Grit City Magazine

20/06/2025

"In 2020 the assignment was pretty clear; go to the protest, wear the shirt, say their names, post the black square, delete the black square because it was actually counterproductive, read the books, and call out the performative anti-racists. Done. Doesn’t it feel good to stand on the right side of history?

"I stood there and it felt great. It felt righteous. I took dramatic photos and wrote impassioned articles that got a lot of attention and praise. Even better, I had a handful of racist idiots popping up on social media and got to shut them down so hard that they deleted their own comment threads in tantrums of frustration.

"And look at all the things we accomplished! All the corporations put out DEI statements so everyone knew they were definitely not racists. That’s meaningful, right? Commercials during the Super Bowl had more Black people than ever before. Representation matters, right? In 2021, Juneteenth became an official National Holiday. We made history, right? We made an indelible mark on the world and there was no going back… right?"

Part I — Then and Now In 2020 the assignment was pretty clear; go to the protest, wear the shirt, say their names, post the black square, delete the black square because it was actually counterproductive, read the books, and call out the performative anti-racists. Done. Doesn’t it feel good to s...

01/06/2025

The NOAA space weather forecast looks promising for tonight.

It's never a guarantee that anything will happen but this is the strongest forecast we've had this year and the weather looks decent.

Here are some general tips for viewing:

1- Get somewhere dark. If you're close enough to artificial light that you can see your shadow, it's not dark enough. Finding truly dark places in the city is actually quite difficult. This photo was taken from the Point Defiance Promenade in May 2024. Titlow Beach also has some good dark spots. Keep in mind, though, that these are both very popular locations. The third picture is a screenshot from lightpollutionmap.info

2- Give your eyes time to adjust. It can take 20-30 minutes to get fully acclimated to the dark so if you’re cruising down Ruston Way and you expect to see something right when you pull over and get out, you’re going to be disappointed.

3- Don’t expect to see all the colors with your naked eye. This one is not projected to be as strong as the big one last year so it may be harder to see. If you see some wispy clouds way up high in the sky, you may actually be looking at the aurora. What looks pale gray to you will look green or purple to a camera. This is because the cells in your eyes that work better in the dark (rods) don’t do color like the cones do in the daytime.

If you get anything good, feel free to share it in the comments!

📷: Sierra Hartman

27/05/2025

Tacoma has a lot of strong ties to the military and if you don’t personally know someone who died in the service, you probably know someone else who does.

Memorial Day is often considered the beginning of summer and it’s always good to spend time with friends and family.

But it’s important to remember what the holiday is really about.

If you spent time in the military and this day is bringing up some hard feelings, this message is for you:

PTSD is real. Survivor’s guilt is real. And just because your circumstances are different from someone else’s, it doesn’t mean your experiences were any less valid.

You are worthy of every kind gesture and helping hand that you would offer a fellow veteran in a hard situation.

As of 2022, su***de rates among veterans were more than double that of the general population.

I’m not a therapist but I did spend six years in the navy and I’m always open to talking—regardless of our political or ideological differences.

The VA has a lot of great resources but the system can also be a pain in the ass to navigate.

If you feel like life is not as easy as it should be, you’re not alone. If memories from your time in the military are making your life less enjoyable, you’re not alone.

And the good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not an easy fix, but it’s a problem that can be solved.

The easiest way to start is a simple conversation and if you feel like it starting here, shoot me a DM and say hello.

-Sierra Hartman, Editor in Chief

📷: Phillip Tillman ( in IG)

21/05/2025

CALL FOR CREATIVES!

You—actual human reading this right now—have an interesting story to tell.

We don’t care if you’ve never written anything longer than an email. We don’t care if your spelling and grammar sucks.

We don’t require professional experience. We only require authenticity.

We’re in the business of telling and sharing stories but it’s not always easy to find people to write them down.

We’ve gotten some good responses the last couple times we did this (and we’re still going through them) but we know there is still more of Tacoma to hear from.

Submitting a story can be scary and tiresome, so we appreciate everyone who takes the time to send us something. If you don't get a response, do not take that as a no, it could be that we haven't seen your submission yet or we plan to include you in a later magazine.

Our team is very capable, but still small and busy. If you never heard back about a pitch you sent and you want feedback, hit us up and we’ll give you our honest opinions.

When we talk to people about submitting stories, we often say, “Your Tacoma looks different than our Tacoma.” We all live in the same city but, depending on our backgrounds and demographics, we interact with it in different ways.

We want to hear about your Tacoma.

➡ What do you want to say to Tacoma and its residents?
➡ What do you know about this city that other people would never consider?
➡ Who’s someone you wish the rest of Tacoma could meet?
➡ What’s something you notice every day that everyone else overlooks?
➡ What stories has Tacoma inspired for you?

Tag a friend, text it to a random 253 number, print it out and tape it to a wall.

If you’re unsure about your idea, send it anyway. If you have a question, shoot us a message.

Submit story pitches here: tinyurl.com/gritcity

18/05/2025

What do you remember about the day Mount St. Helens erupted?

45 years ago today, this is what the eruption looked like from Tacoma.

"My mom took this photo after my brother first noticed the ash cloud," Christy Scerra of Tacoma Urban Gardener wrote.

"We were sitting at the light on south 19th and Stevens. That's Foss to the right and Snake Lake to the left. And, we had a camera in the car with film!

"I still have a coffee can full of ash that my Gramps gave me when his house was nearly buried from ash in Yakima."

14/05/2025

This sucks. Moshi Moshi was a great restaurant and its closing left a hole in our community.

A bunch of good people are out of a job now so if any local restaurants have any openings, let us know in the comments and we'll try to pass it on to the people who need it.

And yes, we're aware that there is more to this than just another restaurant closing.

We're reaching out to some folks involved and we'll share whatever we can when the time comes. Right now, we're just trying to support the people most impacted by the closing.

*Update* The former employees have a GoFundMe going: https://gofund.me/0523c434

They also started a new commemorative Instagram account with more info:

14/05/2025

Hard Copy 25 is finally here!

This issue comes with a print from Hayley Carroll and it’s incredible. This is the text from the painting:

—————
There is no denying these are dark times
But look ahead my friend
Let your growth avenge your anguish
in your times of darkest despair
Let your renaissance devour your shame and guilt
Set it upon them like a pack of starving wolves

Do not wipe away the blood on your knuckles or feet
But instead let it dry
Embrace the devil you do not know
Find the light for yourself and grab hold
And become your nightmare’s predator
—————

“He looks kind of fu**ed up, but that’s okay,” Hayley said. “You can have efforts that come from a sh*tty place, and you can waste away, but he will always be there. There is nothing like your desire to keep you going. He’s like a spirit guide or a spiritual representation of your efforts.”

Get a copy of the magazine and an 11x14 print of Hayley's painting here: gritcitymag.com/product-category/magazines

We’ll also be having a release party at our office where you’ll see some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that made this issue happen. Here are all the details:

★ 703 Pacific Ave (above Thai Pepper)
★ Saturday May 17th, 7-9 PM
★ Drinks and snacks and music
★ Kids are welcome
★ Bring some people or meet some people
★ In case you haven't been here before, we’re on the second floor with only stairs to get up. If you have any mobility issues, let me know. We have a solution and I’ll send you details.

❉ The first 25 people at the party get a one-of-a-kind piece of Tacoma history from one of the stories in Hard Copy 25 ❉