they didn't clean up???

*sigh*

That's just sad.

what is this, vandalism? a crime? gimme a break, the parks dept needs to chill.

i don't think the organizers expected pillows to break open and spew feathers all over the place. its' not like they planned for this to cause a mess. pillow fight flash mobs have happened all over the country without leaving a pile of feathers behind.

My imagination is just going wild - how do you clean up feathers? Did the park department use a giant lint roller or maybe they wrapped tape around their hands! Do they know a secret that makes it easy to sweep feathers! Or maybe they used the blow-'em-into-the-neighbor's-yard device! Did anyone get pictures of the crew doing the clean-up?!

I knew this was going to happen as soon as I saw the feathers everywhere.

How arrogant and self centered. It's like high school students- make a big mess and let the janitor clean it up.

If the organizers didnt think the pillows would break open, they didnt think it through or havent been in many pillowfights as a youngster.

How much did the six hours of city worker time cost?

What I would like to know is, WHY, exactly, did feathers, an organic, natural thing that blows away on the wind, need to be cleaned up?

Is this the sort of big picture prioritizing of resources that our Parks Department is capable of? How much time did they spend discussing this? Contacting police? Lint rolling?

Get a grip, Parks Department! We pillow fighters (and would-be pillow fighters) are the people who vote for your damn bond issues!

Worry about the people shooting up and pooping in the parks. Now THAT you have to clean up!

Feathers!

Ben,

Were you there? Wish you'd worn a sign!

They're just feathers!

what if they had been just left there? to blow away and spread throughout the city? or into the water?

Would someone in Belltown have picked up a pillow feather 2 days later and known it hadn't come directly from a bird's ass?

Should we begin a ban on molting?

Seriously.

How is this vandalism? Nothing was destroyed or damaged! This is closer to littering, but my arguments against this are above. Littering is bad because it's ugly and yucky things get in to water supplies.

I think the feathers were cute and whimsical and I don't think they will affect our water supply.

It sounds like living in my condo (yea yea I said condo)... lots of busy budies with nothing better to do than whine and complain. These old ladies need to knit or find some hobby other than worrying about others.

Yeah, I'm sorry that they spent so much time cleaning up the feathers... but like most of you said... they're just feathers, and while it might have been hard not to have some feathers in your hair for a few hours, they'd all go away fairly soon. I guess just not soon enough. I'm sure next time there's a pillow fight in Ballard they'll be much more careful about the quality of pillows used.

*How* did the Parks Department manage to spend SIX hours sweeping up that little plaza?!? Yes, people should have scooped up after themselves, but the real offense is the amount of cash the Parks Dept. threw down the drain on this. That space isn't that big. I've cleaned up after the San Francisco fight twice. I know what people can do w/ just a trash bag and I've seen what city staffers can do w/ a truck full of maintenance equipment. That shouldn't have taken more than an hour with 2 people.

Hmm - maybe there's an answer waiting for us here:

http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/citizen_response.htm

This is all such a hoot; actually sounds like a dare to do it again. Chicken Little playing catch-me-if-you-can! Sign me up! Oh! And please return my feathers, I feel naked.

OMG feathers! We'll all catch the bird SARS!

We should fine the birds of Seattle for vandalizing the city with their grotesque, disgusting, disease-filled feathers. Feathers on the streets of Ballard? OH THE HUMANITY! First the Iraq War, and now this? The neighborhood will never be the same.

Seriously, SIX hours to clean up? Give me a freaking break. Sounds to me like another case of people getting pissed off about others HAVING FUN! It's the same reason people give me dirty looks when I sing and dance in QFC. There's a lot of jerks in the world who straight like to rain on parades; but guess what? Those of us out loving life are going to keep having fun, throwing random celebrations of life, dancing, smiling, laughing, and loving: and all you whiners can go back to your condos and pick something real to get your feathers ruffled over. Get a life.

Gay!!!!!!!!

@silver: "What I would like to know is, WHY, exactly, did feathers, an organic, natural thing that blows away on the wind, need to be cleaned up?"

Does this mean you wouldn't mind if I dropped my old Strangers on your front lawn? I mean, paper is pretty organic and natural. How about cigarette butts?

Thanks to all who are supporting us, and for understanding how overblown this situation really is. It does *not* take 6 hours to clean up some feathers, and I'd like to know if anyone who is so concerned about it knows that we have children at EVERY pillowfight we do, and that the kids stayed for a good twenty minutes or so after the Ballard one, playing in the "snow". And they're trying to tell us that we're criminals for doing this? I don't think so, unless they're willing to charge the children as well for not doing their part.

A side note from the inside:
It is my understanding that the Parks Dept. was not quite as pissed as they were originally portrayed to be, and it was mainly the time they spent cleaning up that ruffled their feathers. They support us, think it's a fun thing, and seem to currently be pretty cooperative. The one thing in this whole situation that stands out is the media coverage and its inability to get the facts straight, and I guess they won't report the fact that the organizer has stepped forward in several areas to clear up this matter, because she IS honest, and the guilty vandal isn't exactly the type who steps up and takes corrective measures.

A bunch of irresponsible high school kids? For not cleaning up feathers that BLOW away ? Do you have nothing better to do with your time than jump on a bunch of people who remember how to be kids...and on the kids they bring along?

Just feathers?
Cheaper, lower quality pillows (ones likely used at a pillow fight) actually can be contaminated by a fire retardant that is applied to the pillow fabric. The fire retardant is actually a neurotoxin and can run it's way through the food chain. Also, there were probably also synthetic feathers and synthetic fibers used for stuffing floating around in the mock. I'm all about flash mob, I love all of the stuff I've seen AND participated in. But, you have to clean up, no matter what it is. Next time there was a flash mob of people throwing 1 ton biodegradable confetti in the air, it'd be nice if they cleaned up too.

Evening Magazine interviewed the organizer today and will air that interview tonight (7p on ch. 5).

Talk about corny.

Just to reiterate, I was not referring to the parks department, but to the hipster douchebags.

Why the FUCK are you hippie bitches always picking on us? Show your goddamn face some time. We will pummel you, multi-family style.

HAAHAHAA! With a pillow, bitch? is that supposed to be a threat? I will show my goddamn face some time.

Does the "We will, pummel, you multi-family style." talk impy that you posers would jump me? Condos, you better man up when I see you. If you wanna get families involved we can do that for sure. Fucking Coward.

Come on guys! No need to get ugly about this - the limited vocabulary name calling misses the point!

This is a Photoshop job if ever I saw one. Those aren't real feathers. In fact, those aren't pillows.

that is werid

why would they want to have a pillow fight there

why do kids think it is fun to fight