Olympia, Washington: Too busy with “Nothing but Hate for Israel and Zionism” to help their homeless neighbors

After two nights in Rainier National Park, we stopped in Olympic, Washington. The town’s passions are summarized beautifully on State Ave. Stonewall Youth, a group that hosts “drop-ins for queer+trans youth 12-21”, is surrounded by unhoused neighbors (the encampment in the photo below is one block away) and has not a single sign regarding what might be done to assist the unhoused. At the same time, the group is occupied with pro-Hamas advocacy: “Nothing but Hate for Israel and Zionism; Nothing but Love for Palestine and Liberation: from gaza to the americas, decolonization means attack!” (they don’t want to decolonize Olympic, Washington and give the land back to the Native Americans?)

5.5 years after coronapanic, indoor masking remains common in Olympia, but some locals go the full distance into delightful Outdoor Masking (not shown: the homeless guy in the background literally dancing to his own tuen):

The folks who post Black Lives Matter signs all over their town celebrate the memory of RBG, a person famous for refusing to hire any Black law school graduates, while ignoring their indigent neighbors:

Captain Little, a toy store, joins Stonewall Youth in combining advocacy for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ with advocacy for a Hamas-ruled society in which non-heterosexual sex is a criminal act:

Instead of collecting money to help their unhoused neighbors, a couple of whom walked by the store during the few minutes that I needed to get the photos, the toy store is raising money to help a 23-year-old Gaza “demolished home that was bombed by the IOF”:

Children are invited to a couple of Pride events:

One shopper who would absolutely love this children’s store is Mindy the Crippler, our golden retriever:

Speaking of children, here’s what they experence at the Browsers bookstore… The front window:

Specifically in a section marked “Children” within the store:

(It is a little unclear what will happen on Juneteenth in Olympia, Washington. The U.S. Census says that the town is just 3% Black. Based on our walks around downtown, this seems like an overestimate.)

Featured for the parents, in the adult area:

At the front of the store, a reminder that the apparently meek person sitting in an armchair with a book is actually a brave fighter against fascism.

The edge of the building that holds the bookstore is devoted to a massive “Oympia-Rafah Solidarity” mural. The State of Israel is compared to the United States in terms of illegitimate occupation of land that properly belongs to the indigenous, but there is no indication that any of those behind the mural project have returned the land underneath their own houses to the rightful Native American owners and started paying rent. Curiously, the mural says that “no human is illegal” and the anyone can immigrate into the U.S., which seems to be inconsistent with their opposition to Jews having immigrated to British-administered Mandatory Palestine and, after being expelled from Arab/Muslim countries, to the State of Israel. Finally, note that not every Jew is a bad Jew. a Jewess who “refuses to occupy” might be acceptable:

Loosely related, the local indigents get a cheerful mural backdrop:

The sacred Pride mural is desecrated by the presence of rubbish cans in front:

The crosswalk murals are kept clean:

The local flag store sells everything but the American Flag:

Here’s a store that advertises a “No Hate” festival and also warns people to “Beware of [hate-filled?] dog”:

Maybe the dog doesn’t want to “Make America Gay Again”?

Shopping for women’s clothing is an occasion to ponder “No Kings”, Ukraine, Equity, and Immigrants vs. ICE:

Shopping for flowers is a time to remember to “Protect Trans Youth” and that “Queer is Normal”:

There is a huge disconnect between the interests of contemporary Olympians and those of the folks who set up and decorated the State Capitol. War is glorified, including our illegitimate war against Germany in 1917 (after providing a lot of help to the British while officially neutral, we declared war on Germany, untimately winning a “victory” that resulted in Adolf Hitler being elected):

The State of Washington officially flies the sacred Trans-enhanced Rainbow Flag:

It’s magnificent inside, the entire Marble Island of Alaska having been mined to decorate the interior (chandeliers from Tiffany):

Slaveholder George Washington is honored and, on the flip side, Martin Luther King, Jr. (the great man visited Washington State just once, spending four days in Seattle at a time when 1% of residents were Black):

The plastic aerosol virus shields that went up during coropanic are still there in the state offices where the public might show up. Perhaps nobody has had time to read “Those Anti-Covid Plastic Barriers Probably Don’t Help and May Make Things Worse” (New York Times 2021): “erecting plastic barriers can change air flow in a room, disrupt normal ventilation and create “dead zones,” where viral aerosol particles can build up and become highly concentrated.”

Next stop: Olympic National Park!