Newly obtained textual content messages that Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell despatched from his private mobile phone to millionaire philanthropist Stuart Sloan reveal that each males share a mutual “disgust” for the “nudity” at Denny Blaine Park, a long-time queer nude seaside. Within the texts, Sloan described the seaside as attracting a “sub-group” of individuals from “throughout” with “very completely different morals than the general public in Seattle, you and me included.” In the meantime, Harrell wrote, “I’ve been made conscious of the truth that the issue of nudity and dangerous waste has turn out to be completely completely unacceptable on the seaside.” Harrell continued, “If you’re disgusted I share your disgust.”
The texts additionally present a deeper degree of collaboration between the 2 males of their effort to “clear up” the park, casting much more doubt on Harrell’s assertion that he didn’t know Sloan anonymously pledged $1 million to fund the development of a youngsters’s play space on the seaside, a proposal that deeply angered Seattle’s LGBTQ group, who noticed the plan as a de facto eviction.
Lee Keller of the Keller Group represents Denny Blaine Park for All, a gaggle of native neighbors that features Sloan. She stated that “this isn’t a few explicit group of individuals or a specific member of a gaggle. It is just about folks frequently breaking the regulation on this park and that is the ONLY factor we take exception to.” Keller emphasised their issues don’t have anything to do with the LGBTQ group, and their solely purpose is to make the park obtainable to “EVERYONE.”
Although the mayor’s workplace stated in a March 2024 assertion that “it’s by no means our intent to take motion directed at any protected class or perhaps a protected proper of expression akin to nudity,” the texts from March and June of 2023 present that Harrell responding on to Sloan’s issues about nudity and instructing his staff to “take a extra aggressive and fast method” and to debate “‘emergency methods’ or something cheap to revive the park to a standard and cheap use.” Shortly thereafter, mayoral and Parks workers visited Sloan’s residence to current plans for the playground and its estimated price.
Finally, their plans amounted to nothing. In December of 2023, a number of weeks after the Metropolis’s proposal to plop a child’s play space subsequent to a queer nude seaside had been made public, the Parks division hosted a public assembly at MLK Fame Neighborhood Heart the place tons of of passionate queers got here out in opposition. On the finish of that week, the Metropolis introduced the loss of life of the plan.
“A Citizen and a Pal”
In its communications to The Stranger, the mayor’s workplace beforehand framed Sloan as only one voice amongst many within the neighborhood with issues about Denny Blaine, saying, “Because the starting of the administration, the Mayor’s Workplace has heard from members of the group relating to challenges at Denny Blaine Park associated to issues akin to parking, trash, and graffiti, with Stuart Sloan being one among many voices highlighting these points.” However the textual content messages recommend the Mayor took a particular curiosity in Sloan’s request, and that the difficulty was largely nudity.
The alternate begins with a message from Sloan to Harrell’s private mobile phone on March 18, 2023, about 4 months after November 2022, when data present the mayor and Sloan met in Harrell’s workplace downtown to debate, based on the mayor’s workplace, trash and graffiti.
Sloan started the alternate by apologizing for disturbing the mayor over the weekend, however he stated he thought Harrell is likely to be concerned with “a few images from this afternoon at Denny Blaine Park.” Although the data request obtained by The Stranger and printed on MuckRock didn’t embrace these images, Sloan stated he took “the freedom to black out the ‘privates’ however, relaxation assured, there have been many right now within the park. Sloan then added, “That is disgusting and as you’ve stated, we’re on the precise aspect of this problem.”
Sloan went on to say he hoped the Mayor would agree that they wanted to get forward of nudity on the seaside earlier than the climate returned, and that they might not let “one other 12 months go by.” He then expressed some consolation within the phrase of a Parks administrator, who informed him they have been two weeks from “a plan.”
In line with the texts, Harrell forwarded Sloan’s message to Seattle Parks and Recreation Director AP Diaz and reassured Sloan that “i’ll get it finished.”
“I’ve all the arrogance on the planet that you’ll,” Sloan replied earlier than complimenting Harrell’s work as Mayor and thanking him as “a citizen and a buddy.”
Housen stated “the plan” Sloan referenced concerned parking enforcement. He stated Parks and Recreation had requested help from the mayor’s workplace, and that Parks had workers onsite who inspired folks to maneuver alongside after the two-hour parking restrict was reached. Since Parks can’t problem parking citations, this didn’t resolve the issue, Housen stated. The textual content messages make no point out of parking and are centered on nudity.
So far as that goes, Housen stated that Harrell didn’t consider that the park needs to be used for public masturbation, intercourse, or different unlawful and lewd actions “as had been described to him.”
Going again to 2018, there have solely been a handful of calls relating to lewd conduct close to or round Denny Blaine Park, and the texts between Sloan and Harrell didn’t point out public intercourse, solely nudity and waste.
Housen added that nudity was a protected proper of expression, and the mayor revered folks’s potential to train that proper at Denny Blaine. He emphasised that the mayor had made park security a precedence, giving the instance of working towards making all of the parks’ restrooms obtainable for year-round use. The mayor felt it was essential for each park within the system to replicate these qualities, and acted accordingly when made conscious of “the vary of points at Denny Blaine.”
“The work to enhance Denny Blaine Park represents an instance of the mayor’s dedication to each responding to group issues and making parks clear, secure, and welcoming for all. Current enhancements the Metropolis has made–convening Pals of Denny Blaine Park, clearer parking laws and enhanced parking enforcement, extra frequent litter pickup, set up of moveable bathrooms, and signage restoration–replicate that dedication,” Housen stated.
Sloan Was His Pal, however Harrell Had No Thought He Was the Donor
Although the Mayor personally met with Sloan on two events at two key factors in the course of the playground’s proposal course of–first in November 2022 after which on December 9, 2023, a day after the Seattle Parks Division publicly killed the plan–the workplace denied that Harrell knew that Sloan pledged to donate the cash for the child’s play space.
However after Sloan’s March 2023 textual content messages, which Harrell fielded on a Maui trip together with his spouse in celebration of their anniversary, Harrell texted Parks Superintendent AP Diaz to say he was delicate to Sloan’s “philanthropic place.” Harrell then instructed Diaz to name him the next week with a “standing report on the nudist seaside we are attempting to scrub up.”
Housen stated the mayor was referring to Sloan’s “historical past of philanthropic donations broadly, (that are nicely documented), not any explicit reference to Denny Blaine.” He added that the mayor didn’t know a play space was being thought of, “not to mention that Stuart Sloan is likely to be a possible donor.”
On June 2, 2023, Harrell despatched Sloan messages from his non-public mobile phone, apologizing for not performing shortly sufficient in Denny Blaine and expressing his shared disgust.
He added, “[Deputy Mayor] Adiam Emery can be working with you to deal with the difficulty and I apologize it has not been finished shortly and successfully. The regulation division pushed again on one technique however I’m dedicated to figuring this out. I’m assuming you’re annoyed and I feel your frustration could be very cheap. I do know you need outcomes and never an apology so I hope the later [sic] is shortly forthcoming.”
Sloan replied that he appreciated Harrell’s message and anticipated to satisfy with Emery that day. Public data present that Sloan and Emery met at Metropolis Corridor in June, after which once more 5 weeks later at a Starbucks a mile from Sloan’s residence. Emery and Andy Sheffer, deputy superintendent of Seattle Parks, visited Sloan at residence shortly after.
In textual content messages, Sloan stated that Emery needed to debate brief and long-term options for the “weird habits” at Denny Blaine and referred to as for guidelines on the park.
“What is occurring as a result of there aren’t enforced guidelines, Denny Blaine Park is an attraction for a sub‐group of individuals from throughout, not simply Seattle, which have very completely different morals than the general public in Seattle, you and me included. So, that sub‐group are completely holding the clear majority of Seattleites away from Denny Blaine Park. Once more, thanks and I hope that outcomes can be sooner somewhat than later.”
Relating to these morals, Housen stated Sloan reported to the Mayor “undesirable, unlawful, and lewd behaviors together with public masturbation, leering, and public intercourse.” Housen stated Sloan’s feedback weren’t aimed on the primarily queer beachgoers as a result of he by no means referenced their sexual orientation or identification.
“In any dialog Mayor Harrell has had with Sloan, Sloan has by no means denigrated LGBTQ folks, and, moreover, his important philanthropic donations have been made to the advantage of folks of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations, together with his $78 million donation to Fred Hutch–a pacesetter on most cancers well being look after LGBTQ folks. Our understanding of ‘sub-group’ was in reference to folks partaking in undesirable, unlawful, and lewd behaviors,” he stated.
Harrell didn’t reply to Sloan’s message till Sloan texted him once more on June 14, requesting that they speak in particular person or on the cellphone. Harrell stated he would name him quickly, however that he was on a flight to Japan for the G7 local weather convention.
“Sorry I needed to rush,” the Mayor wrote a number of hours later. “I’m instructing Adiam and staff to take a extra aggressive and fast method and subsequent week we are able to chat about “emergency methods” or something cheap to revive the park to a standard and cheap use.”
“Thanks, Secure travels!” Sloan stated.
Finally, after pushback from the LGBTQ group and an impassioned public assembly, the mayor and metropolis killed the plan on December 8, 2023.
