via JasonRantz—MYNorthwest Conservatives need not apply to City of Seattle advisory board
The City of Seattle is looking for progressive activists committed to social justice to join the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board.
The mayor and city council appoint six members of the board, which is meant to advise the city on matters related to pedestrians. But if you care about the issue, are a conservative and/or represent the near 70 percent Caucasian population in Seattle, you may not be fully considered.
In a release announcing the board openings, the City indicated they’re particularly interested in applications from “Women, young persons, seniors, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, persons of color, immigrants, and refugees…”
I reached out to Howard Wu via email for more information (he’s listed as the contact person); specifically, I wanted to know how the process works and how they go about ensuring they’re getting this in front of the communities they are most interested in receiving applications from.
Wu thanked me for my interest, then passed me along to SDOT Senior Public Relations Specialist Norm Mah to screen my questions (and then ultimately deny me an interview; Wu, who returned my email in about 90 minutes, suddenly wasn’t available to speak over a four day period).
But Mah did explain the process fully (after about four days of trying to get full responses out of them).
The sitting members of the committee review applications and determine who they would like to interview.
“When reviewing the applications,” Mah said, “…some factors that the committee considers include: race and social justice equity, geographic equity, professional background, life experiences, physical abilities and existing board composition.”
Social justice equity is a contrived way to say they would prefer fewer white people on the board. Mah explained “…the intent is to have a board that reflects the diverse demographics of Seattle.”
Diversity on boards like this are important, in my view, but Seattle is 69.5 percent white, so I’m not sure it’s wise to reflect the demographic of Seattle if you want a diverse group.
But, don’t worry: it’s not really about that kind of diversity.
“Also, as part of our interview process we vet applicants for experience with racial equity issues and interest in working with the City to achieve racial equity related to the topic areas they will be advising on,” Mah advises. “This factor is related to awareness, background and knowledge rather than identity.”
In other words, they’re screening for progressive activists that reflect their own ideological views. These are all keywords meant to attract progressive activists; people who speak in these contrived terms generally don’t believe conservatives care about “racial equity” (if you provide them a traditionally conservative perspective on how best to serve people of color, that probably won’t fly). Conservatives, in general, reject the social justice movement, not because conservatives don’t care about equity, but because it’s a term taken over by progressive activists who blame conservatives for all bigotry. It’s a movement that doesn’t allow for opinions and ideas that progressives don’t believe in. And that’s a shame, not just to the movement but to communities that could be helped if there wasn’t such closed-mindedness.
They don’t seem to be interested in actual diversity where people might have different perspectives and ideological viewpoints; they’re looking for like-minded individuals to take over yet another local committee. They don’t really want anyone to speak up and offer alternatives that might actually accomplish some meaningful changes if they’re coming from people whom they disagree with ideologically.
But I guess with this kind of track record of proven results (worsening trafficking, higher rents, growing homeless population), they’ll hope at some point their progressive policies finally start working.
Interested progressives should submit a resume and cover letter via email by Jan. 25 to Howard Wu.
Never mind the exclusionary nature of this position, WTF is this needed for? Cannot these people walk properly? Is there too much sauntering? Are the Walk/Don’t Walk signs too confusing for the hipsters? I say let nature take its course and weed out those who can’t figure out how to be bipeds
I live about an hour and a half from Seattle. We used to go to Mariners games, Seahawks games, concerts, weekend dates with my wife, all kinds of fun stuff. No more! The libs in that town are ruining it, frickin idiots!
Seattle having a “Pedestrian Advisory Board” is completely stupid.
I had visited the city on Thanksgiving Day 2009. Upon getting off the ferry from Bremerton, I had asked a local citizen as to the distance to the Space Needle. I has informed that I “couldn’t make on foot” “you’re going to need a cab or take a bus”
Undaunted I carried on up to Pike’s Place, even though most of the shops were closed for the holidays I was once able to speak with a local citizen as to the distance and direction to the Space Needle. Again I was told I’d need to utilize public transport.
Disregarding all advice from the local populace; I again started out on foot in the rain(imagine that, raining is Seattle)to the Space Needle.
I made it, I walked the entire distance and farther I might add, none the worse for wear. After I returned to the ship that night, I checked the distance from the launch. a whopping 1.56 miles the route I walked.
I don’t understand how a city built on a hill, yeah, you gotta go uphill to go uphill, I don’t get how all the people I had seen are so out of shape.
I hope this advisory board encourages walking!!
1 of the 4 things SEATTLE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY BOARD (SPAB) is suppose to do is:
Can someone find that report for me? I come up empty handed after an exhaustive search of the site.
I did find the minutes from their last meeting though:
Apparently this dumbass board has been around since 1997, so the annual reports should be in abundance. Do you have to get them from City Council, shouldn’t it be public info?
To get the reports, I suspect you need to be a transgendered, Hispanic-surnamed, multi-racial, single parent, EBT-card-carrying, unnatural hair colored, facially tattooed, nipple- and eyebrow-pierced, pedophile, and live in a refrigerator box under the highway overpass. If not, you’re fscked. As are we all.
To paraphrase Groucho Marx, I wouldn’t want to be on any board that would have me as a member.
🙂
Sue them……
They want to be just/legal and don’t have 69% Caucasian representation……..
Fair is fair…..and equal is equal.
I wish those hipster douches in Seattle would spend one year in my local city where whites make up 46% and blacks make up 48% of the population and other minorities make up the rest. They’d be singing a different tune.