[WASHINGTON D.C.] – (MTN) Peloton has struck a deal with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to recall all Tread+ treadmills sold since 2018 after a 6-year old child died and over 70 injuries have been reported. On April 17 the CPSC released a consumer warning advising to immediately stop using all Tread+ treadmills due to the hazard they posed. The treadmills have also been recalled in Canada.
A video released by the CPSC on April 17 shows 2 children playing on and around a running Peloton treadmill. One child has their arms pulled under the exercise equipment and is held in place by the force of the running track. Momentarily, they are freed only to be pulled back in, and then completely under the exercise equipment. A ball was also pulled under creating a gap for the child to wriggle free.
A statement released by the CPSC outlined the reasoning for the recall. “A 6-year-old child recently died after being pulled under the rear of the treadmill. In addition, Peloton has received 72 reports of adult users, children, pets and/or objects being pulled under the rear of the treadmill, including 29 reports of injuries to children such as second and third-degree abrasions, broken bones, and lacerations.”
Owners of a Peloton Tread+ treadmill are advised to call Peloton at 844-410-0141 from 9 a.m to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m to 6:30 p.m. on the weekends. You can also visit the Peloton Support website and view the current Alerts. Peloton stock (PTON) was down 14.5% to $82.59 in trading on the NASDAQ today.
Seattle Transgender Film Festival returns for its 16th year, May 6-9, 2021, with a diverse lineup of films and programs that highlight the experience of trans individuals around the world. Like last year, the festival is online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Tickets and passes are on sale now. All-access passes (included every festival film and program) are $75 for an individual and $100 per household. Discount passes for students, artists, and seniors are also available for $50. Individual tickets range from $5 – $35. All films and programs (except for livestreams) are available on-demand throughout the festival. The full program is available throughout the United States, and shorts programs & live events are open worldwide. For detailed information, you can visit Three Dollar Bill Cinema.
You can also enter to win free tickets that Malcontent News is giving away on Wednesday. Complete the entry form and we will contact the winner on Wednesday night.
“Amid so much darkness, we invite you to spend some time in the (spot)light and celebrate trans and nonbinary lives with us,” said Translations co-lead programmer Mocha James Herrup, about the festival.
The opening night showing of “No Ordinary Man” on May 6th is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. The film chronicles the life of trans legend Billy Tipton, a jazz musician. Canadian filmmakers Chase Joynt and Aisling Chin-Yee bring this groundbreaking and collaborative documentary to life with appearances from trans influencers, including Marquise Vilsón, Zackary Drucker, Susan Stryker, Kate Bornstein, Ryan Cassata, and Jamison Green. A live question and answer period will follow at 8 p.m. (PST) with cast and crew, which will be viewable via Facebook, Youtube, and the festival portal.
While the festival will showcase over 50 films from countries such as Brazil, Russia, Iran, Japan, Italy, India, Sweden, and the United States; there is plenty of films with Seattle and Pacific Northwest connections, including “Four Fruitbites,” directed by Dave Quantic; “Aromatics of Longing,” directed by Jade Wong; “All Black Lives Matter,” directed by Gabrielle Grimm; Satan’s Tears, directed by Andrew Lush; and Rotten Fruit, directed by Lyr Casper.
The Virtual Trans|lations Film Festival is March 6 – 9, 2021
The featured films this year include: “Always Amber,” a film from Sweden directed by Lia Hietala and Hannah Reinikainen that offers an intimate look into the secret and public lives of teenagers; “Drama Queen,” a Vietnam film directed by Kay Nguyen that offers a lighthearted, action-packed, adventure; “Mom & M,” directed by Jena Burchick, that shares the journey of one family through adoption and overcoming adversity; “Genderation,” a German documentary by Monika Treaut that takes the audience back twenty years to revisit the subjects of “Gendernauts,” a first of its kind documentary about the transgender movement in San Francisco; and “My Name is Baghdad,” a Brazilian film about a gender-defying teenager in a working-class neighborhood in São Paulo, Brazil.
Of course, don’t miss the short film programs, which feature compelling shorts made by and about transgender experiences with melodramatic, historical, humorous, and genre-bending approaches to life. The programs this year are: Oh! The Drama, Trans Joy, F*ck F*scism, QTBIPOC, Fam Jam, Global Arthouse, and Genre Bending.
Several exciting programs will also join the festival this year. A live panel featuring trans masc creatives will discuss this breakthrough year for the trans masc community and the challenges that lay ahead. Likewise, a panel will discuss documenting trans histories through film following the Genderation short films program. Following the short film program, ‘Fam Jam,’ a panel of trans families will speak. Furthermore, a filmmaker networking hour and a festival-goer virtual tea time are also planned.
The closing night film this year hails from Brazil, “Valentina.”It promises to be a feel-good film about a high school trans girl and her wonderful group of friends. The film stars trans YouTube influencer Thiessa Woinbackk, winner of Outstanding Performance Award at Outfest, and includes a pre-recorded interview with former Three Dollar Bill executive director Kathleen Mullen and director Cássio Pereira dos Santos.
Alanna Francis, Development Manager for Three Dollar Bill Cinema is excited to host the event. “We believe in utilizing film to explode representation to not only include people within binaries but to evolve the societal normalization of the full spectrum of identities that create our LGBTQIA+ communities.”
[OLYMPIA] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee announced that the state is “pausing” the phase opening plan for two weeks and holding all Washington counties at the phase they are in. Cowlitz, Ferry, Pierce, and Whitman counties will stay in Phase 2 and all other counties will stay in Phase 3.
The decision was made based on data in the last week that indicates that Washington state has a plateauing of new COVID cases. If cases continue to increase, counties could be rolled back.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Our live webcast from the former Seattle Anarchist Jurisdiction
Content Warning
Editor’s Note: This show contains videos of events that some viewers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
The show from May 3, 2021, featured David Obelcz and our co-host Jennifer Smith. Patrons at the $5 and above level get access to our show notes and research documents.
Update on Cocholati and their refusal to service a Seattle police officer
Mayor Durkan tells Seattle police to “soften” their approach on RV’s and the 72-hour parking limit
Portland, Oregon has the driest April in history – fire season is coming
Attacks on aircraft are skyrocketing
COVID Update
May Day in Seattle – Annual May Day March and Rally for Immigrants and Workers’ Rights
May Day in Seattle – insurrectionary anarchists bloc up
Protester struck by car outside of East Precinct – driver under investigation
Tucker Carlson of Fox News gets his wish
OPA calls for a ban on the use of blast balls as a crowd control measure
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Governor Jay Inslee is expected to announce which Washington counties will move back to Phase 2 as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase. The latest data from King County Health indicated new cases may have hit a plateau, while hospitalizations increased significantly over the weekend.
The health department reported 242.3 cases per 100,000 and hospitalizations increasing to 6.5 per 100,000. These numbers are significantly above requirements to stay in Phase 3 and a rollback is widely expected.
King County Health Key Indicator Dashboard for May 3, 2021
According to the website COVID Act Now, King County ICU utilization improved slightly over the weekend to 72%. Yakima, Benton, Thurston, Pierce, Clark, and Kitsap counties are reporting total ICU utilization of over 85% with Yakima county at a troubling 96%.
Hospital systems across Washington are universally reporting seeing younger patients who are coming into emergency departments much sicker than during previous surges. The latest data from the Washington Department of Health indicates that people 20 to 29 are overwhelming the largest group testing positive for COVID. Seventy-two percent of those testing positive for COVID are from birth to 49 years old.
Currently, four counties are in Phase 2. Cowlitz, Pierce, and Whitman counties went to Phase 2 on April 16, and Ferry county went to Phase 2 on an emergency basis on April 30. Skamania and Ferry counties have some of the highest positive test rates in the United States and the Seattle, Spokane, and Mount Vernon metro areas are in the top 100 metros for daily new COVID cases.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) A protester was injured and arrested, another appears to have been struck, and the driver is under investigation after a car drove through a group of activists outside of the East Precinct at approximately 11 p.m. on Saturday.
A group of about 30 protesters marched from Cal Anderson Park and were protesting outside of the East Precinct at 12th and Pine. Seattle Police gave a dispersal order to the group around 10:20 PM, and they left without incident.
The group returned and blocked Pine and 12th and according to Detective Patrick Michaud of the Seattle Police Department, SPD decided to disengage with the protesters. Video from the traffic camera at the intersection, an independent journalist, and on Twitter showed several cars driving toward the intersection and turning around without incident.
According to eyewitness accounts, a white Toyota Camry driving east on Pine initially slowed at the dispersed group of protesters, appeared to start to turn around, and then lurched forward. One protester jumped up to avoid being struck and landed on the hood. Another protester appears to be struck while running out of the way. The driver then continued east on Pine until they were stopped by Seattle Police at 13th where the person on the hood was ejected.
Video from the scene shows a brigade of police officers on bikes blocking protesters and journalists from advancing further on Pine to where the car had been stopped.
Detective Michaud stated that the protester initially said they were uninjured, and then complained about a head injury. The driver was released from the scene and not cited, but the case has been referred to the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad, per department policy. There was no information provided on the condition of the second protester.
The person who ended up on the hood was ultimately arrested and booked into King County Jail with 3 charges including Pedestrian Interference, Reckless Endangerment, and Property Destruction.
There have been approximately two-dozen documented cases of cars driving through protests in Seattle since June 2020, sometimes with tragic results. On July 4 Summer Taylor was killed and Diaz Love was critically injured after Dawit Kelete drove down I-5 despite the highway being closed. Former Seattle police officer Molly Clark was documented driving through two different protests, and retired shortly after an investigation was announced. The OPA has recommended another Seattle police officer be disciplined for driving at protesters and up on the sidewalk on August 12, 2020.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) Data from King County Health indicated COVID spread was accelerating in King County as officials start their review of statewide infection rate and hospitalization data to determine which counties will move back to Phase 2 on May 6. On Friday new COVID cases in King County were 245.5 per 100,000 and hospitalizations had grown to 6.1 per 100,000. Both numbers are significantly above the requirements to stay in Phase 2.
In Ferry County, officials announced they voluntarily moved back to Phase 2 on Friday in an attempt to contain a major outbreak caused by an indoor super spreader event on April 9-11. Ten percent of the town of Republic has tested positive since the Fraternal Order of Eagles held a self-described “recruiting event” featuring live entertainment. A person infected with COVID connected to the event died on Friday, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review.
Ferry County Hospital, a 25-bed facility, has been overwhelmed with patients, transferring the sickest individuals to hospitals in Spokane and Wenatchee. COVID positivity in the county exceeds 25% indicating significant under-testing and widespread community transmission.
A review of data available from the Washington Department of Health indicated that 31% of all COVID cases detected in the county have happened in the last 19 days. Ferry County has the second-lowest single-dose vaccination rate in Washington and the third-lowest fully vaccinated rate, according to the latest data from the Springfield News-Leader.
Technically, Ferry County remained qualified to stay in Phase 3 but with city offices in Republic working on reduced hours due to so many sickened and other community impact, officials felt there was a critical need to introduce stronger measures.
In King County, hospitalization rates for COVID increased 15% in a week and were not showing signs of abating. Thirteen counties are at risk of going back to Phase 2. Currently, 4 counties, including Ferry, have moved backward in the last 2 weeks.
State officials will announce on Monday which counties will move back to Phase 2 and any other measures that will be taken to help slow the spread. The biggest impact is reducing indoor occupancy rates at public venues such as restaurants, gyms, and stores to 25%.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) With a news helicopter overhead, approximately 250 people marched from the Central District to the Federal Court House on Stewart Street to recognize International Workers Day. Commonly known as May Day, the United States is one of only a handful of countries that does not recognize May first as a holiday.
Organizations representing unions, immigrants, worker’s rights, socialists, and politicians chanted and listened to speeches outside of Hing Hay Park and in front of the Federal Court House. Featured speakers included United States Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and King County Office of Equality and Social Justice advisor Hamdi Mohamed. Mohamed is running for Port of Seattle Commissioner, Position 3.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”45″ gal_title=”International Workers Day Seattle 2021″]
While speeches were being made outside the Federal Court House, another protest group that started on Capitol Hill came into the same area followed by Seattle Police. That group of protesters moved to 7th and Stewart, adjacent to the group with the Immigrant’s Rights March, separated by a civilian bike brigade. The Immigrant’s Rights March ended the speeches and left the area, while a stand-off between SPD bike officers and the other group, many in black bloc, squared off.
The group in bloc marched through Seattle including Pike Place Market. During our coverage, we did not witness any arrests or activity from the protesters. At least two independent media journalists reported being attacked earlier in the day. According to a report on KOMO, five people were arrested in that group. Historically, SPD has not followed groups in bloc into Cal Anderson Park at the end of a protest. It was reported that Seattle Police continued to follow the group into the park, and made four additional arrests.
Prior to COVID, the Annual May Day March would attract thousands that would march through downtown Seattle. Last year the march was canceled and this year was subdued. King County Health was at St. Mary’s Church in the Central District handing out masks to people.
[SEATTLE] – (MTN) The Seattle Police Department reported that the ecology blocks and fences that have surrounded the East Precinct since last fall are being replaced with a fence that will permit sidewalk access, and the work on that new inner fence appears to be nearing completion.
The new fence appears to be 12 feet high and made of a tight mesh. An access gate is outside the public entrance to the East Precinct building. The windows continue to be boarded up. The fence that sat atop the ecology blocks was removed earlier this week. The straps that held the ecology blocks together have also been removed.
A black fence with a gate to the main entrance has been erected. This will replace the ecology blocks around the East Precinct – copyright 2021 Malcontent News – for permission for distribution or reuse contact david@malcontentment.com
Business leaders and residents have requested the ecology blocks come down for months. Some have complained about the sidewalk being blocked, while others find the presence an eyesore.
The East Precinct has been a flashpoint since June 1, 2020, when protesters tried to march past the building. Seattle Police set up a barricade preventing George Floyd protesters from advancing past the station and escalated when a police officer grabbed a pink umbrella, and the crowd was pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed.
That incident led to daily standoffs that drew larger groups of protesters daily. On June 6 tens of thousands of protesters marched from Harborview Medical Center to what was called the Western Barricade. Several doctors and nurses jumped the barricade and were escorted back by Seattle Police. Seattle police threw blast balls, used 40MM munitions, and fired pepper spray at thousands of protesters after a small group moved the western barricade approximately 5 feet.
Seattle Police accused protesters of using IEDs in a tweet that became the subject of an OPA investigation. The next day in a joint press conference Mayor Jenny Durkan and then-Police Chief Carmen Best apologized for the excessive force used and stated they would review the use of chemical weapons for crowd control.
On June 7, Nikolas Alexander Fernandez, 31, drove his car into the crowd and was stopped by a metal barricade. He shot Daniel Gregory, 27, in the arm before surrendering to SPD. Fernandez has been charged with assault in the first degree, which in Washington state is the equivalent of attempted murder.
On June 8 the East Precinct was evacuated by Seattle Police, and CHOP was born. Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, and Mayor Jenny Durkan both deny they gave the order to evacuate the building. The issue is under investigation by the OPA and Director Andrew Myerberg stated on Converge Media they would issue a report.
On July 1 CHOP was cleared by a joint task force of area police departments. The building was reoccupied by Seattle Police, where Chief Best received a standing ovation from officers in a video distributed on Twitter.
On August 24, 2020, Desmond David-Pitts, 19, of Alaska, used quick-setting concrete in an attempt to seal a door at the East Precinct and lit a fire. He was quickly arrested after the incident and pleaded guilty to federal arson charges in January 2021. The ecology blocks and fence were erected and reinforced shortly after the incident.
Jacob Greenberg, 19, of Kirkland, is accused of throwing two Molotov cocktails at the East Precinct on September 1, 2020. Greenberg was arrested on September 29 and charged on October 16, along with Danielle McMillan. Both are awaiting trial.
The East Precinct on May 1, 2021 – copyright 2021 Malcontent News – for permission for distribution or reuse contact david@malcontentment.com
On October 31, the Seattle Police Department threatened to confiscate equipment and an art display from the John Mitchell Art Studio. The studio was using a projector to play images of police activity and protests from the CHOP era on the ecology blocks by a sally port. Ultimately, the art exhibit stayed.
The Seattle Police made numerous arrests for graffiti and chalk art on the wall, occasionally doing mass arrests under Seattle Municipal Code. The arrests were made despite city prosecutors communicating that these types of arrests would not be prosecuted and at a time SPD was claiming they needed its budget increased.
In more recent months the East Precinct has been less of a protest flashpoint as both SPD and protesters adjust tactics.
Journalists, activists, and researchers defending the First Amendment
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