But there is a comfort level among certain people who know each other—a well-connected network of people in the city whose names keep coming up again and again. Please share your story tips by emailing editor@seattleweekly.com. At one point the lobbying from developers, attorneys, and financiers grew so intense that she was reduced to tears. Business and political leaders will continue to define and sell their projects more in terms of their public than private potential. Get to know them—if you can. Or read the same article in the Seattle Times, which changed the title to The Cattle In Seattle: You Guys Had It Coming (Dec. 7, 1999). It may also serve as a dumping ground for material thatâs not suitable for a general audience. After all, I have a reputation for calling a spade a spade. In fact, Iâm working on a series â Seattle Mafia 101. ð. That torch has been passed to a new line of leaders—leaders whose names you probably wouldn’t recognize, even on the off chance you read them in the paper or heard them on TV. In other news, I decided to reach a bigger audience by putting information about the Seattle Mafia on my primary political website, Politix, which is mirrored by Geobop.com. Here they are: Scott Morrow and gal pal Peggy Hotes. Over the decades, Ellises and Nordstroms have spoken, and Blethens and Bullitts have listened, but not a word of it has ever made the local paper or TV news. “When some of the big projects done recently have been criticized, it’s usually been a last-minute kamikaze effort.”, In a city that supposedly cherishes healthy democratic structures, open to anyone and everyone—a city once called “the public participation capital of the world”—critics and dissenters are often dismissed as “naysayers” and “loose cannons,” while those at the top of the business and political ladders construct ever-larger projects with ever-larger public subsidies. Curiously, it never appeared in print. There are three other items that have appeared in the Seattle media that I think ought to be required reading of all political science students enrolled in Washington Stateâs colleges and universities, all of which are probably controlled by the Seattle Mafia. Avi Schiffmann, the Seattle-area teen who built a website to track the early and ongoing spread of coronavirus, has tested positive for COVID-19. Raz Simone, a local rapper, has apparently taken a leading role in declaring a several-block ara of Seattle to be an independent revolutionary state … Which brings me to the last item on my Recommended Reading list, Malkinâs last piece as a Seattle Times columnist, A Few Parting Questions; Thanks For The Memories (July 27, 1999). An inside look at who really runs "The Hill" Aug 25, 2006. “What these people do is not considered corrupt,” says Chong. Study shows infection rates to be two to four times higher than expected among minority groups. Seattle Art Museum. A lot of liberals who read this might fume, âMichelle Malkin? They want the control but not the accountability.”, Many—perhaps most—Seattleites assume they know who “runs” the city. The Antifa activists in Seattle who run the six-block Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone have tried to make a garden and establish a plumbing system to become self-sufficient. It appears that she sold her soul for thirty pieces of silver, as have most of my liberal would be allies. By Jane C. Hu. High-living Clyde Hill man was really running an investment scam, officials charge Originally published December 28, 2018 at 6:18 pm Updated December 29, 2018 at 10:44 am Whether Amazon gets taxed or not, Morrow will still get paid. Here’s What’s Really Going On in Seattle’s Protest Zone. Pack to the future: Will more wolves come to King County? Seattle Mariners Drayer: How Mariners got Paxton back and what it means going forward ... and was fourth in on-base percentage (.358), hits (35) and runs (26). ‘Wasting syndrome’ has decimated 70-100 percent of sea star populations in certain areas. In fact, the Seattle Mafia has international clout. Failed experiment by radical anarchists, a new sort of utopia, or just a place? From her front-row seat on the King County Council, Fimia witnessed Seattle’s most dominant industries and disciplines come together in support of a publicly funded stadium for the Mariners. Several hundred demonstrators, led by Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, occupied City Hall downtown Tuesday night for just over an hour, calling for the resignation of Mayor Jenny Durkan and the defunding of the Seattle Police Department after a march from the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.. Bill Gates alone is one of the most powerful (and dangerous) people in the world. I coined the term Seattle Mafia not long after I began my journey as a political activist, about 1995. Nonprofits, activists are expecting greater need as workers are laid off. The concept of a Seattle Mafia got a shot in the arm with the publication of the sensational exposé âWho Really Runs Seattleâ (Mark Worth, Nov. 12, 1988) in the Seattle Weekly, itself a key member of the Seattle Mafia. “It’s virtually not heard of, but it isn’t some secret society. To understand Seattle’s corporate and political establishments—many argue they’re one and the same—one must understand the Community Development Round Table: Fifty carefully chosen leaders—most of them already well acquainted through Seattle’s tightly drawn business, government, and cultural circles—sit in a room and talk about how to find the money, build the political support, and craft a convincing public message to turn cocktail-napkin sketches into blueprints. David Ryder/Getty Images. Seattle, Wash. — In a shock to no one, days after Seattle's government gave the area around the city's East Precinct to protesters following days of unrest, there are tensions However, I disagree with the first three words of the articleâs byline, âItâs not a conspiracy.â. The exterior of the Seattle Police Departments East Precinct in the so-called "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" on June 10, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. How much of Kildall’s intellectual property he appropriated is a matter of some dispute. And they’re coming together more effectively than ever, aided by business-friendly majorities on the Seattle City and King County councils, a well-connected Chamber of Commerce, booming high-tech and tourist industries, and a steady supply of newcomers that is steadily increasing the demand for things like sports stadiums, fine-arts facilities, and shopping malls. It just takes some phone calls and it’s roadkill for us—nine times out of 10.”. Those names still appear on facades, letterheads, corporate documents, nonprofit rosters, and campaign contribution reports throughout Western Washington. For all the unknowns that await, though, there are just as many safe bets. “You’re always going to have people who want control. Though Worth never used the term Seattle Mafia, his article is an eye opener. “Well, it’s sort of vague. ... Seattle Seahawks - Head Coach Pete Carroll has roster control, but GM John Schneider controls the draft and free agency. Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center while Diaz Love, a 32-year-old from Portland, Oregon, was hospitalized in critical condition following the incident, according to a police spokesperson. It will be a generation or two before the success or failure of the current spree of “public-private partnerships” can be determined. It's not a conspiracy... but to outsiders, the way Seattle's corporate and political establishments do business comes close. Inslee: We have vaccine capacity, we just need the doses, Abandoned boats in waterways are a ‘regional challenge,’ says King County Sheriff’s Office, Legislator’s bill proposes wiping advisory votes from your ballot, Pay freeze for Inslee and state lawmakers this year, Research suggests warmer oceans are killing sea stars in Puget Sound. The money they can mobilize to support candidates. The second is the first sentence of Amateur Hour in Seattle (Michelle Malkin, Jewish World Review, Dec. 6, 1999): âAS I WATCHED FIRE, tear gas, and mass chaos consume Seattle last week, one wicked little thought crossed my mind: It couldnât have happened to a more deserving city.â. Members of this “Monday Club”—bankers, newspaper publishers, former elected officials, real estate developers, television executives, attorneys, venture capitalists, and others with big stakes in how public policy and public perception are shaped—will use this session to brainstorm ways of turning their dreams and schemes into reality. What’s also clear is that any major changes to Seattle’s physical and spiritual skyline will continue to depend on the decisions and actions of people such as those pictured and profiled in these pages. “It became real obvious to me that there were powerful forces that coalesced around that issue. Seattle police want to return to vacated precinct in what protesters call an 'autonomous zone' By Dakin Andone , Mallika Kallingal and Andy Rose, CNN Updated 8:00 PM ET, Thu June 11, 2020 Norm Rice’s rationale for reopening Pine Street and Gary Locke’s pitch for building taxpayer-subsidized sports stadiums differed little from R.H. Thomson’s rationale for preserving the Cedar River Watershed in 1890 and Jim Ellis’ pitch for creating Metro in 1952. They’ll help to decide where things should go, what they should look like, how much they’ll cost, and how much it will cost you. A new statewide report outlines how COVID-19 outbreaks have moved through Washington… Continue reading. The Community Development Round Table will continue to meet every Monday at the Washington Athletic Club. NFL Power Structures: Who really runs a team? “These phone calls really happen,” says first-term City Council member Nick Licata, a 25-year community activist and one of Seattle’s most established outsiders. This website serves primarily as an introduction to the Seattle Mafia. “On a more 40-man, close-to-the-Major-Leagues type of scenario, I think Juan Then is a guy who really … ⢠The Garfield High School Conspiracy of 1970, The Cattle In Seattle: You Guys Had It Coming, A Few Parting Questions; Thanks For The Memories. They were fostered an ecosystem in which lawlessness is normalized, subsidized and, in some ways, deified. here's how it's done—and who does it. UW study shows high COVID infection rates among pregnant women, Puget Sound renters will need housing assistance, Everett online heroin and meth dealer sentenced for mailing drugs nationwide, State releases data on COVID outbreaks in schools, Federal Way woman killed in Seattle shooting, Legislature examines restructuring public health in WA. People who likely will never see the inside of the Meisnest Room—neighborhood, environmental, human rights, and social service advocates—throw up their hands at the unusual cohesion of organizations like the Monday Club and Chamber of Commerce. In Seattle, a group of peaceful protesters have cornered off several city blocks and established the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone – a sort of protest haven … The issues they unify around. Sheâs a right-wing whore!â. They’ll eat lunch, listen to a speech by a local eminence, and spend an hour chatting about issues of special interest to those special and interested enough to have made the invite list. They were at Kshama Sawant's Tax Amazon march, yesterday. Love’s condition was later changed to serious, a hospital spokeswoman told HuffPost. It’s polite graft. World Trade Center. What’s Really Going On at Seattle’s So-Called Autonomous Zone? That’s nothing new; it comes with civilization,” says King County Council member Maggi Fimia. You almost certainly wouldn’t recognize them if you passed them on the street or sat at the next table. My name is David Blomstrom. However, a huge piece of the puzzle fell in place in 2015 with my discovery of Jewarchy (Jewish corruption). Ordinary citizens may have known a few of them—even shared a beer once in a while. That’s why I can’t name all of them.”, Though the names of Seattle’s establishment figures aren’t as recognizable as they used to be, their methods have remained essentially unchanged for decades. … The public, in fact, isn’t supposed to hear about what goes on inside the room; everyone—members of the news media included—must abide by an off-the-record rule that’s as old as the group itself. One day, I received an e-mail from Worth consisting only of a terse âIâm outa here!â and he vanished. If that’s what you believe, you’re only partially right. Investigation shows no connection between victim and suspect, who was fatally shot by Seattle officers. Our City Hall” before listening to a … They’ve rationalized it that way. “There is such a degree of power and influence in this town: The linkage to money. Over the weekend, the protests in Seattle turned violent as rioters clashed with the police, throwing glass bottles and rock at the officers, while they responded with pepper spray and tear gas, Fox News reported. Don’t Listen to Fox. DOS was actually written by a 22-year old Tim Paterson (born June 1, 1956). “It’s like an ant trying to stop an elephant herd,” Licata said. Below is a list of Seattle Mafia highlights, a mixture of amazing events/facts and intriguing questions. So, David Kroman called up Dominique Davis, as well as Sean Goode, who runs another felony diversion program for young people in the region called Choose 180 to … It’s a way for community leaders to get smart, to think through public policy issues off the record,” says Maura O’Neill, a former Puget Sound Energy executive and a Round Table member since 1996. I learned that Seattleâs media is largely controlled by Jewish entities, and I have a pretty good hunch Jews may largely control the cityâs public schools as well. letter from seattle. It’s the Ackerleys and Ellises, the Blethens and Bullitts, the McCaws and Nordstroms, the Sarkowskys and Skinners, the Weyerhaeusers and Wrights. Please learn from this! (If you read it, see how many conspiracies and scandals you can count in that one article.). Just as these industries and disciplines all came together before to regrade our hilltops and build our bridges, they’re all coming together now to build new sports stadiums, fine-arts facilities, waterfront developments, shopping malls, office towers, and transportation projects. In fact, Iâm mentioned in The Olchefske Files (James Bush, Seattle Weekly, Sept. 15, 1999), which is apparently a conspiracy within a conspiracy. Some experts believe we’re on the cusp of discovering packs in King County. The 2012 Olympics. Despite continued frustration from those seeking a shot, the state is making progress, he said. A citizen panel approved a 1.75% increase for executives, legislators and justices 17 months from now. Armed driver barrels toward Seattle protesters, shooting one before surrendering to police Meagan Flynn. … Seattle now has a convicted pimp who once vowed to "go to war" with the city on its payroll -- a $150,000 "Street Czar," whose mission is to come up with "alternatives to policing," reports said. 2020-06-08. To read the entire piece, you either have to go to a library and get that issue on microfiche or contact someone who has a copy of the original scanned into their computer. I couldnât agree more. The Washington State Convention & Trade Center expansion. President Trump challenged Seattle’s mayor to “take back your city” after the police vacated a station house and protesters laid claim to the neighborhood around it. It’s all about “the public good,” “civic improvement,” or some variation on those themes. But they no longer have a monopoly on molding Seattle’s future. CHAZ, the “police no go zone,” is a six-block area barricaded off by demonstrations and rioters that pushed the Seattle Police Department out of its East Precinct building. The media will continue to do their best not to surprise anyone too much or too frequently. Many—perhaps most—Seattleites assume they know who “runs” the city. Seattle’s Autonomous Zone Is Not What You’ve Been Told Some call it CHOP, some call it CHAZ, and no one knows quite what it is. Benaroya Hall. “When they mobilize, forget it,” says longtime housing and community activist John Fox of the Seattle Displacement Coalition. ‘They are nothing more than push polls designed to instill distrust in government,’ says state senator. June 16, 2020 5:52 PM. The term simply describes the de facto organized crime ring that controls Seattle and therefore Washington State. And it was a phone call from Jack Benaroya to Rice threatening to withhold support from the mayor’s US Senate campaign unless he prevented a hygiene center for the homeless from moving near the site of the new symphony hall to which Benaroya was donating $15 million. Name a project—if it has at least an eight-digit budget, chances are it has been or will be discussed by the Monday Club. “Who are they?” asks Charlie Chong, a former City Council member and devout outsider. That was just for show, though. Now, with Seattle having transformed itself into a cosmopolitan city, there are far more wheeler-dealers than decades ago—and they are far more anonymous. “They think it’s a public service. Sadly, my knowledge of the Seattle Mafia can still be compared to an unfinished jigsaw puzzle missing key pieces. By Paul Farhi. Graft or not, an extensive review of people affiliated with Seattle’s biggest corporations, most influential lobbying groups, largest nonprofits, highest-stakes political campaigns, and most visible government agencies reveals the existence of what Licata calls “a well-connected network of people in the city whose names keep coming up again and again.” When, early this century, David Skinner was building ships and Joshua Green was opening banks, that network probably numbered only 50 or so people. I lost my innocence.”. The connections to corporate and organizational boards. The author, Mark Worth, told me his next piece would focus on Seattleâs corrupt law firms. The Seattle Police Department is working to forge negotiations with the leaders of a self-declared autonomous zone that includes a now-closed police … Part of what they do is open and part of what they do is shadowy—almost sinister. Those families, as wealthy and influential as they may be, comprise only part of a network of business and political allies that is much bigger than you might suspect, but still much smaller than you might think it should be. Bill Gates alone is one of the most powerful (and dangerous) people in the world. Armed fugitive had help as he avoided police … A sign on a barrier at an entrance to the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" in Seattle on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. That culture dates back a good century, when families like the Blaines, Dennys, Greens, Skinners, Weyerhaeusers, and Yeslers built shipyards, cut timber, laid rails, erected office buildings, regraded hilltops, and otherwise created the foundation of what has become today’s Seattle. “He started to play really well in the second half of the season.” ... Seattle’s second 2020 pick didn’t get to play at all. But love her or hate her, Malkin wrote some of the gutsiest and most truthful pieces that ever appeared in the Seattle Times. All are from 1999, which was also the first year I ran for public office. Number 1 and Number 2 at SHARE, respectively. The new Mariners and Seahawks stadiums. Bill Gates bought what became MS DOS from Seattle Computer Products for $50,000 and licensed it to IBM. As if to prove me right, the Seattle Weekly has gone to extraordinary lengths to erase Worthâs masterpiece from the publicâs mind. —ROGER SALE, SEATTLE: PAST TO PRESENT, 1976. Activists will continue to record far more losses than victories, while still telling themselves and everybody else that they can beat city hall. Institutions by their very nature place self-perpetuation above all else, and Seattle’s institutions have been aided in this by much that everyone knows and loves about the city. If you want to understand the political scene in Seattle or Washington, you want to have a copy of this article. Protesters entered chanting “Whose City Hall? We have a culture of commonly accepted principles of how the city should go.”. Lawmakers in Olympia are considering an overhaul of Washington state’s public health… Continue reading. Number 1 and Number 2 at SHARE, respectively. Spokesperson says expensive and time-consuming boat recoveries happen about 20 times a year. SEATTLE -- Three sacks and eight quarterback hits did not tell the story of how much Russell Wilson was under fire during a 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2017 season opener. KeyArena. Todd Peterman-Dishion of Everett, let go by Boeing and addicted, turned to dark internet commerce. “We don’t have a conspiracy world here. (Like Licata, she is a community-organizer-turned-elected-official who often finds herself on the wrong side of the establishment.) The Deep City Wanna know who really runs Seattle? They are household names only in a select few households. Here they are: Scott Morrow and gal pal Peggy Hotes. “But many of them want control without being noticed. LONDON (AP) — Funeral director Hasina Zaman recently helped a family say goodbye to a young man in his 30s who had died from COVID-19, on the same day she was planning a … SEATTLE -- When asked by a fan on Tuesday who might be the Mariners’ most under-the-radar pitching prospect entering 2021, general manager Jerry Dipoto had a quick reply and thorough answer. What hasn’t changed is that members of the establishment represent a few dominant industries and disciplines—law, banking, investment, construction, architecture, retailing, manufacturing, and natural resources. The NordstromPacific Place retail complex. “It’s one of the things that makes Seattle special. The concept of a Seattle Mafia got a shot in the arm with the publication of the sensational exposé “Who Really Runs Seattle” (Mark Worth, Nov. 12, 1988) in the Seattle Weekly, itself a key member of the Seattle Mafia. Wanna know who really runs Seattle? And it’s not the majority—it only takes a minority. “It’s not a novelistic imagery.” Once the call is made, Licata says, fully informing citizens about the project and starting an in-depth public debate over its merits is often an exercise in futility. You’d probably spot the most obscure Mariners or Sonics player before recognizing the most influential members of today’s business, political, and cultural establishments. Seattle’s radicals knew what they were doing when they created an untouchable criminal class in Seattle. Next Monday, as on every Monday for the past 65 years, 50 or so people will gather in the Meisnest Room of the Washington Athletic Club at Sixth and Union in downtown Seattle, at the invitation of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. I think the Round Table is an example of what makes Seattle’s business community incredibly unique.”, The Round Table is also an example of what makes people outside Seattle’s business community incredibly frustrated—especially when they’re trying to learn about, critique, and potentially oppose those eight-digit projects. It’s socially acceptable graft.”. Key portions of the article cannot be accessed online. Now, lawlessness runs four city blocks and controls what was Seattle’s East Police Precinct. They’ll do it Seattle-style—in polite, orderly fashion, nodding or winking to get the attention of the chair, who will moderate the gathering more like a parlor-room salon than a public hearing. Both answer to … It was a phone call from John Nordstrom to then-Mayor Norm Rice that led to the reopening of Pine Street and, ultimately, to the publicly subsidized, $400 million NordstromPacific Place retail complex. Ah, Hell, you might as well read the entire piece, which focuses on the epic anti-WTO protest that came to be known as the Battle of Seattle. The Seattle Commons. The Washington Post "The Hill" is an earnest documentary series about the life of a Capitol Hill office, as seen primarily through the lives of staffers for Florida Rep. Robert Wexler.