po’ boy,” she says. “We’re really hoping to highlight some crawfish all the way to muffuletta to pecan pie. Just all things Southern and Nola that you think of when you go there.” Vieux Carre (pronounced voh care-eh) is French for “old square,” the name also given to New Orleans’s famous French Quarter. A classic 1930s cocktail of rye whiskey, cognac, sweet vermouth and bitters also takes this namesake, and will be a signature drink at the restaurant’s full bar. Originally, the partners’ plan for the eatery was an upscale pub called Mythos, as sort of an H.P. Lovecraftinspired homage that paired well with the tabletop game shop sharing space in the building. The Gamer’s Haven, co-owned by Kelley and Skinner, is soon moving into the building’s west end and part of the second floor from its current home in Spokane Valley. “We’ll have some geek-influenced stuff that people will pick up on, but realizing we’re by the courthouse and surrounded by law offices, we didn’t want to scare away the lunch crowd,” Kelley explains of the change in plans. Gamer’s Haven customers playing casually or in regularly scheduled tournaments for popular games the shop sells, like Magic: The Gathering and Warhammer 40K, will be able to order food from Vieux Carre, but the restaurant won’t be a dedicated gaming space, McElfresh says. The region’s lack of a dedicated Cajun restaurant was another reason owners decided to make the switch. A website and social media pages for the project are in the works, as well as plans to apply for the property to be added to the local historic registry. n

At the Drive-In While multiplexes remain closed, the country’s remaining drive-in theaters attract audiences BY NATHAN WEINBENDER

t’s been 99 days since I’ve gone to see a movie, not that I’m counting. After driving 70 miles and waiting in line for about a half-hour, I’m finally about to watch a film with a crowd for the first time since March. Sure, the movie isn’t a new release, and the crowd is dispersed in a field, but I’ll take what I can get. Colville’s Auto Vue Drive-In has been showing films every summer since the 1950s, and last weekend I made the journey from Spokane to catch a screening of the Steven Spielberg classic Jaws. It seems fitting that I’d be watching a 45-year-old movie in a venue that could have conceivably showed it when it first came out. ...continued on next page

Auto Vue Drive-In’s screening of Jaws seems to be a perfect fit. DEREK HARRISON PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 35

FILM | ESSAY

You can take your car on a trip back in time in Colville.

“AT THE DRIVE-IN,” CONTINUED... You might think of the drive-in as a novelty, a charming relic of the past. But as Hollywood keeps pushing the release dates of its biggest summer properties and brick-and-mortar theater chains contend with reopening, the country’s remaining drive-ins have experienced a surge in popularity. It might be an antiquated method for watching movies, but it’s perfect for social distancing. As I pulled my Subaru into the Auto Vue’s grassy lot, I crunched some more numbers. It’s been 25 years since I’ve visited an actual drive-in: It was in the summer of 1995, when my parents took me to a double feature of the submarine thriller Crimson Tide and the Sylvester Stallone bomb Judge Dredd. I fell asleep almost as soon as the car was in park. Dusk settled over us, the radio station that transmits the movie’s audio warming up with ’90s country songs, and I’m immediately transported back to my childhood. I felt right at home.

hen the Auto Vue first opened in 1953, the drive-in theater was at its peak. Though drive-in concepts had existed since the 1930s, increasing car ownership meant a surge in activities that revolved around automobiles. By the late ’50s and early ’60s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S. The drive-in was eventually knocked from its great heights by mall multiplexes and air-conditioned suburban theaters, and some historians have attributed its decline to the oil and energy crises of the 1970s. That’s around the time that Steve Wisner’s family purchased the Auto Vue Drive-In. He grew up in theaters of all kinds, and he remembers fixing speakers at the Dalles Drive-In in Oregon when he was only 10, and being taught by his grandfather how to project 35-millimeter film. Wisner still owns the Auto Vue, as well as Colville’s indoor Alpine Theatre, with a staff of just six employees. The drive-in typically opens in early May and closes after Labor Day weekend, though they got a bit of a late start this year because of health regulations. During the drive-in’s heyday, there were (per the archival website Cinema Treasures) eight of them in Spokane, including locations on Sprague and Trent; the Y Drive-In and the Autovue Drive-In, both on North Division, and the Starlite Drive-In off of the Newport Highway. Drive-in culture has always been associated with more low-budget films, but the fare became racier and more violent as the years wore on. Per the website Spokane Historical, members of the City Council in the mid-’70s had considered regulating the films booked by local drive-ins, “but little was done.” I’ve always been enchanted by the charming seediness of that era — how crazy it seems now that you would park in a lot down the street from your house and take in nudie films by the likes of Russ Meyer, or gory exploitation flicks by Herschell Gordon Lewis or Roger Corman. My friend Chris Cook, the current poet laureate of

36 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

Spokane, has regaled me with stories about how he and his friends spent most of their drive-in money at the Starlite, then owned by the gregarious Walt Hefner and which specialized in schlocky B-movies and trashy horror pictures. Cook recalls a particular triple feature of three exploitation classics with salacious titles — I Spit on Your Grave, I Dismember Mama and Snuff — that stuck with him. That latter film, a notorious 1976 shocker that purported to feature footage of a real murder, disturbed Cook so much he actually called Starlite owner Hefner to ensure he wasn’t watching an actual snuff film. “The only time I’ve ever tried changing the birth date on my driver’s license was an attempt to get into the Y Drive-In,” Cook says. “You had to be 17, and [they showed] awful softcore European films with terrible dubbing. … That’s why we’d end up watching for free in the hills behind the Y Drive-In, along with lots of other cars, and you could form your own dialogue if you wanted to.” Perhaps the appeal of the drive-in, especially to hormonal teenagers going on dates and breaking curfew, was that the interior of your car was your space. No doubt that was fueled further by the carnival sideshow aspect of the low-rent movies that were shown, a sense of lawful lawlessness, like you were getting away with something even if you weren’t. “You had your own domain there,” Cook says. “It’s a place where kids could have control over their situation.”

DEREK HARRISON PHOTO

LET’S GO (BACK) TO THE MOVIES As more and more businesses reopen, one of the looming questions has been what the movie theater experience will look like in a post-pandemic world. Spokane County must enter Phase 3 of the state’s Safe Start program before theaters can reopen, and then only at 50 percent capacity. AMC Theaters, despite earlier reports that the multiplex chain might not survive the pandemic,

ometime in the mid-2000s, when theaters everywhere were phasing out celluloid film in favor of digital projection, Wisner says he contemplated closing down the Auto Vue for good. But then on a trip to California, he and his wife visited a drive-in for a retrospective screening of 1977’s The Goodbye Girl, and he saw the appeal of the drive-in in an entirely new light. “I had a great time,” he says. “And after that I was thinking, ‘Now I know why everyone wants to go to the drive-in.’ I had lost it because I was there all the time. But now I can see what the draw is.” The Auto Vue is still going strong as one of 300 or so operational drive-ins in the country, and as the 220-car lot started filling up last Friday night, I was glad it was there. I parked near the back of the lot, strategically near the small concrete building that houses the concession area which sells traditional theater snacks as well as hamburgers and pizzas. By 9 pm, there seemed to be 80 or so cars in there, with people ready to take in the movie from the beds of their pickup trucks or from blankets they’ve laid out next to their cars. There are families, groups of teenagers, older couples who no doubt saw the evening’s main feature back when it was new. A half-hour later, darkness having descended over Stevens County, Jaws starts. With my windows down, the crisp June air wafting in and the John Williams score thrumming from my car stereo, I watch through my windshield as the socially distanced audience settles in and remembers what it’s like to go to the movies. n

has announced that most of its locations will reopen by the end of July, which means you may be able to see new films at the River Park Square location before summer is over. The Regal Cinemas chain, meanwhile, aims for a July 10 reopening date for eligible locations: Coeur d’Alene, currently in Phase 4, will see its Riverstone Regal location reopen then; reopening dates for the NorthTown and Spokane Valley locations are still up in the air. Both chains will be following guidelines to limit theater capacities, allow space between seats and requiring guests to wear face masks. — NATHAN WEINBENDER

THE ROAD BACK

GETTING IN TUNE

At a smaller scale and a lower volume, live music starts to return to the Inland Northwest BY NATHAN WEINBENDER

hen concerns about coronavirus began to close businesses and force us inside, one of the first things to go was live music. And while restrictions on businesses have started to ease up, most live music is still a no-go. Standalone music venues and most bars aren’t allowed to open quite yet, but restaurants that regularly book live music for entertaining their customers have started filling up their books again. It’s usually small setups with solo performers and an acoustic guitar, 6 feet away from patrons; it’s not a rock club, but it’s a start. The Spokane Valley saloon Stormin’ Norman’s has hosted weekly live music and karaoke since opening in 2018. The business was closed for three months, and it resumed a couple weeks ago with live music on Wednesday nights, with solo artists who are separated from the audience. “We’ve had a crazy response,” says Stormin’ Norman’s owner Carrie Thomson. “Musicians have checked in with me to see if we have any dates open, because that’s a big part of their income that they’re missing, and they’re happy to be out, too.” In a normal year, Stormin’ Norman’s would be fencing off its parking lot for outdoor summer concerts with full bands. That hasn’t happened yet, though Thom-

Restaurants that serve music are offering the first signs of post-shutdown life in the local live music scene. son hopes to resume that soon, spacing out tables and keeping things at half capacity. For now, the music will continue on a smaller scale. “It’s the way we want the bar to be. It’s part of who we are,” Thomson says. “It’s important for me to get musicians back to work, because I know they’re struggling. It’s nice to see everyone being together and being social again, and they can do that with music in the background.” A recent survey from the National Independent Venue Association showed that 90 percent of indie clubs and venues have said they’re in danger of closing permanently without dedicated federal aid, while a report courtesy of Americans for the Arts that 62 percent of artists are currently unemployed. Daniel Mills, a local booker who also performs regular solo shows under the moniker Son of Brad, had a calendar full of gigs before coronavirus lockdowns took effect. He says that most of the artists he’s talked to have struggled with the lack of gigs and are itching to get back to performing. “They have been hit hard as far as losing work,” Mills tells the Inlander via email. “For the musicians who have no day job, it’s been very difficult, and many of them have had to find new jobs. I have also seen half

a dozen performers who perhaps feel more financially secure literally give away dozens of gigs to performers who are in greater need.” Mills has recently started booking weekly shows at Osprey, the relatively new restaurant attached to Spokane’s Ruby River Hotel. Throughout the week, the restaurant will host live music on its riverside patio; the business is still at half capacity, and the staff wears masks. But during his first gig since shutdowns were lifted, Mills says his audience hardly felt limited. “Last night the crowd was very enthusiastic with cheers, singing along and an overall party feel,” Mills says. “The people present seemed to be dying to resume their social activities and entertainment.” And hopefully that enthusiasm continues: For a lot of local businesses, Mills says, it’s imperative that their customers be able to enjoy live music again at a safe distance. “The relationship between restaurants/clubs and musicians is symbiotic,” Mills writes. “For the venues who have chosen to build their ambiance or atmosphere around live music, music is not replaceable. … The more the public gets out there and supports these venues, the faster our local music scene will begin to thrive.” n

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 37

FILM BEATS HAPPENING

The new indie feature Beats may be set in the suburban Scotland of 1994, and it may be entrenched in that era’s electronic music and rave culture, but the story sounds universal: Two teenage BFFs are about to head off into the adult world, and so they decide to have one last evening of adolescent shenanigans before responsibility rears its head. Shot in black and white with mostly unknown actors, it’s both a one-crazy-night film in the mold of Dazed & Confused and a gritty, region-specific musical in the vein of 24 Hour Party People. Directed by Brian Welch and boasting Steven Soderbergh as an executive producer, Beats received positive reviews when it was released in the U.K. last summer. — NATHAN WEINBENDER Beats • Fri-Sun, June 26-28; showtimes vary • $7-$10 • Panida Theater • 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint • panida.org • (208) 263-9191

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38 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

FOOD EAT SMART

Hop online for an enlightening discussion with the experts behind the still-popular nutrition guide Intuitive Eating, first published back in 1995. Authors and nutrition experts Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole will be joined by Stephanie Flora of the Emily Program, a national eating disorder treatment center. The talk is a celebration of the release of Intuitive Eating’s fourth edition. Hosted by Auntie’s Bookstore, the discussion explores major tenets of the book, including a rejection of the “diet mentality,” making peace with food and learning to respect your body. The new edition includes updated sections on weight stigma, current diet culture and baby-led weaning. To register for the talk, streamed online via Zoom, head to Auntie’s website. — CHEY SCOTT Intuitive Eating: A Conversation with Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch • Fri, June 26 at 7 pm • Free • Online (Zoom) • Details at auntiesbooks.com • 838-0206

FOOD PARK IT IN THE PARK

Head outside this weekend and enjoy the arrival (finally!) of summertime weather with a stroll through Riverfront Park. Throughout the weekend, a variety of mobile food purveyors are setting up at the Orange Bridge near the Rotary Fountain to serve up tasty eats, refreshing drinks and cool treats. On the menu this weekend is shaved ice from Kona Ice of Spokane, Texas-style barbecue from Big Rod’s (Friday only), espresso drinks and more from Have Beans Will Travel, and a variety of picnic-friendly eats from Liberty Lakebased Mangia Catering Co. Don’t forget to pack a picnic blanket and some sunscreen! — CHEY SCOTT Food Trucks at Riverfront Park • Fri-Sun, June 26-28 from 10:30 am-6 pm • Free admission • Riverfront Park • 507 N. Howard St. • riverfrontspokane.com

INVALUABLE Our journalism makes a difference, and so can you. The Inland Northwest knows that the Inlander is

MUSIC BLUES MASTER

Spokane audiences love the blues, and because they’re so discerning, you should consider their endorsement of guitarist Sammy Eubanks a big deal. He’s arguably the region’s most celebrated blues musician, a prolific live musician who performs most years at Pig Out in the Park and has won his fair share of awards from the Inland Empire Blues Society, a long-running entity that he helped form. Eubanks and his band play on the patio of Bridge Press Cellars on Friday night; come back on Saturday to hear the smooth stylings of the Sara Brown Band, whose repertoire includes blues, jazz and everything in between. — NATHAN WEINBENDER Sammy Eubanks • Fri, June 26 at 6:30 pm • $10 • 21+ • Bridge Press Cellars • 39 W. Pacific Ave. • bridgepresscellars.com • 838-7815

free. But making it isn’t. Meanwhile, the value of independent, local journalism has never been more apparent. So we’re launching the INLANDER INSIDER program. With your help, the Inlander’s reporters, editors and photographers can stay focused on what they do best: in-depth, community-focused journalism that highlights issues and topics important to the Inland Northwest.

MISSING KIDS SCHOOLS SCRAMBLE TO REACH STUDENTS PAGE 12

WORKER PROTECTIONS UNIONS RUSH TO THEIR MEMBERS’ DEFENSE PAGE 8

OPENING AMID A PANDEMIC THESE NEW FOOD BUSINESSES SOLDIER ON PAGE 23

APRIL 23-29, 2020 | THINK GLOBAL. LIVE INLAND.

VISUAL ARTS GRACE UNDER FIRE

You’re fast approaching your last chance to see an impressive show at Coeur d’Alene’s Art Spirit Gallery. The Grace of Dexterity is a diverse showcase including works by Kelsey Bowen, Gabriel Kulka, Robert Grimes and Doug Martindale. Martindale’s scenic pastels of the Palouse region are every bit the eye-popping match of the natural wonders that inspired them, while Bowen’s fun animal sculptures, Grimes’ abstract pieces and Kulka’s sculptures capturing humans’ need to create sanctuaries round out a show that’s well worth the drive to Idaho for Inland Northwest art lovers. The gallery has limited capacity right now, but make a day of it on Sherman Avenue and have some patience, just be sure to get there before July 4 for this show. — DAN NAILEN The Grace of Dexterity • Through July 4, 11 am-6 pm daily (also online) • Art Spirit Gallery • 415 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene • theartspiritgallery.com • 208-765-6006

Inlander.com/Insider JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 39

They thought, they thought, what can we do? I know, I know, let us go after you. You put him there, this does include you. Creating a fate destroys the great. No Jobs, no Health, no travel plans. They couldn’t get him, so they went after you.” ASPLUNDH WORKERS Cheers to the Asplundh workers in the Perry District this past week. My son has special needs, and when he showed an interest in your trucks and equipment parked outside our house, you took time at the end of your workday to safely show him your gear and machinery. That made his day!

I SAW YOU CUTIE PATOOTIE CONGRESSMAN ARMI I saw you giving a speech at the BLM protest last weekend and you wore a Vets Against Police Brutality shirt. I thought you were very polished, passionate and poised. My favorite part was the megaphone chants you led in the crowds. Will you be at the next protest? Shutup and take my vote!

CHEERS DON’T STOP BELIEVING I, sitting at the airport in Phoenix thinking about the way things have been left between us. I need you to know when I come back I am cutting all the toxic bread crumbing people out of my life. Yes bread crumbing, that’s what I imagine what you have been doing as. I know you’ve played a good game, but I’m the queen and I can’t lose my awesome over someone that doesn’t want to choose me to run the kingdom. So, if you want me make that call or email. No more excuses will be taken. It’s do it or forever be gone. See you in August. Love ME...on a midnight flight to nowhere it’s not a train from the late ‘70s but hey life’s a journey right MAKE AMERICA GREAT, IT IS NOT TOO LATE! “He wanted to make America great! They didn’t like him so they state. Let us make him look really bad, That would make us very glad. It didn’t work, I tore up my plan.

SOUND OFF

INTENSE EYES AT ATTICUS I want to say cheers to you because you made me feel the summer heat with your intense eyes. I was worried when I was at Atticus on Friday the 19th of June, I was staring at you too much. You were sitting by the glass door on the cafe side. With Covid19 and everything flirting just got weird, and I was wearing a mask, so I wanted to let you know, it’s because you are a hot guy. I had steamy thoughts about you since and want you to know you made me very happy it’s summer, and therefore you were wearing shorts. You had medium length grayish hair swept over to one side. Cheers to a grrrrrrrrrreaat summer ye shaggy man beast mrowrrrr. MADE MY FATHER’S DAY Sorry we don’t have your last name, but we cannot begin to thank you enough. Sunday afternoon, while on her way to Sacheen Lake, our daughter hit a moose. A lady stopped to see if she was alright (three other cars passed by before this one). Fortunately, our daughter was not injured. The good Samaritan phoned her father, a mechanic who lived not far away, to check out the car to be sure it was still drivable. He drove to the scene and looked it over and said mechanically the car was O.K. She was able to continue on her way. I hope you see this, Russell. God bless you real good, buddy!

JEERS CMR IS A CRAZY MOTHER RUCKER Jeers to the Cathy Karen’s of the world. This lady thinks she can tell me what to do with my body? Go Trump Off. WHAT EXACTLY DOES SPD DO? A der-

“

As long as the electoral college and the two party system exist in this country voting is simply not enough to make the changes we so desperately need.

elict motorhome on my block is a hub of drug and theft activity with lowlife coming and going. I live in a school zone across from a park. Cars show up without license plates and all their garbage spills out into the street and sidewalk. I called CrimeCheck and 9-1-1 and so did my neighbors. Not one cop showed up. The criminals are blatant because police do NOTHING! I’m putting the drug and crime problem on the police. They enable this to happen. Where is our tough-oncrime mayor Woodward? Where are my tax dollars going? RE: ARMED CITIZENS Wrong... what these fools represent is a pathetic group of little men that are unable to keep and satisfy their girlfriends so they compensate with their loud radios, blaster mufflers and their “LONG GUNS.” They are always loners and have this need to be seen as some kind of macho man. The business owners do NOT want them downtown parading around with all their military paraphernalia and neither do the patrons of these businesses. That’s why we have a police department, sheriff’s department and W.S.P. Now....all these morons got their 5 minutes on T.V. and I’m sure they all believe they are superheroes. Tell them to go home and quit intimidating everyone downtown before one of them actually shoots his LONG GUN and someone gets hurt or killed. RE: “THE LEAST GENERATION” ON 6/18/20 “Vote intelligently and hold those you help elect responsible to fight for the changes you want.” That’s rich coming from generations of Americans who haven’t held a politician accountable since Nixon resigned in disgrace almost fifty years ago. It definitely makes sense to blame people who were either

1. Visit Inlander.com/isawyou by 3 pm Monday. 2. Pick a category (I Saw You, You Saw Me, Cheers or Jeers). 3. Provide basic info: your name and email (so we know you’re real). 4. To connect via I Saw You, provide a non-identifying email to be included with your submission — like “petals327@yahoo.com,” not “j.smith@comcast.net.”

Secrettem! e M nu I

under the legal voting age or not even born yet when Reagan completely dismantled collective bargaining power for the working class, when Clinton outsourced huge swaths of our economy to be replaced with cheap foreign labor through NAFTA, or when George W. Bush spent his entire presidency privatizing and deregulating essential functions of the government so that private businesses get carte blanche access to taxpayer money with no accountability. Voting will solve everything! Especially when only one elected president in the past twenty years has won the popular vote. The number of ballots that were voided in the Washington state presidential primary this year was larger than the margin of victory between Biden and Sanders even with increased voter turnout amongst the younger demographic – oops! At least aspiring local politicians, who are running on the very inspiring and important single-issue platforms of getting rid of sex education in schools, will save the day! How could any young person lose faith in a system like this and resort to civil disobedience? I am willing to bet that anyone telling people to stop complaining and vote doesn’t support measures like Election Day becoming a federal holiday and/or mail-in voting because low turnout and voter suppression are needed to maintain the status quo. As long as the electoral college and the two party system exist in this country voting is simply not enough to make the changes we so desperately need. BLUE LIVES MATTER!! Thank you to all of my fellow patriots in Spokane who are willing to set the record straight and condemn these protesters. I’m glad that some people are brave enough to point out the hypocrisy that when hundreds of instances of unprovoked police brutality

”

against unarmed citizens are recorded on video it is somehow representative of all police officers, but when a handful of people break into our precious Nike store, to steal overpriced shoes made in sweatshops overseas, it’s only “a few bad apples.” The police deserve our unquestioning submission for their sacrifice and being able to run the fifteen minute mile necessary to become a police officer. I simply cannot believe some people really think that these protesters, who are merely getting brutalized for practicing their first amendment rights, are braver than our countrymen who strapped on their bulletproof vests, grabbed their rifles, and went downtown to defend the local Zip’s franchise and Wells Fargo ATM from the very real, and very dangerous, ANTIFA. These protesters dare to insult our laws by saying that they are applied in an extremely discretionary and subjective manner. Who are these triggered snowflakes going to call the next time someone commits a crime against them? They’ll be singing a different tune when a hero walking the thin blue line shows up two hours after the fact, shoots a dog because of their trigger-happy victim complex, and goes home to mercilessly beat their spouse. THANK YOU, COPS! n

THIS WEEK'S ANSWERS M O I A R C G O E S C H P L A I C A V S T H E H T O W A G E S

R E F I T

A V O B O O C U L I A R D D N N E A S D I D U A P L

A T R A R E A D R A Z I E E T E D A O C T C H I K I N T T O S I T O G R A W O W N I N K B L O Y A L

C E E L O

E R R

E L A I G S N A E W O F N F O T T O

M A I M B I T E R

A P P A R E L

P O I N T T O

B O O B O O S

E Y W A E D N T A R T Y

NOTE: I Saw You/Cheers & Jeers is for adults 18 or older. The Inlander reserves the right to edit or reject any posting at any time at its sole discretion and assumes no responsibility for the content.

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Supporters are trying to get two cannabis-related measures on November’s ballot.

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Marching on Montana Cannabis activists think they have a good shot at legalization in the Big Sky State in 2020 BY WILL MAUPIN

n Montana, marijuana legalization is one step closer to appearing on November’s ballot thanks to a group of activists led by New Approach Montana. On Friday, June 19, the deadline to submit signatures for ballot initiatives in Montana, the group submitted over 130,000 in support of two separate, but connected, initiatives. The first is I-190, a statutory initiative that would legalize marijuana in Montana while outlining the regulation and taxation that would come with it. New Approach Montana claims over 52,000 signatures in support of I-190, well above the 25,468 required by Montana law. The other is CI-118, an initiated constitutional amendment, which would set the legal age for cannabis possession and consumption at 21. Constitutional amendments require twice as many signatures as statutory amendments. New Approach Montana submitted over 80,000 signatures

for CI-118, roughly 30,000 more than necessary. “We think it represents what’s going to happen in November,” New Approach Montana spokesman Pepper Petersen tells Montana Public Radio. “There’s going to be overwhelming support for this in every corner of the state.” Those numbers are impressive on their own, and even more so considering they were collected during a pandemic that hit during the home stretch of signature-collection season. New Approach Montana had to essentially shut down its signature drive during the state’s lockdown. In response, it sued the state in an attempt to allow for electronic signature gathering as well as to push the deadline back from June to early August. Neither request was granted. Still, the group managed to exceed requirements by getting creative.

As the state began reopening in May, activists in masks and gloves, with single-use pens and plenty of hand sanitizer, began collecting signatures again. They also launched a program that allowed voters to submit a physical signature from home, via snail mail. The coronavirus pandemic began as an impediment for the legalization efforts, but now it’s helping make the case for cannabis in Big Sky Country. “COVID has done a number to the state’s projected tax revenue for 2020 and 2021,” says Dave Lewis, a retired Republican state representative and former state budget director, in a press release. “Adding nearly $50 million dollars a year to the state budget with legal adultuse marijuana isn’t just a bonus. This projected revenue has already become vital to the future budget of this state.” n

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 41

CULTURE

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42 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

n the first half of the 20th century, Americans looked to author and socialite Emily Post for the do’s and don’ts of proper manners. Why? She wrote the book on it, literally, with 1922’s Etiquette. She wasn’t concerned at all with cannabis. Her great-great-granddaughter Lizzie Post sure is, though, as evidenced by her 2019 work, Higher Etiquette. Yep, there’s an entire book on how to be a good consumer of cannabis. But there are also a few things that shouldn’t even need to be said about it — the simplest ways to be a decent human being while catching a buzz. First, don’t litter. This applies to everything, not just cannabis, but there’s a lot of trash produced by this industry so it’s worth repeating. Stop making stoners look bad and walk over to that trash can. Now that we’ve covered that, it’s time to know your audience. If you’re smoking alone, it’s no big deal to light up the entire bong bowl with one

Rule No. 1: Puff, puff, pass. hit. But when you’re sharing with friends, you don’t want to be a hog. That’s what the saying “puff, puff, pass” is all about. A joint needs to work its way around a circle for everyone to enjoy it. Same goes with a pipe, so leave some for the next guy. Speaking of the next guy, they’re going to put their mouth where yours just was. So keep it dry. Cannabis isn’t usually consumed with

strangers. It’s something done with friends. So, the key to being a good person while consuming cannabis might just be the same as being a good friend. It’s not hard to have good manners, and it’s not any harder to have good manners with cannabis either — though it’s definitely more fun. n A version of this article first appeared in the Inlander’s glossy Green Zone Guide.

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I started dating someone who is super close to his family (talks to his mom and/or dad daily, sometimes multiple times). I have a perfectly good relationship with my family, but we talk a few times a month, not a few times a day! I’m uneasy that being in a relationship with him will mean being in an intense relationship with his family, too. Should I be worried about dating someone so tied to his mom as an adult? —Disturbed

There’s being close with your parents and then there’s being close like one of those kids on a leash at the mall. Starting in the late ‘80s, childhood became like jail, with children no longer being allowed out to explore and instead incarcerated in fenced-in play dates. This came out of “helicopter parenting,” named for parents overprotectively hovering over their kids, supervising every aspect of their lives. Helicopter parents remain in constant communication with their kids (including their adult kids), making their decisions for them, clearing obstacles out of their path, and trying to micromanage their children into Harvard and the “right” career, spouse, house, and all the rest. When you have constant adult supervision, and your mistakes are magically mopped up by Mom (like by calling your boss for you — which, yes, really happens), you get shorted on the normal developmental challenges that create a psychologically healthy, independent adult. Not surprisingly, research by interpersonal communications researcher Kelly Odenweller and her colleagues suggests helicopter parenting leads to adult children with “neurotic tendencies, dependency on others, and ineffective coping skills.” Look at how your boyfriend responds to conflict, and assess whether you’ve got a psychologically handicapped adult baby on your hands or merely a guy who really likes and enjoys his parents. That said, even if it’s the latter, it might not work for you. Talk to him to suss out what sort of role his family would have in your lives. For example: What would be expected of you? Would you need to go to every single event with his family? If you got a job across the country, would moving be out of the question? Upon investigation, figure out what you’d be comfortable with. You may decide his level of involvement with his family doesn’t work for you, and that doesn’t make you a bad person or “wrong.” It just makes you the wrong person for him. However, talking this out now could help you see whether there are compromises you two could live with (same as you might do if he were intensely into a hobby that you find intensely tedious). Maybe you’ll always be a little “Disturbed” about his level of engagement with his family, but maybe you can work things out so his parents are involved in your life together...but not on the level of intestinal polyps.

IT’S NOT YOU. IT’S MEH.

In the first few weeks of seeing this new guy, I was really into him and wanted to spend all my time with him. We’ve now been together for three months. For the first time for me in a relationship, I’m okay with being apart from a boyfriend. (Normally, I get insecure and upset.) Maybe this is good, but it worries me. If you don’t really miss someone when you aren’t together, does that mean you don’t love them? —Concerned There’s an old Billy Joel love song, “I need you in my house because you’re my home” — not, “I could take you or leave you because you’re the shed out back.” It’s possible you mistook the initial excitement of the relationship for having the hots for this guy, in bed and as a person. Elevated dopamine plays a role in this. It’s a neurotransmitter — a chemical messenger — that drives wanting and seeking. Neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz finds that “unpredictable rewards” -- seemingly rewarding things we have yet to experience -- may be even three or four times as exciting (that is, dopamine-elevating) as those we’re used to. However, expecting something to be exciting and having it fall short, failing to match our prediction, causes dopamine levels to sag. We experience less wanting and have diminished motivation to pursue it — in other words, the neurochemical expression of “meh.” Give a hard look at whether this guy hits the marks for you. At the same time, consider whether you missed past boyfriends more because there was something missing in you. (When you develop emotional security, you’re able to be alone without feeling alone.) If you decide he’s worth keeping, remember that romantic partners need to feel loved, even if you don’t need them desperately. You’ll be doing the nice thing if you text the occasional, “I really miss you!” as opposed to the perhaps more honest: “I assume you’re alive. Still on for dinner this Thursday?” n ©2020, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. • Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or email AdviceAmy@aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com)

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lyrics of Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” 38. As well 42. PBS series that jumped to the big screen in 2019 47. Orbicularis ____ (eyelid-closing muscle) 48. “Sprechen ____ Deutsch?” 49. “Field of Dreams” locale 50. Popular yoga pose 53. Like some sloths 55. Actress Hathaway 56. Like sashimi 58. 2/ 59. Oxygen, for one 60. Annoyed moviegoer’s shout ... or what 17-, 27-, 33-, 42- and 50-Across all lack 65. Ending with “umich.” 66. Image in a psychoanalysis test 67. Boating blade 68. Weaken

ACROSS 1. “Surely you don’t mean me!?” 4. Wearying routine 11. Therapists’ org. 14. Jump shot’s path 15. Nook, e.g. 16. “____ favor” 17. Repeated cry in a 1973 fight 19. Ball ____ (play area) 20. City with two MLB teams 21. Wriggly reef resident 22. Operates, as a booth 23. Like cornrows 27. Having no illusions or pretensions 29. Cleveland NBAers 30. Bronx-born congresswoman, familiarly 32. Be dishonest with 33. Oktoberfest exclamation 35. Set overly easy goals 36. NFL team mentioned in the

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38. Hauler’s charges 39. National anthem adopted in 1980 40. Gets really angry 41. Ye ____ Shoppe 43. Dog that needs a muzzle, say 44. Owies 45. Palindromic animal 63 64 46. ____ Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial 67 51. University of Maine town 52. Lacking grace 70 54. “We’re ____ see the “DOWN” Wizard ...” 57. Hoops grp. since 1996 60. Tommy’s kid brother on “Rugrats” 61. Under the weather 62. “As if!” 63. 2019 World Series champ 64. Sample 44

JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 45

COEUR D ’ ALENE

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daho is home to more than 2,000 lakes, not including rivers and minor waterways. Many amazing lakes are in North Idaho and — even better — easy to explore under your own power… paddling along in a canoe, kayak or stand-up paddleboard (SUP). First, a quick primer to North Idaho’s lakes, starting with the smallest ones. FERNAN LAKE, feeds into Lake Coeur d’Alene and is a designated family fishing spot with an easy-access dock. Its entire southern edge is undeveloped, making for a peaceful float tucked into the shadow of the tree-covered slope. SPIRIT LAKE is in the northernmost part of Kootenai County surrounded by hiking and biking trails and with three boat launches. HAUSER LAKE is shallow — only 40 feet deep — and surrounded by mostly flat, open terrain so an easy beginner’s lake for learning to paddle. As the name suggests, TWIN LAKES is two lakes: One very narrow and in some parts quite shallow, but connected by a thoroughfare. Head to the farthest end of Upper Twin to paddle amongst lily pads and waterfowl.

SILVERMT.COM 46 INLANDER JUNE 25, 2020

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Honeysuckle Beach and Tobler’s Marina on the southwest end and Sportsman’s Access to the north. With 40 miles of shoreline and 3,800 surface acres of water, get away from motorized traffic, especially on the east side of the lake. By far the largest lake in Kootenai County, LAKE COEUR D’ALENE has a whopping 31,872 acres of water to explore. Put in at any of 16 boat launches to explore 125 miles of shoreline, ranging from windy bays to secluded coves dappled in sunlight. ROW ADVENTURE CENTER founder Peter Grubb recommends Tubbs Hill for paddling right around town, and both Mica and Beauty Bay for paddling a little further out. New to kayaking or just want a little more structure to your kayak experience? Book a trip with ROW, with special accommodations for kids to safely learn this wonderful sport (rowadventurecenter.com). North Idaho College’s OUTDOOR PURSUITS program will rent you a sailboat, kayak, canoe or SUP at their Sunspot rental location (nic.edu) on Yap-Keehn-Um beach. From there, paddle up into the mouth of the Spokane River or over to Tubbs Hill.

Other local rental options include SUPs at the COEUR D’ALENE RESORT (cdaresort.com/play/activities/ paddleboards), and SUPs or kayaks and KAYAK COEUR D’ALENE (kayakcda.com). Rent a SUP or kayak from COEUR D’ALENE ADVENTURES, or book a guided excursion or class (cdaadventures.com). And if you’re looking for your floating community, consider becoming a member with the COEUR D’ALENE CANOE AND KAYAK CLUB (cdacanoekayakclub.com), an educational and advocacy organization which also organizes Thursday night paddle events on various area waterways. For more information about recreating on North Idaho’s waterways, including locations beyond Coeur d’Alene, visit IDAHO PARKS AND RECREATION (parksandrecreation. idaho.gov) and discover your next best day on the lake.

C O E U R

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Upcoming Events Coeur d’Alene Flea Market JUNE 28

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Wine, Women and Shoes JULY 2

Get ready for the ultimate girls’ night out, complete with premium wine tasting and a walk-around designer marketplace. Even better, proceeds benefit North Idaho’s most vulnerable kids who rely on Idaho Youth Ranch. $150 VIP ticket/$100 regular admission, all seating is reserved; 6-9:30 pm, at the Coeur d’Alene Resort; 208-664-4322; winewomenandshoes.com/iyrcda.

Fourth of July Parade JULY 4

The fireworks are canceled this year, but the celebration continues in Coeur d’Alene. The city’s charming small-town parade will wind its way down Sherman Avenue from 15th Street all the way to Government Way starting at 11 am. Then head to City Park for activities, live music and food until 7 pm. Social distancing and cloth face masks are encouraged. Vendors will accept credit only — no cash. Free.

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JULY 17-18, 2020

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JUNE 25, 2020 INLANDER 47

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