The Mayor owes the Duwamish a call — At the very least

[millardjmelnyk]

Ten months into Mayor Durkan’s term, KIRO ran a story on its MyNorthwest blog, “Why won’t Seattle Mayor Durkan meet with the Duwamish Tribe?” https://mynorthwest.com/1125149/why-wont-seattle-mayor-durkan-meet-with-the-duwamish-tribe/.

Well, it’s not like the answer is mysterious.

Eight months after that, reports the West Seattle Blog, the Mayor “scheduled a pop-up town hall/resource fair” (May 29) and the Duwamish Tribe invited its supporters to join in at the event to ask that the Mayor “support the Duwamish Tribe and acknowledge them as the first people of Seattle.” https://westseattleblog.com/2019/05/video-mayor-acknowledges-duwamish-tribe-answers-community-questions-south-park-town-hall/

So they were still asking, with nary a peep from the Mayor.

But then it happened.

“Honorable” mention.

Twice!

“The mayor did just that, twice, while speaking and answering questions at the South Park Community Center.”

So a politician who finally paid lip service to undisputed fact is cause for Attagirl!??

Apparently, in this town, yeah.

I attended the event. After the Q&A was over, I approached Sabrina Bolieu, the Mayor’s “Business Liaison” who is “also helping with the tribal outreach strategy.” Sabrina had been screening questions written beforehand on cards available at the reception table. I was curious why mine had not been read.

She explained that questions about recognizing the Duwamish had not been aired because the Town Hall was about public safety, but she assured me that “Mayor Durkan is working on a response to that.”

Now, six weeks later, I write this letter after two ignored emails to Bolieu and one to Durkan herself in which I merely asked for answers to obvious questions about the Mayor’s unresponsiveness to the Duwamish and her utter lack of action so far.

Extent of Durkan’s “outreach” to the Duwamish?

Still zippo.

Either Durkan is playing hooky from “working on that” or simply doesn’t know how to get work done. At least, not any work that would break the deafening silence the Duwamish have gotten from the Mayor’s office for the better part of two centuries.

The Duwamish haven’t asked for their land back. Anyone who actually reads the “Treaty” of Point Elliott, 1855, (calling it a treaty is beyond reprehensible,) will wonder why the hell not.

I asked the Mayor if she’d read the treaty.

Silence.

The Duwamish have not asked the City to start paying rent.

I asked Durkan if she pays rent to the tribe whose land she finally, twice, admitted Seattle sits on. It’s easy: Real Rent Duwamish, https://www.realrentduwamish.org/.

Silence.

The Duwamish have not asked the Mayor for much.

Admitting their existence on one occasion a year and a half into her term, nothing done or said previously and nothing since, amounts to what, exactly?

~ Yeah, I know you’re there. I know you’ve been screwed over since whites came and stole your land out from under you. I know my office has ignored you for the 164 years since. And I know you’ve been asking for a meeting. ~

Attagirl, Mayor! Good for you.

And then… ?

Millard J. Melnyk

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