Washington
Why I got arrested in Washington | Anabaptist World
“If you’ve never been there, why do you care?” Anna Johnson asked Kelsey Cramer (my sister-in-law) and me on our way from South Bend to Goshen, Ind., in a 12-passenger van to pick up the rest of our carpool heading to Washington, D.C., on a subzero January morning.
Anna is a Ph.D. candidate in peace studies and sociology, researching the possibilities of peace-and-justice tourism in Palestine. Having grown up Lutheran, she became Mennonite after encountering Mennonite Central Committee workers in Palestine, where she lived for seven years.
For Anna, the atrocities in Palestine are personal. But why, she wondered out loud, were we joining her in an act of civil disobedience?
Kesley described how her heart broke for Palestinians as she watched the atrocities on social media. I stumbled through a response, but the question haunted me throughout the whirlwind of the next two days.
We drove 11 hours through snow to a church in Washington, where Mennonites from across the country were gathered. The next morning, we gathered at another downtown church. The mood was both festive and tense as we ate breakfast. Participants had already decided whether to join an outdoor service or enter the congressional building for civil disobedience.
After prayers and instructions, we were off in groups, adrenaline rushing. I partnered up with Ana Neufeld Weaver, a music education major who had been tapped as a song leader. “Have you ever done anything like this before?” I asked. “I’ve led music plenty of times,” she responded, “but never like this!”
We passed through security checks and wandered the halls like tourists. Then our group leader signaled for us to enter the rotunda, merging into a stream of Mennonites. We unrolled banners, opened song books, sat in a circle and began singing, “Lord, listen to your children praying” — all before the police knew what was happening.
They soon learned, as we transitioned to chanting, “Let Gaza live!” They surrounded us, one warning us to disperse over a megaphone, drowned out by our singing, “We are marching in the light of God!”
After a final warning, they moved in, grabbing banners and going for song leaders. We tried to tighten the circle, but they threatened to increase charges if we resisted. As they removed song leaders, new ones kept emerging.
I was nearly unable to sing, filled with a surge of solidarity and joy. Tears in our eyes, we sang “The world is about to turn!” in harmony unbroken by the removal of friends.
An officer tapped me on the shoulder and zip tied my wrists behind me. We continued to sing as we were invasively patted down. “This will be uncomfortable for both of us,” an officer said before feeling my crotch.
Still singing, we were taken down an elevator to await transportation. On the ground level, an officer commanded, “Stop singing!” We complied.
Loaded into a windowless police vehicle on a bench with barely enough room for our knees, we craned our necks to introduce ourselves and encourage each other through the claustrophobia and increasing wrist and shoulder pain.
After what felt like an hour, the back door opened, and we were led into a warehouse to be patted down again before having zip ties removed, only to be zip tied again from the front. “You’re on my time now,” an officer taunted.
Seeing others from our group already sitting in rows of plastic chairs, I was heartened. We sat and talked as names were called to come forward for a mugshot and processing.
My seminary dean, Bev Lapp, called to me, “If I wasn’t on sabbatical, I would let you cancel your Thursday class!”
An officer began calling out names of those processed. When my name was called, I got zip ties removed, received personal items, paid a fine, signed and received a release form and was sent out alone through a back door.
As I exited the warehouse, familiar faces greeted me with cheers, snacks and a ride back to the church, where others greeted us with applause and hugs. We shared stories over pizza until everyone was released.
Driving home the next day, the answer to Anna’s question hit me. It’s Anna.
At a local Mennonite action in December, Anna had shared about the suffering of her friends in Palestine. Here before me was a Mennonite sibling asking for her pain to be acknowledged. How could I keep from acting?
Mennonites often talk about unity, which can’t be forged by talking about it. When Paul writes of unity, he makes it tangible: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
I participated to weep with Mennonite siblings who weep for Gaza. What I discovered was this: The Spirit binds us together when together we are bound — in zip ties and in love.
David C. Cramer is pastor of Keller Park Church, a Mennonite Church USA congregation in South Bend, Ind., and managing editor at the Institute of Mennonite Studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
Washington
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
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This story contains descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender person.
The Seattle Police Department are searching for a suspect after a 19-year-old University of Washington student was stabbed to death in an off-campus student apartment complex on May 10.
Seattle Police Department Detective Eric Muñoz told NBC News that the victim is “believed to be a 19-year-old transgender female” who was enrolled at the university. The victim has not yet been publicly identified by name. She was found in the housing complex laundry room shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday night.
The housing complex, Nordheim Court, is privately managed but affiliated with the university, located near an upscale shopping center in Seattle’s U-Village neighborhood. According to NBC News, residents received an official alert from UW to stay inside their homes and lock all windows and doors — an alert that was lifted around 1 a.m. with the acknowledgment that “a death investigation remains ongoing.”
According to SPD detective Eric Muñoz, police and the fire department attempted lifesaving measures but ultimately “pronounced the victim deceased at the scene.”
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect, believed to be a black male with a beard, 5’6-8” tall, wearing a vest with button up shirt, and blue jeans,” Muñoz wrote in a blotter report.
Muñoz noted that the victim would be identified by the medical examiner’s office in “the coming days.” The SPD did not immediately respond to Them’s request for comment.
This is the seventh known trans person to be violently killed in 2026. In mid-April, 39-year-old transmasculine farmer Luca RedBeard was fatally shot in rural New Mexico. Last week, police in Marion County, Florida opened a homicide investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old who went by multiple names and referred to “transitioning” on social media. In Kentucky, an investigation into the disappearance of 22-year-old trans college student Murry Foust remains ongoing.
Police are asking anyone with information about the University of Washington case to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000, emphasizing that anonymous tips are accepted.
This is a developing story.
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Washington
How the Sea Mar Museum Is Preserving Latino History in Washington
On a quiet stretch of Des Moines Memorial Drive in South Seattle, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture rises like a long‑overdue acknowledgment. Its brick exterior doesn’t shout; it invites. Inside, the rooms hum with the stories of families who crossed borders, harvested fields, organized classrooms, and built communities across Washington state—often without seeing their histories reflected anywhere on a museum wall.
For Rogelio Riojas, founder and CEO of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, the museum is a promise kept. “We wanted to make sure the contributions of Latinos in Washington state are recognized and preserved for future generations,” he told The Seattle Times when the museum opened in 2019. It was a simple statement, but one that captured decades of work—both visible and invisible—by the region’s Latino communities.
Walking through the galleries feels like stepping into a living archive. One of the most arresting sights is a pair of original farmworker cabins, transported from Eastern Washington. Their narrow wooden frames and sparse interiors speak volumes about the migrant families who once slept inside after long days in the fields. The cabins are not replicas or artistic interpretations; they are the real thing, weathered by sun, dust, and time. They anchor the museum’s narrative in the physical realities of labor that shaped the state’s agricultural economy.
Sea Mar describes the museum as “dedicated to sharing the history, struggles, and successes of the Latino community in Washington state,” a mission that plays out in photographs, letters, student newspapers, and oral histories contributed by community members themselves. These aren’t artifacts chosen from afar—they’re family treasures, personal archives, and memories entrusted to the museum so they can live beyond the kitchen tables and shoeboxes where they were once kept.
The story extends beyond the museum walls. Just steps away is the Sea Mar Community Center, a sweeping, light‑filled gathering space designed for celebrations, performances, workshops, and community events. With room for nearly 500 people, a full stage, a movie‑theater‑sized screen, and a catering kitchen, the center was built with one purpose: to give the community a place to see itself, gather, and grow. Sea Mar describes it as “a welcoming space for families, organizations, and community groups to gather, celebrate, and learn,” and on any given weekend, it lives up to that promise.
Together, the museum and community center form a cultural campus—part historical archive, part living room for the region’s Latino communities. Students come to learn about the Chicano activists who reshaped the University of Washington in the late 1960s. Families come to see their own histories reflected in the exhibits. Visitors come to understand a story that has long been present in Washington, even if it wasn’t always visible.
The Sea Mar Museum is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., offering free admission to anyone who walks through its doors. For many, it’s more than a museum—it’s a recognition, a gathering place, and a testament to the people who helped shape the Pacific Northwest.
Preserving Latino History and Community Life in Washington was first published on Washington Latino News (WALN) and republished with permission.
Washington
Mother’s Day Bunch at Lady Madison | Washington DC
Celebrate Mothers Day with à la carte brunch at Lady Madison featuring seafood, entrées, desserts, and premium beverage options.
Celebrate Mothers Day in sophisticated style at Lady Madison, located inside Le Méridien Washington, DC, The Madison. Join us on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 12:003:00 PM for an elevated à la carte brunch experience in downtown Washington, DC.
Enjoy a refined selection of chef-driven brunch classics, fresh seafood, seasonal salads, and elegant entrées. Highlights include a Build Your Own Omelette, Crab Benedict with lime hollandaise, Chilled Seafood Trio, and signature mains such as Roasted Rack of Lamb, Cedar Plank Sea Bass, and Marinated New York Strip Loin.
End on a sweet note with classic desserts including Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, Fruit Tart, Strawberry Shortcake, and Passion Fruit Cake.
Enhance your experience with beverage offerings, including bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys for $30 with house selections. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne is also available by the glass for $16 or by the bottle for $49.
Reserve on OpenTable:
https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1426987&restref=1426987&experienceId=695240&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared
À La Carte Menu
Les ufs & Brunch
Egg White Frittata $24
spinach, tomato, mushrooms, green onion
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Build Your Own Omelette $24
ham, smoked salmon, vegetables, cheeses (choose up to 3)
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Crab Benedict $24
lime hollandaise, salsa cruda
Served with pommes de terre rissolées or seasonal fruit
Brioche French Toast $17
berry compote, whipped butter, maple syrup
Les Froids & Salades
Chilled Seafood Trio $28
Jonah crab claws, shrimp, cocktail sauce
Spring Berry Salad $17
brie, berries, champagne vinaigrette
Golden & Crimson Beet Salad $18
red wine vinaigrette
Add protein: shrimp, salmon, skirt steak +18 | chicken +16
Les Plats Principaux
Roasted Rack of Lamb $42
mint sauce, huckleberry reduction, sweet potato purée, asparagus
Cedar Plank Sea Bass $49
saffron rice, spring vegetables
New York Strip Loin $42
mushroom sauce, truffle croquette potatoes, haricots verts
Les Desserts $14
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Fruit Tart
Strawberry Shortcake
Passion Fruit Cake
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