In Other Neighborhoods. . .

MADISON VALLEY: A teacher working over the weekend at
Seattle’s private Valley School discovered 40 strange metal
discs—covered with cartoon characters and bar
codes—scattered across the school’s playground. According to the
school’s director, Barry Wright, the discs—which he describes as
“heavy pogs with bar codes”—along with several dozen postcards,
were advertising for Dokodrop.com.
The Dokodrop website is registered to a New York company called Mammoth
Toys. Company president Frank Landi says Mammoth is trying to be
careful about how it markets its game and “didn’t consider that
playgrounds [were] connected to schools.”
The Dokodrop discs were
cleaned up
before students returned from a
three-day
weekend.

CAPITOL HILL: Ramsey Campbell was fired after two days of
training at Seattle’s Online Coffee Company chain. Company owner Ken
Fox left a message on Campbell’s phone, telling him he was being let go
for making “unnecessary and inappropriate [comments]” at work. But
Campbell says he was fired for telling coworkers he’s transgendered and
undergoing gender reassignment. While training as a barista at Online
Coffee Company’s Capitol Hill location, Campbell says his coworkers
started referring to him as “she.” “I told them I actually go by male
pronouns,” he says. Campbell then explained he normally wears a binder,
which he says he described to coworkers as a “really tight shirt.”
Campbell says he was told he was fired for discussing “[managing his]
female anatomy, [which] was just as bad as if a male had talked about
his genitalia at work.” Transgender people are protected from
discrimination in Washington State and Campbell is taking legal action.
Fox did not respond to requests for comment.

DOWNTOWN: In response to Mayor Greg Nickels’s war on homeless
encampments, homeless activists are bringing the fight to his front
door. On March 13, protesters plan to camp overnight on City Hall’s
plaza. Hopefully, there will be s’mores.