Wed 26 Oct 2005
You are cordially invited to attend today’s film premiere and/or Brown Bag Lecture.
Fisherman’s Terminal: A Film by B.J. Bullert
October 26, 2005 • 11:30 – 12:30, TUB 202
“Fisherman’s Terminal is a fascinating glimpse of a rare American scene, a compelling story of the struggle of those heroes of the nation – the fishermen of the Pacific coast – against the invasion of their lives and livelihood by upper-class America.” Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States. Runner up “Best Documentary,” Golden Space Needle Award, Seattle International Film Festival 2005.
Good Jobs Or Gentrification?: An Anthropology Of Class On The Seattle Waterfront
October 26, 2005 • 12:30-1:30 PM, TUB 202
PETER KNUTSON is a long time commercial fisherman and a Ph.D. anthropologist. He currently teaches at Seattle Central Community College. From June through October he fishes salmon and halibut in southeast Alaska. Over the last 30 years he has been involved in many struggles over environmental and social justice issues pertaining to fishing communities.
His organizing work has been profiled in B.J. Bullert’s 2005 award winning documentary Fishermen’s Terminal, Paul Loeb’s Soul of a Citizen, in the New York Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Vancouver Sun, Rocky Mountain News, Seattle Times and other publications. He has published in Cultural Survival, Wise Traditions, Liberation, Academe, both Seattle dailies and other publications. He is the author of the audio book Hell No, We Won’t Go: Vietnam at Home.
The Brown Bag Lecture series, sponsored by the Office of Student Life, brings thought-provoking and inspirational speakers to campus. A committee of students, faculty, and staff select influential scholars, artists, activists, and community leaders with promise for sparking discussion and reflection in our community.
Selected lectures are recorded, archived in our library one week after the event, and broadcast on the college television station. For more details visit our home page: http://brownbag.edcc.edu.
You are invited to visit information tables from community partners offering volunteer opportunities related to today’s lecture and to comment online at http://www.edcc.edu/afterwords.
The views and opinions expressed in this series do not necessarily represent the opinions of Edmonds Community College, its administration, faculty, staff, or students or the Office of Student Life.
October 28th, 2005 at 12:10 am
Isaac Kamau
Anthropology 100
The lecture was well presented.Though I did not get to see the film.Some of the things that I learned is the diffrence between wild and farm raised salmon.Farm raised salmon are toxic.Economic impact of the terminal are creation of jobs and generation of revenue.
How can I make a diffrence in my community?I think we need to support the fishing industry in their struggle for social justice,and also keeping the local food base intact,otherwise the industry can collapse easily.
November 8th, 2005 at 12:45 pm
I agree with Issac. Like him I did not see the film but I was fourtunate to hear the Peter speak on this topic. It was interesting to hear about something so close to home and that I had no idea of this problem. I would have to hear from the opposite side of this problem, the port side as to why they are allowing the area that was primarily fishermans area and now has become overrun with yachts or expensive cruise boats. But from what I was presented by the presentation that Peter did a great job with, I would at this point side with him on this topic of what to do about the problem at the port.
November 18th, 2005 at 9:44 pm
Genevie Cancel
Anthropolgy 100
Watch Video 11.18.15
Good Jobs or Gentrification?
Anthology of Class on the Seattle Waterfront
By: Peter Knutson
I read the Soul of a Citizen and it was great to see a person that I was reading about had become a speaker. I did not realize that the Port of Seattle was mainly dominated by large cruise industries and businesses. All of the fishermen are literally being driven away from their livelihood for the benefit of rich businesses and large pleasure cruise liners which dumps fecal matter in our waterways. The slide’s Pete showed in the presentation, concludes that the Port of Seattle caters to the big businesses by fixing and renovating fancy equipment and new ports for them but left the fisherman with a rotten dock. It is really hard to be in the poor working class that seems to have no voice and that your sufferings will not matter. Like Pete said from now on, I will shop in the farmer’s market in support for the hard-working farmers so they can continue to do their business and provide us with better quality foods.
November 29th, 2005 at 5:04 pm
Anthr 100. After reading “Soul of a Citizen”, watching Fisherman’s Terminal and seeing Pete Knutson’s lecture, it’s almost as if I feel like I know him. I was able to make the most of his lecture after I saw the film (Fisherman’s Terminal) which I didn’t even know what it was before this class. Although farmed fish can be made bigger, they carry disease and deplete the natural fish resources. Just this last weekend I was talking with one of my brother’s friends who fishes up in Alaska who was talking about the problem the industry is facing with the farmed fish. One way to support the local economy, farmers etc is to buy food locally at farmers markets. This ensures that the food is fresh, of high quality, and local people are getting the money, not people overseas.
November 30th, 2005 at 8:28 pm
Anthropology 100
Out of all the brown bag lectures i watched in quarter, i feel like this one was the best. Between the film on fishermen’s terminal and Pete’s lecture, i feel very well educated on the fishermen’s side of the issue. I think that he made a lot of really important and interesting points, about the port of seattle and about fish farming.
I think the best way to get involved in this issue is to support the local fishermen in anyway you can. Buy fish directly from them, get involved in the battle against the port of seattle, raise awareness about the problems with farmed fish. Any of these things are great ways to get involved and help with this important local issue.
December 1st, 2005 at 5:00 pm
I didn’t have any idea that the fishing industry had that much struggle happening. I think that Pete Knutson has a lot of great points, however, I don’t know if anything will really change. The port seems pretty set on there intent and getting there way.
I know that I can get invloved by not buying fish that has been farmed. And by buying directly from Pete! More people need to get involved and I think that Pete is a great person to inspire others. He is a very powerful speaker and has a lot of heart into what he says and does.
December 1st, 2005 at 6:09 pm
Cassandra McDowell
Anth. 100
Peter Kuntson i think is a very strong voice in the fishing community and to the future of fishermans Terminal. Pete’s lecture opened my eyes to the improtance of small fisherman and the economy. Also, it showed how the port commisioners wasted money in the upperclass business (yachts and cruises). I thought it was funny the picture he showed of his friend and the linen towels in the bathroom. It just gave an example of how the Port is wasting the money. I agree with Pete when he says that this money can go to fixing the fishermans terminal. I liked how he pointed out pointed out the restrictions against small boat fisherman, I believe that it is unfair and should be stopped.
I think this is a great service that the community should invest thier time in. Because it is helping out the local economy and the “smaller guys”. Some ways that the community could get involved is by speaking out against the port and supporting the fisherman of fishermans terminal. Also, the residents of seattle could elect some new people to the commission that will take a stand and make a change. I think that it is time for the little guys to get some justice.
December 2nd, 2005 at 5:19 pm
I was able to watch a dvd of petes lecture he gave which was great because i couldn’t attend the event due to work that day. Pete talked about his fight against an initiative that would have made it impossible for small family fishermen to due biussiness, he became a well known local activist and i was so impressed by his story i used him for a speaker nomination earlier this quarter. I thought it was a good choice to have someone like Pete come not only because of his cause but because his local involvement effected this community so directly. I hope we can get him back sopmetime soon so other students can hear him speak.
December 3rd, 2005 at 2:20 pm
Pete Knutson covered much of the same material as the movie we watched in class, so much of it was not new to me. It was cool that he came to our campus to speak though. I think the most important part of his lecture was that citizens can take action to make a difference. He has a clear grasp on what the Port of Seattle was doing though it seems they were trying to be sneaky. The “slum lord” lable could certainly apply, the way they were letting Fisherman’s Terminal deteriorate in order to say “look at how awful this is, lets build something fancy for rich people to use instead.”
What I can do as a citizen is to, as I have said in response to other lectures, not feel bogged down by organizations that are far more powerful than I. Pete Knutson is yet another fantastic example of what people can do in the face of a powerful oponent. Though perhaps less successful in his crusades than other speakers, if he had not taken a stance against what he felt to be unjust, Fisherman’s Terminal could likely be gone by now.
January 12th, 2009 at 9:51 am
[…] http://www.edcc.edu/afterwords/?p=33 […]