Green Party of Washington State Spring Convention, 2006 - Report

By Roberta L. Wilson

A potentially controversial nomination, challenging the Senatorial run by incumbent Maria Cantwell, proved to bring solidarity to the Green Party of Washington State at its Spring Convention.

Aaron Dixon, former Black Panther and seasoned activist, was nominated  43-1 at the convention in early May. The Convention was held at Seattle Central Community College and proved to be one of the largest conventions to date. Dixon's record of building alternative, community-based programs trumped the concern of a few over his record of unpaid parking tickets and other minor legal scuffles. Dixon, a father of 6, will run a campaign that reaches out to African-Americans and recent immigrants, including Latinos. See http://www.dixon4senate.com

 His candidacy is also endorsed by Katrina hero Malik Rahim, who is recently visited the Puget Sound region. Rahim, a founder of the Black Panthers in New Orleans, was responsible for freeing prisoners, largely incarcerated for misdemeanors, who were left in cells by prison guards as the water rose in New Orleans. They will appear together at several events. (See  http://www.commongroundrelief.org/  )

Dixon's run challenges the voting record of Sen. Cantwell, who along with Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), voted to continue funding the war. Her reticence to meet with her base over their concerns with her voting record has caused many progressive activists to look elsewhere. Mark Wilson is challenging Cantwell in the Democratic Party's primary as well. Wilson, also an anti-war candidate, previously ran as a Green and as a Libertarian. Having a progressive contender for the Democratic primary, and Dixon's run as a Green makes for interesting politics in the coming months. Dixon's campaign is getting a growing number of endorsements, volunteers, and donations. More is needed! See http://www.dixon4senate.com

In addition, the State Party endorsed a number of initiatives at its convention, including the College Not Combat campaign. Initiative #86 (I-86), a new Seattle City-wide ballot initiative, would put Seattle on record as opposing military recruiters using public schools and parks to recruit students to kill and die for the war in Iraq, and demand that the city advocate and investigate providing real economic and educational alternatives for working class kids.  

The State Party also endorsed initiative 933, which "will guarantee that  by 2020, 15% of the electricity from Washington's largest utilities comes  from plentiful and home-grown renewable energy sources...." It opposed two other initiatives, which you can read about on the State Party web site: http://www.wagreens.us/home/