Please stop 🥺 it made me really sad that this last one took the finish off my car. It happens on Mondays outside my work. If you really hate the things on the back of my car that much, just don't pay them any mind. I don't put stickers on my paint for this reason 😭 so if you're thinking the finish is ruined back there anyways, you are wrong.

Hey guys. Last night my cat ran off:( would this be a good place to post if not is there a missing pet page for Bellingham ?

Does anyone know of a fantasy/romantasy book club in the area open for new members? Would love to join!

I don’t drink. Have no interest in trivia night at a bar or brewery. What are my options of places or things to get involved in that I might make friends?

Hi! I saw in the voter’s guide that they’re giving out I Voted stickers. I didn’t see a location attached so I assume the Auditor’s office? Also don’t forget to get your ballots out :)

I know this is a soup and chowder town but I’m craving chili. Any recommendations to get my spicy fix?

Hey, locals. I posted here a while back about the notion of starting up a book club dedicated to weird literature and we just finished our first read: “The Haunted Woman,” by David Lindsay. We’re moving on to the next book, going with something a bit more contemporary with “Between Two Fires” (Christopher Buehlman). This is a mix of dark fantasy and historical fiction that has been really popular for a while, and I’m pretty excited to finally be getting around to it. We’ll be meeting up on the evening of Thursday Nov 5th to discuss the first nine chapters, and we’ve got an active little Discord server going for arranging meetings and just generally talking about all things weird literature. DM me for an invite to the Discord if you’re interested, and start reading! (Audiobookers are welcome too, btw. We’re not snobs.) Hope to see you there!

Has anyone else seen a police drone in their neighborhood? This one keeps hovering over the same house at night in the York neighborhood

Mainly around downtown Fairhaven and Whatcom Falls, this was quite the surprise haha

Link to the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h-QI79QEcg

I stopped in at Taco Time for lunch and the regional mgr was there cuz it's some sort of celebration/honor employees week. Today was Monochrome Monday and employees didn't have to wear their uniforms but wear monochrome clothing instead. Employees were pumped. Mgr bringing donuts tomorrow. There was such positivity in the air. Wonderful to see fast food employees happy and engaged.

And can we be friends?

Looking for a teacher or group here in town if anyone has an idea! Thanks in advance

Hi! I'm looking for beginner dance classes for couples, specifically for the waltz but open to other ballroom type dances as well.

I have kids in sports and just want to say thanks to the good people that administer whatcompreps.com. Great way for relatives/friends located out of the area to see what your kids are doing.

I'm grateful to CDN for sharing parts of my story and being there every step of the way. I cannot thank you enough.
I want to make something clear, when prosecutors claim they shield or protect survivors by not telling them they have credibility issues, it's to protect the system. Survivors have been to hell, our trust eroded, and we carry the shame only our abusers should bear. The last thing we need is someone we're repeatedly told to trust, misleading us. Crime victims become a witness in the state's case, hiring a lawyer to protect our rights isn't an option until our rights have been severely violated. Despite victims having rights which are in the Washington State constitution, they're rarely enforced. This takes away our voice, our ability to disprove credibility issues (if they truly exist) and only protects the system and the abuser. Weaponizing a crime victim’s best interests to justify harmful decisions is not protection. This is a failure of accountability that causes more harm to survivors and puts our communities at greater risk.

The credibility issue is used to silence crime victims and secure convictions or dismissals. I was never told my credibility was in question, despite asking throughout why I was suddenly being treated poorly, why I couldn't confer with the prosecutor, and most importantly, why no one with authority would hear what happened to me.

Only after the prosecution refused to tell me if they declined a rape charge, then going to internal affairs, I learned there wasn't an official report. How? I told them, I provided evidence including a video my abuser recorded of the violent rape, plus his admissions... how??
More often than not, there is no real credibility issue. Mine? That I contacted my abuser after turning him in... I didn't. There was more than enough evidence to disprove that claim, but I was never given the chance to be heard. They never asked me questions. In fact, I was told in writing there was a "weird" superior court rule stating I couldn't speak with the prosecutor. Later when asking for that specific rule (CrR) by copy pasting their own words, I was told they didn't know what rule I was referring to.

I used every RCW that would ensure my voice was heard. They acknowledged my rights, but refused.
Prosecutors can say a survivors voice matters all they want, the overwhelming majority of crime victims in Whatcom County prove the prosecutions words do not align with their actions.

My hope in this fight was that survivors would feel safer coming forward. If anything, this story would make some feel less safe. Something this article doesn't shed light on is just how vicious and misleading the system had been to me once questioning them within my rights. These were choices made by individuals. They made the conscious choice to cause harm and put our communities at risk. "Difficult" times in the prosecutors office is never an excuse to treat survivors so poorly. Without us having the courage to come forward, there would be no case.

We can say this issue exists everywhere, in our highest form of government, and it does, but it starts here with our local governments. It's here where we can hold officials accountable and demand change.

A year before Eric Richey was elected as Whatcom County prosecutor he said these words durning an interview with Seattle Met. When asked:

Why does the statute of limitations for rape exist?
“I think that people need to know there’s some finality. Maybe they’ve done something wrong or something happened long ago, and there needs to be some end to that.
I mean who wants to be charged with something that happened so long ago that nobody really remembers it well? There are always mistakes and problems with people’s memories. The farther back you go, the worse it’s going to be.” 

And yeah he's right, no rapist wants to be charged with rape no matter how long it's been.
Where he's wrong, memories of being raped while awake don't fade.

VOTE

Got confirmation that 11th Hour Audio Challenge received our completed Legal Horror Audio Drama “May It Please the Court”—we did it!

I am a Bellingham author and the writer/director/showrunner for “May It Please the Court”
International team of volunteers from 6 countries did this full-cast audio drama in a month.

Available on Stories of Magnitude PODCAST on Halloween (also Apple Podcasts and Spotify)

A friend is having an impromptu Bachelorette party on Thursday and requested burlesque or pole. Anyone know of any performances?

Anyone have really excellent experiences with local companies/contractors who specialize in gas fireplace service/maintenance? Google is pulling up all the big HVAC companies alongside chimney sweeps; hoping to find the hidden gem in town that Google is missing.

Seriously I’ll vote for whoever pushes for it. Cover. Your. Loads.

This was taken while waiting at a stop sign.

I've got 2 tickets to Rockey Horror at Mount Baker on Halloween. Show is 7:30pm. Seats are main floor/right/aisle 3/seats 10-11. I would like at least 20$ for each.

DM me if you want them! 😀