EVERYDAY FEMINISM = HATING GRANDY

TO THE EDITOR: As a girl in a Seattle band reading Eric Grandy's column about TacocaT, it's totally understandable why the singer hates him [Fucking in the Streets, June 5]. There are hundreds of guy bands in this city playing all different kinds of punk/party music, and you never read shit like, "It's just that I wish the Coconut Coolouts were more like Gang of Four." They can just be a crazy noise band without people wanting to place them into some specific mold of what they expect from a guy punk band, because there are no expectations when it comes to guys. But when you're a girl in a band out here, you get written about in the same lazy, patronizing way Grandy wrote about TacocaT, and you get played on KEXP during a set of girl bands, as though that is a genre. And you get guys coming up to you after the show with my personal favorite question, "Did you guys have fun up there?" It's really fucking annoying and appalling in a city that's supposedly so progressive on social issues.

In Grandy's view, TacocaT cover a Bikini Kill song and are therefore written off as a lame version of a Riot Grrrl band. One of the things I love about TacocaT is that they are what Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney songs didn't allow those bands to be—a really fun punk dance band. I don't want to dance to songs about date rape and an awful president. I do, however, love to dance to a band who has the guts to get up onstage and trash Eric Grandy for being a condescending, sexist prick and then sings dead-on songs about macho bike messengers. That sort of sexism is the stuff that affects us every day, and girls like TacocaT who can get together and call guys out on it in a way that makes other girls love them and want to join their anti–Eric Grandy club (and many of my girlfriends already belong, man) is what everyday feminism's all about.

Liz Gay

CIRCLE JERK

TO CHRIS KISSEL: In writing "Played Out" [June 5], I wish you would have dug a little deeper and interviewed either some of the people who were attracted by the drumming, or members of Sohoyini itself. You might have found out what it is people enjoy about drumming, and the good that it brings to have this sort of culture in our parks.

Cal Anderson Park Alliance's values statement states quite clearly that it "will actively and positively support community building within and among the rich and varied cultures of Capitol Hill." This is exactly what we were doing—building community.

We walked into an empty area in the park. Within 15 minutes, there must have been 50 people. In this uptight city, where everyone's so proper and boxed off, this is exactly the sort of thing we need to get people together. We looked around while we were playing: Not one person was "in tears." Children and adults were dancing, and all were smiles, including two police officers. We were approached by a lot of people, and every single one of them had only good things to say. In fact, they wanted to know when we were going to do it again.

When local artists are being priced out of places like the Odd Fellows Hall, the Seattle parks department is one of the few that has invested in bringing arts awareness and cultural entertainment to the public. Perhaps in your next article, we should address a much larger societal problem of ours: When we don't make arts, culture, and people a priority, we lose them. Why do we love Capitol Hill? Because it's funky and artsy. But the way it's looking, the artists and independent businesses that drew us here in the first place won't be around much longer, and we'll be out one more great city that we love.

Aubrey Levine

Sohoyini Dance

ENDING HOMELESSNESS

HELLO STRANGER: The piece about Food Not Bombs feeding the homeless makes me flip out ["Bombs Away," Jonah Spangenthal-Lee, June 5]. About two months ago in The Stranger there was an article about how the SPD needs many more cops, yet there is not enough money in the budget. The article listed individuals who were victims of a felony (including assault), but due to the shortage of cops, their cases were not pursued. However, if a bunch of vegetarians attempt to feed the homeless, the cops arrive within minutes. High five, SPD—job well done!!!

Cracking down on FNB, according to the mayor's office, is "for safety's sake and public health's sake." Because being homeless is not safe or healthy maybe it should be made illegal by Mayor Nickels.

Frank S.

CONSTANT COMMENT

TO THE EDITOR: After reading Paul Constant's short piece on D&D Day, I just wanted to write a mash note [Constant Reader, June 5]. It's rare for geeks to get matter- of-fact and knowledgeable coverage in the press—even most well-intentioned game reviews suck donkey balls. I already looked for Constant's writings on the website, but now I think it's really love. Keep up the good dork.

E. Dettmar