Seattle gambles on $700M ‘woke’ waterfront park focusing on race, equity and white guilt

Seattle is constructing a new 26-block “woke” $700 million waterfront park that will be focused on “underserved communities” while providing stunning views of Puget Sound and actively dismantling racism.

Seattle’s downtown area was originally separated from the waterfront by an unsightly viaduct. That construct existed for 66 years until it was blown up in 2019 amid earthquake fears after the pier shifted. Now, a newly conceived waterfront is being constructed replete with shame-inducing tourist features.

The nonprofit behind Seattle’s new waterfront is Friends of Waterfront Seattle. They are raising $100 million to help build the project and then they will be tasked with managing the waterfront park’s entertainment and security. Emblazoned on their website, Friends of Waterfront Seattle proclaim: “Friends of Waterfront Seattle acknowledges that historic and existing systemic racism is embedded in our city.”

They go on to claim that “the goal is to create inclusive spaces for community-driven cultural events … where all people … specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) as well as underserved communities feel welcome and safe.”

(Video Credit: Fox News)

The Waterfront Seattle website describes the project this way: “Seattle’s Waterfront (Dzidzilalich) stands on the lands and shared waters of the Puget Sound Coast Salish People, whose ancestors resided here since time immemorial. With gratitude, we honor the land, the water, and its peoples.”

Friends of Waterfront Seattle is evidently hiring. Job openings require that prospective employees “engage in regular conversations about race and equity through all-staff meetings, trainings, and a DEI (Diversity Equity Inclusion) book club.”

That didn’t sit well with freelance writer Liz Economou who reportedly submitted her resume for the marketing director position. She requested examples of embedded racism from the nonprofit but never heard back, according to Fox News.

“I didn’t want it at all,” commented Economou, “I want a job based on meritocracy, based on what I can contribute, not based on whether I’m woke enough.”

According to Friends of Waterfront Seattle: “We hire candidates based on their skills, experience, and qualifications.”

Now, on Pier 62, visitors are subjected to a large fence sign that addresses past discrimination against dockworkers in Seattle. On the railing that showcases the beautiful scenery are small signs that feature hand-picked artists. One photographer contends that his photos reflect the “ongoing history of interactions between the colonizer and the colonized.” Another apocalyptically envisions “a solemn future, fortified by the grief and loss of our natural world.”

“Wokeness” runs deep on the Seattle waterfront these days.

Small businesses are also concerned over the extreme leftist bent in the area. Mike Sotello, who represents minority business owners, is very worried that the progressive messaging will turn off tourists and drive them away. He also believes that the waterfront could fill up with homeless people just as numerous city parks have.

“No one likes to go on a Saturday afternoon to spend time with their family and get hit with guilt and told all these negative things about something they had no control over,” stated Sotello, who is the president of the Ethnic Chambers of Commerce Coalition.

The $1.3 million no-bid contract that Friends of Waterfront Seattle signed with the city mandates that 35% of all park programs be focused on “underserved communities.” Construction should be completed in 2024 and residents will then find out if tourists and locals have a stomach for “woke” messaging or not.

One commenter on Twitter summed up the situation on Seattle’s waterfront:

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