The Silence Is Deafening: KUOW's Isolde Raftery set out to tell a story about "how far we’ve come in talking about victims of sexual abuse." Instead, she found that Democrats, directors of sexual assault organizations, and the Seattle City Council were waving off her requests for comment. Then Raftery spoke to Mary Dispenza, a former nun and advocate for people abused by priests, who told her she wasn't surprised by this. “Clergy abuse in Seattle has been very quiet and very silent, more so than other states and places,” Dispenza told Raftery. “That’s always been a puzzle to me.”

An Oregon Nonprofit Is Also Blocking Information About the Murray Allegations from Coming to Light: Volunteers of America Oregon refused to let me speak to a counselor who had treated one of Ed Murray's accusers from 2008, despite both the counselor and the accuser's willingness to go on the record.

State Rep. Nicole Macri Pleads for Homelessness Funding: Specifically, she's asking that her colleagues not allow a surcharge on real estate documents—a surcharge with funds that then go to combatting homelessness—to expire in 2019. Read Macri on HB 1570, the bill she's introduced to keep homelessness funding alive in the state legislature.

Ijeoma Oluo Broke Our Website Yesterday: With her story on Rachel Dolezal. If you haven't read it, you need to.

The Other Must-Read Feature? Heidi Groover's profile of Ben Stuckart, an eccentric Democratic congressional candidate who really could win over Republicans in Eastern Washington.

Seattle Police Are Gearing Up for May Day: The police spent yesterday training in a Port of Seattle warehouse for a handful of anarchists who predictably break some windows, and maybe a TV news van, every May 1. Seattle police say they're willing to use pepper spray and blast balls on protesters if free speech "turns dangerous or violent or infringes on other people's rights." This year police are also going to carry "Cold Fire Tactical," a fire extinguisher with an absolutely ridiculous website.

Fremont Brewing Owner Sara Nelson Is Running for City Council: And according to Heidi Groover, she stands for... what? This exchange says quite a bit:

On most of the ongoing city issues I asked about, she was noncommittal: A city income tax (she supported a statewide income tax but is "concerned with the constitutional question" of a local tax), private sector paid family leave ("I agree in spirit but it really does come down to details"), sweeps of homeless encampments (she supports increasing shelter options and transitional housing), a new police precinct in North Seattle ("Would I support it if it was stripped down to the bare basics? I don't know, maybe"), safe consumption sites for drug users ("It depends on how they are staffed and where they are"), and allowing duplexes and triplexes in single family zones ("where it makes sense"). During a city council meeting last year, Nelson raised concerns about the city's "secure scheduling" proposal to require employers to give hourly workers more predictable schedules, but says she later dropped those concerns because the law will not apply to her business.

The First Mayoral Debate Is Tonight: Ed Murray, of the aforementioned rape allegations, Nikita Oliver, Mike McGinn, Cary Moon, Andres Salomon, Jason Roberts, and Mary Martin will be there. Read Eli Sanders' interview with Cary Moon, who announced she was running for mayor yesterday, here.

West Seattle Homeowners Accused of Clear-Cutting More Than 150 Trees for the View Will Pay City $440,000: "The city will use the money from the settlement for restoration work on the slope and for summer youth programs, officials said," the Seattle Times reports.

Seattle Police Removed Anti-Gentrification Activists from MidTown Center: "Eight organizers with community group Displacement Stops Here (DSH) and Omari Tahir-Garrett, a lifelong activist and controversial community figure, were escorted out of the building," Ana Sofia reports.

Meanwhile, If You Want to Get High: Here are 24 weed-centric 4/20 events going on today.