By Peggy Sturdivant

I crossed the line last Friday. Not only the line between columnist and activist but an actual yellow line stretched across the site of the former Loyal Heights substation. Five minutes from bed I was on 28th NW, ducking under caution tape, throwing my arm around a cherry tree, announcing, “I know the police are on their way. I’m willing to be arrested.”

It had not been a quiet week in Ballard.

And yes, I snapped. I have a better understanding of what that expression means relative to adrenalin. Now that the event is over, without arrests but with only stumps remaining, I can better see what led to a moment that now strikes me as unbelievable. I was determined to hold off a tree-cutting crew, Seattle City Light staff and a security guard until other members of the Seattle Green Spaces Coalition arrived. I felt like I’d been shot from a rocket.

Looking back on a 10-day period of supposed public comment on the tree removal of the former Loyal Heights substation I recognize the background that culminated in a moment in which I was unafraid to confront authority in the face of what I believed to be wrong. Whether anyone agrees with my reasons seems less important than not being afraid to act.

So perhaps I should thank the driver who rear-ended my car when I was stopped at a red light on NW 65th last Thursday. That’s when the adrenalin kicked into my system, mixing with an already high level of stress about the role of residents in public process, a memorial to attend, an event to emcee that night and the plan for a public protest at the Loyal Heights site scheduled for noon the next day. But at the red light, waiting to cross 24th NW I was very calm, wondering, “How come I didn’t know about that open house party last week at the new Ballard Public building?”

Then boom: the impact on my little Mazda car being hit from behind. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the unmistakable back of a phone in the driver’s right hand, up and right of the steering wheel. I leaped out of my car and the driver of a Honda Pilot reluctantly rolled down her window. She denied being on her phone, was angry with me for accusing her being a distracted driver and wouldn’t give me her car insurance information because she was going to be late for an appointment. “I’m a single parent with three kids,” she said by way of explanation.

I never fully calmed down after that so when I got the alert that a tree crew was on site at 8 a.m. on only the 10th day I was once again launched with a friend dispatched to photograph. Hours later at the noon protest a KIRO cameraman showed if I could identify the drowned rat looking person with her hand on one of the trees before it was cut. “That’s me,” I said, mostly recognizing the sodden pink coat.

Those morning hours in beyond drenching rain with the chain saws behind our protest line now seem like a dream. William (Bill) Deveraux), Manager, Environmental Management & Compliance at Seattle City Light who was at the site admitted the public comment reference on the 10-day notice of tree removal was meaningless. Deveraux said that once they’d tested the 1945 site (which has been surplus list since 1998) as part of the disposition process they needed to act immediately to clean up dangerous contaminants. “We have to clean it up,” Deveraux said, “but first remove the trees.” I asked if adjoining homeowners should be concerned that the contaminants, mostly from pesticides, were present in their soils as well. Deveraux responded that the homeowners wouldn’t want to know, because then, “they’d have a $40,000 clean-up on their hands.”

Seattle Green Spaces Coalition presented Deveraux with a Notice of Violation of the City’s Tree Ordinance, Climate Action Plan, Urban Forestry Stewardship Plan and the Growth Management Act. Then Kemp West’s “quick crew” cut down the trees, starting with a Japanese Maple. After all they wanted to be done long before the noon protest about saving the trees until there’s plan to engage the community in a future use for the publicly owned land.

“I’m so sorry,” Steve Zemke, Friends of Seattle’s Urban Forest said, “I was here at 11 a.m.” Most of the 40+ arrivals arriving from all over the city for the protest were shocked to find only stumps remaining. Lillian Riley, founder of Groundswell NW, passed around a little notebook to capture contact information from other groups and individuals in order work together. Perversely the sun was shining on the fresh stumps.

I’m still not sure what possessed me to cross the yellow line yelling, “This is an illegal action.” One news anchor later introduced the protest as “over a few trees.” I don’t agree. It’s not just about the trees. It’s about allowing residents everywhere to be stakeholders in how we treat our beleaguered planet earth. We don’t need any more low blows.

Seven former substations are under review in NW Seattle right now. For more information contact Maureen Barnes at 684.0400 or email Maureen.barnes@seattle.gov. Information about all excess/surplus property that is in the “active review” stage for disposition is on the City’s website http://www.seattle.gov/real-estate-services/property-reuse-and-disposit…