Ujaama Update
The saga of James Ujaama, the activist currently held by the FBI as a "material witness" to terrorism, continues. The Muslim convert--raised in Seattle and praised by many for his work with disaffected and drug-addicted youth--may have a more sinister side after all. According to a Fox News report on Tuesday, July 30, FBI officials discovered documents in his Denver residence linking Ujaama to a possible plot to poison the water supply. Then again, this is from Fox News--they employ Geraldo Rivera, after all--so maybe we should take this report with a grain of salt. SANDEEP KAUSHIK
Tragic Loss
Seattle's design community suffered the abrupt loss of a trailblazing colleague late on the evening of Friday, July 19 [see Obits, p.99]. Kris von Oy, 35, standard-bearer for a cosmopolitan look embodied in signature Capitol Hill hangouts and watering holes such as Bauhaus Books & Coffee and the Baltic Room, died when his car veered out of control and struck a light post on West Magnolia Avenue. "He so much wanted Seattle to have a more international feel," says Jennifer Duryee, von Oy's partner since January at Vivid Design Group, where they had been working on the yet-unopened Dish D'lish deli at Pike Place Market, among other sites. SANDEEP KAUSHIK
Gay Domestic Violence
On Thursday, August 15, Gay City and Northwest Network--groups who work on gay men's health and gay domestic violence issues, respectively--will delve into the taboo topic of male-on-male domestic violence.
Avram Katzman, spokesperson for Gay City, says gay couples have the same rates of domestic violence as straight couples, "but services are nearly nonexistent." He points out that there are no shelters in Seattle for male victims of domestic violence, and the gay "community" is often reluctant to talk about violence.
The forum, at the Seattle Asian Art Museum, will address those issues, Katzman says. Gaycity.org has more info. AMY JENNIGES
#67 The Sinister Omen
Conspiracy theories are afoot among members of the monorail board.
On July 17, City Council Members Heidi Wills and Richard Conlin--Seattle's representatives on the King County Regional Transportation Committee--amended a bus rapid-transit corridor plan to study a bus route potentially duplicating the monorail's planned route. Elevated Transportation Company folks exchanged e-mails conjecturing about the nefarious idea: "Wills and/or someone else from the City is pushing for bus rapid transit along our proposed monorail routes.... Could be just a backup plan in case monorail doesn't pass, or could be more," one inquisitive board member speculated. NANCY DREW