Seattle is my home. It's where I've spent much of my life. Most of my chosen family lives here. And it's where my kid was born. It's where I found my passion as well. It's here where I built a nonprofit
where we organize tenants to assert their rights in provided
direct aid to unhoused people and where that nonprofit is still doing
that work today. It's also the place
where I devoted my last four years working at the city
to pass policy and pass budgets. Built with community to improve the lives of everyone
who calls the Emerald City home. And I'm leaving this place
in just a few months. I'll take with me
memories of going with my parents to Pike Place Market
for the first time when I was three. And the music of this place will always
be the soundtrack to my childhood. I'll have memories of week long camping trips
in the Cascade Mountains and salmon or halibut fishing and crabbing
on Puget Sound and in the Pacific. I'll remember the Mariners
at the Kingdome, and the Sounders winning Champions League. Childhood days spent at the Museum of Flight. Teenage years hanging out on Capitol Hill
and the Chinatown-International District Winter nights, studying at Vivace on Broadway. And I'll always have the memory of
when my kid first rolled over, sat up, crawled, walked and talked. All of those things happened in Seattle,
and the city will always be a part of her. All of this to say I truly love Seattle, but I'm choosing to let it go and I'll tell you why. I'll always have the physical
and mental reminders of getting hit by a driver
in a Chevy Suburban who ran a red light. And in that moment,
I remember accepting my mortality. And later on, the driver who hit me couldn't even accept
his $125 ticket, and he contested it. I'll always remember the stress
coming from the overall odd and dangerous aggression shown by most American drivers
and how that poses really too much of a risk, while we also simultaneously underinvest
in equitable mobility. And how that's isolated me
for much of my life. I'll remember that. I'll remember the phantom busses, the late
busses, the miles of walking on streets
without sidewalks or crosswalks. I’ll remember job prospects
that I immediately skipped over because they required a driver's license. And I'll remember the friendships
that faded simply because I couldn't drive. Moving forward, I'll be living in a place with working
public transportation, safer streets, lower speed limits and pedestrian priority. I'll be living in a city that strives
to be low stress at a slow pace and built on solidarity, where groceries
and health care schools, parks and other daily essentials are within a 15 minute
walk of any home. I'll remember living off of $10 a week
during the recession. I'll also still carry my forever
college debt and the memory of hardships caused by medical debt carried through my twenties. I remember sleeping on friend's couches, worrying about where I might sleep the next night,
or if I would ever be stable, housed. But at least my kid won't have to worry about those things. She'll have access to free education
throughout her life and universal health care. No pay to play essential social services. And importantly,
she'll be able to grow up with autonomy, which is something that many American kids
don't get. That, to me, is the most important thing. And obviously, France isn't perfect. And even as that's
the case, it's undeniable that the standard of living
is much higher, which is why I do believe it's a better place for our family
at this moment in time. I'll miss Seattle. I love this place and I will always be of it. This move is bittersweet for me,
but I know it's the right call. And though I'm leaving,
I hope that more and more people will continue to build the movement
to make Seattle and all of the U.S. a more equitable, livable and socially
connected place than it is today. For my part, I'm going to continue to be your cheerleader from afar,
and I'm going to keep making videos and try to inspire you by showing you
policies, infrastructure and anything else
that other cities and countries are doing so that you can take those ideas
and apply them in your hometown. Until then, keep on building momentum. I'll talk to you again soon.
