As unverified rumors of ICE agents in the Seattle area circulated and got more people thinking about what they’ll do if they really do show up, today one West Seattle woman who doesn’t know the names of any of her neighbors posted an inspiring speech about the importance of community.
“At a time when all we have is each other to really protect each other, building community is more important than ever,” said Becca Ward, who has never made direct eye contact with a single neighbor on her block much less know any of their names. “We need to be each other’s eyes and ears and have our own lines of communication with each other to prevent ICE agents and their supporters from distracting us with decoy reports and AI photos that unnecessarily worry people and waste their well-intended time and resources to keep people safe.”
Ward, who has never checked her mail or taken out the trash before 10 p.m. just to reduce any chance of encountering a neighbor if possible, said the time for everyone else to build community is now.
“We shouldn’t wait until things get hard and chaotic—we need to build our networks and strategies now,” said Ward, who’s flaked on the last three sour beer mom gang hangs she was personally invited to. “Too often we’re just helplessly shouting into the void here on the internet but what are we tangibly doing in the real world to better know, communicate and support each other in our own backyard?”
At press time, Ward was happy to see her post doing so well on social media as she hid from someone knocking on her door and let a friend’s call go to voicemail.
