Tag: Seattle Office for Civil Rights

Civil Rights, discrimination, Mayor Wilson

Allegation: Civil Rights Office Director, Staff Went to Strip Club During City-Sponsored Civil Rights Trip

By Erica C. Barnett

A recently concluded investigation into Seattle Office for Civil Rights director that Derrick Wheeler-Smith details allegations that Wheeler-Smith went to a strip club in Alabama during an official City of Seattle-sponsored trip to civil rights history sites in the South, along with other men who were on the trip, according to sources familiar with the incident.

A report on the investigation concluded that Wheeler-Smith subjected “a subordinate employee to unwelcome conduct of a sexually explicit nature during a work-related trip” but did not specify that the conduct that made the employee uncomfortable involved going to the strip club with his boss.

The report, for which PubliCola has filed a records request, also found it more likely than not that Wheeler-Smith made “repeated comments of a sexual nature” to employees.

Mayor Katie Wilson’s office has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the future of the office. Wheeler-Smith, along with his deputy, Fahima Mohamed, has been on administrative leave since March.

The January 2023 trip, organized by a group called the Empower Initiative, included visits to important sites related to the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, including the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, and the Alabama State Capitol. Staff from then-mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, SOCR, the city’s Office of Arts and Culture, and the diversion group Community Passageways, a city contractor, also reportedly went on the trip.

The Empower Initiative, run by consultant Ben McBride, offers these trips, or “learning labs,” as a “team building experience [that] translates the concept of belonging from inspiring theory to real-life practice,” according to the organization’s website.

On the final night of the trip, several of the men, including Wheeler-Smith, left their hotel in Birmingham and went to a  strip club to celebrate a staffer’s birthday, according to accounts of the incident.

Others who participated in the civil rights tour included city staffers who did not accompany the men to the strip club. It’s unclear how many of these staffers were aware of their colleagues’ nighttime jaunt.

Not only was the secretive all-male side quest arguably inappropriate for a city-sponsored trip, the Office for Civil Rights’ mission includes promoting gender equality and empowerment, a commitment staffers would later accuse Wheeler-Smith of flouting on numerous occasions.

As we reported earlier this year, employees accused Wheeler-Smith of making inappropriate sexual comments, belittling Black women, and dismissing staff concerns about the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people, Asian Americans, and Latinos targeted by ICE, among other marginalized groups.

A spokesperson for SOCR responded to PubliCola’s questions about the investigation and alleged strip club visit by saying, “I don’t have that information, and the Department is otherwise not allowed to comment on an open HR investigation.”

The head of the Empower Initiative, Ben McBride, recently wrote a Subatackpraising Wheeler-Smith; the post, titled “A Leadership Journey of Becoming” called the SOCR director “one of those rare leaders who understands that structural work and inner work belong together.”

The Empower Initiative was one of the partners for SOCR’s planned “Bridges of Belonging Community Storytelling Showcase,” along with We Deliver Care, Community Passageways, and Beautifulle LLC. Wheeler-Smith’s half-brother Davis founded Community Passageways and another diversion group that contracts with the city, Choose 180. He is also aco-founder of We Deliver Care, which is run by Wheeler-Smith’s wife Stephanie. Beautifulle was founded by Wheeler-Smith’s former boss at the religious nonprofit World Vision, Leonetta Elaiho. The Bridges of Belonging event was postponed indefinitely in March.

Editor’s note: This story originally mis-identified Davis’ current role with the three group he co-founded. We apologize for the error.

 

Civil Rights, homelessness, labor, Mayor Wilson

Union Urges Wilson to Act After Investigation into Civil Rights Director Concludes; KCRHA Proposes 7 New Hires

1. PROTEC17, the union that represents workers at the city’s Office for Civil Rights, is renewing its call for Mayor Wilson to remove OCR director Derrick Wheeler-Smith from his position after an internal investigation concluded that Wheeler-Smith subjected “a subordinate employee to unwelcome conduct of a sexually explicit nature during a work-related trip,” according to a letter the union sent Wilson and two city council members last week.

PROTEC17 did not provide the investigation report, which PubliCola has requested from the city. For this reason, it’s unclear which alleged incident this finding refers to; as PubliCola reported earlier this year, staff described multiple incidents in which Wheeler-Smith allegedly made inappropriate remarks about women or sex at staff events. SOCR employees also shared misogynistic images they said Wheeler-Smith sent to male staff, including a meme of Kamala Harris suggesting she got the Presidential nomination by giving oral sex.

In February, PubliCola reported on widespread staff allegations against Wheeler-Smith, which included retaliation, financial self-dealing, anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and sexually inappropriate remarks and text messages. Staffers also accused Wheeler-Smith of dismissing civil rights issues faced by immigrants, Asian Americans, and other marginalized people.

“The same investigation found it more likely than not that Director Wheeler-Smith made repeated comments of a sexual nature to staff in the workplace, including in front of his leadership team,” the letter says. “The investigator deemed the comments not ‘objectively offensive’ despite the several employees who reported being offended, crediting instead a division director who ‘thought it was a funny story.’ Resolving whether conduct is objectively offensive by privileging those who were not bothered over those who  were is precisely the kind of judgment OCR exists to scrutinize in other workplaces.”

PubliCola is supported entirely by readers like you.
CLICK BELOW to become a one-time or monthly contributor.

Support PubliCola

The findings against Wheeler-Smith, made by an outside attorney who conducted the investigation on behalf of the city’s Human Rights Investigation Unit, were apparently narrow; in its letter, the union disputes some of the findings and notes that the investigation didn’t consider many of the concerns staff raised in calling for Wheeler-Smith’s removal earlier this year. These issues included retaliation and “conduct based on protected characteristics.”

As we reported, employees said Wheeler-Smith was dismissive about LGBTQ+ civil rights, directing staff to remove pro-LGBTQ+ imagery from internal staff publications and complained about former Mayor Harrell’s comments condemning an anti-trans event in Cal Anderson Park.

Wilson’s office did not respond to questions about Wheeler-Smith; we’ll update this post if we hear back.

Wheeler-Smith, who makes a little over $236,000 a year,  has been on paid leave since March. In his absence, OCR has headed up by an interim director, Erika Pablo, but she’s going on leave; her replacement, SOCR manager Mike Chin, will serve as an interim interim until she returns or Wilson makes a decision on the future of the department.

2. The King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s finance committee recommended hiring for seven positions earlier this week, including a senior director for emergency housing services; a senior coordinator for emergency housing; an accountant; a procurement manager; and an IT and operations staffer.

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay’s chief budget officer, Aaron Rupardt, told the finance committee that he supported the hires, some of which could be internal promotions that would not increase administrative spending. It will be up to the entire governing board, made up primarily of elected officials from around the region, to approve the new hires and any new spending they may require.

In a letter responding to a forensic audit that found serious financial issues, including a growing negative balance, at the agency, Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay both called for

The committee also recommended approving $43,000 in unspecified discretionary spending requested by KCRHA CEO Kelly Kinnison. KCRHA provided a memo detailing the positions the agency wants to fill on Friday afternoon.

Elections, LGBTQ+, Mayor Wilson

Former City Department Director Admonished by PDC; City IT Director Resigns; LGBTQ Advocates Call for Removal of Civil Rights Director

1. Seattle’s IT director since September 2024, Rob Lloyd, step down on March 27. “Leading IT and our dedicated teams in service to Seattle has been an honor,” Lloyd said in an email to staff. “Thinking more on recent events and transitions, it’s clear that this is the right time. I wanted you to hear this directly from me and as quickly as possible.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Katie Wilson confirmed Lloyd’s resignation but did not respond to questions about whether he had been asked to leave. In an email to IT staff, Wilson did not exactly gush about Lloyd’s tenure.

“We would like to acknowledge and thank Rob for his service and the work he performed during his time with the department,” the mayor wrote. “We appreciate his contributions to our technological operations. I wish him the best.”

Tracye Cantrell, the department’s assistant chief technology officer, will take over as interim director, Wilson told IT staff.

Lloyd, a Bruce Harrell appointee, was a gung-ho AI proponent who advocated for funding a number of new AI programs at the city—including an $800,000 program that will replace permitting functions previously performed by workers at the city’s Department of Construction and Inspections. That program will purportedly “streamline the permitting application process and improve customer services using Artificial Intelligence and data integration.” Lloyd also implemented a public-facing AI chatbot called “SEAMore Voice” and a separate internal generative AI system from Microsoft called NebulaONE.

2. The Friends of Denny Blaine are calling on Mayor Wilson to remove Seattle Office for Civil Rights Director Derrick Wheeler-Smith in response to allegations of anti-LGBTQ bias made by his staff in interviews with PubliCola for a story we published earlier this week. The group of advocates got together after learning that a wealthy homeowner, Stuart Sloan, was working with then-mayor Bruce Harrell to install a children’s playground at the longstanding nude beach, effectively shutting it down.

Several SOCR staffers told PubliCola that Wheeler-Smith and his deputy director, Fahima Mohamed, made insensitive comments and dismissed LGBTQ+ rights in general, including one staffer who said Mohamed laughed in front of staff at a text message Harrell sent Sloan saying “I share your disgust” about the beach. Staffers said Wheeler-Smith, whose previous employer was a Christian nonprofit that does not hire people in same-sex relationships, frequently sidelined LGBTQ+ rights or treated them as insignificant.

PubliCola is supported entirely by readers like you.
CLICK BELOW to become a one-time or monthly contributor.

Support PubliCola

 

“The Office of Civil Rights is entrusted with enforcing our city’s equity initiatives and safeguarding the rights and dignity of all marginalized communities within Seattle, including LGBTQ+ people,” the group wrote on Instagram. “The statement ‘l share your disgust’ is not neutral language; it perpetuates a long legacy of marginalizing and dehumanizing language targeting LGBTQ+ individuals in public spaces. For SOCR leadership to treat this rhetoric in such an offensive and dismissive manner undermines community trust in the department, and calls into question its legitimacy as a department claiming to hold a commitment to civil rights.”

“This concern is compounded by the broader reporting showing repeated dismissal and minimization of LGBTQ+ civil rights issues within the department,” the post continued. “Seattle’s commitment to LGBTQ+ equality cannot be symbolic. It must exist from the top down, and if the Office of Civil Rights of all offices cannot be trusted to genuinely foster those values and protect the rights of LBGTQ+ people, there can be no trust in any city department, and the sincerity of all commitments to being a welcoming city” to LGBTQ+ individuals must be called into question.”

3. The state Public Disclosure Commission ruled on Tuesday, February 24 that former Seattle Office of Economic Development Markham McIntyre violated election rules when he used an internal City of Seattle Teams chat to solicit contact information from city department heads on behalf of Harrell’s reelection campaign. But they decided not to issue a fine or other penalty beyond a written admonishment. “Staff expect that you will refrain from any use of city equipment, staff or other resources for any effort tied to support or opposition of a candidate or ballot measure,” PDC Executive Director Peter Lavallee wrote.

Lavalee’s ruling reveals that after the Harrell appointee obtained the directors’ personal emails last August, he followed up with an email on September 8. It read: “A little while ago, I asked for your personal information. Part of my intent is to help the campaign. If you are not OK with me sharing your contact information with them, please let me know by tomorrow night. For those you are interested in helping out: we need ideas! Yes, we can do all of the traditional campaign activities (door knocking, phone banking, etc.) but is there something special that we could contribute as City leaders? Now’s the time to get in the game!”

State law prohibits public employees from using their office or any public facilities for campaign purposes. PubliCola reported exclusively on McIntyre’s request for department director’s private contact information in October.

Paul Chapman, who filed the complaint, filed a similar complaint with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. SEEC director Wayne Barnett dismissed that complaint on Thursday, writing, “Having reviewed the PDC’s letter of February 24, I agree with their conclusion that the evidence collected (and summarized in their February 24 letter) does not warrant further investigation. Mr. McIntyre is no longer a City employee, and Bruce Harrell lost his bid for reelection.”

Mayor Wilson

After PubliCola Story Details Discrimination Claims, Civil Rights Office Director Accuses Deputy Mayor of Threats and “Defamation”
Seattle Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt: Not a source.

By Erica C. Barnett

On Tuesday, after PubliCola reported on turmoil at the city’s Office for Civil Rights, SOCR director Wheeler-Smith sent a lengthy email titled “COMPLAINT re DEPUTY MAYOR Brian Surratt” to the city’s Human Resources department and the City Attorney’s office, cc’ing a list of city officials, reporters, and editors (though not PubliCola).

“I write to submit a formal complaint against Deputy Mayor Brian Surratt who engaged in workplace misconduct by threatening me while I was on vacation celebrating my 50th birthday,” the email begins. “Given the city’s efforts to tarnish my name, character, and reputation through defamatory accusations and allegations, I thought it imperative to get my complaint filed quickly despite being on FMLA to support my mother” through a health challenge.

The complaint is based on two assertions. First, Wheeler-Smith says Surratt told him to resign before my story came out or it would be “really bad” for him. Second, he says Surratt and possibly other Wilson cabinet members “worked in tandem” with me to craft a false story about Wheeler-Smith based on “anonymous sources, mistruths, and misrepresentations.”

“It is devastating to learn that people in the Cabinet would work to coordinate such a piece going so far as to direct a few disgruntled staff—current and former—to the reporter,” Wheeler-Smith claimed.

PubliCola’s story was about allegations by Wheeler-Smith’s employees that their boss and his deputy engaged in “discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and mismanagement,” in the words of a memo to Wilson from their union, PROTEC17. Acting on behalf of represented staff, PROTEC17 asked Wilson to remove Wheeler-Smith shortly before she took office. Under a law passed in 2017, the SOCR director can only be removed for “just cause.”

Nine current SOCR employees and one who recently left the department spoke with me on condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation. In all, I spoke with about a quarter of SOCR’s current staff.

Surratt, Wheeler-Smith claimed, had informed him on February 7 that “a story would be coming out from Erica Barnett and that it was really bad.” Wheeler-Smith wrote that this was the first time he had heard of such a story, and that he was “flabbergasted” at this news.

In fact, I told Wheeler-Smith I was writing a story more than a week before he said Surratt contacted him. On January 29, I reached out to Wheeler-Smith directly and through SOCR’s communications staffer, Sage Leibenson, describing each of the allegations individually. I requested a phone or Zoom interview with Wheeler-Smith but said “email is fine” as an alternative, and I included dozens of detailed questions.

My email concluded, “‘I apologize for the voluminous number of questions in this email; however, I always think it’s better to put everything out there than for anyone to be blindsided by allegations or concerns that they were unaware of or would like the opportunity to respond to.”

After I received no response to that email, I sent the list of questions again on February 20, writing, “I’m following up on these questions. I’m planning to publish a story next week about the union’s request, on behalf of staff, for Director Wheeler-Smith to be removed for cause and the experiences described to me by staff, and I’m re-sending these questions to provide another opportunity to respond.” I never heard back.

In the email he sent Tuesday, Wheeler-Smith said he knew Surratt was “the source” for my story, because he had “made a rookie mistake. Generally, when someone can point to a story coming out, its author, and its contents—they were in fact the source. … It is devastating to learn that people in the Cabinet would work to coordinate such a piece going so far as to direct a few disgruntled staff—current and former—to the reporter.”

Surratt was not a source for the story. Wilson’s office did not respond to PubliCola’s questions on Tuesday.

Wheeler-Smith alleged that during their call on February 7, Surratt said he should resign or “things would ‘get really ugly’ for me.” Quoting a text message he sent Surratt, his complaint continued, “I am confident that an investigation will absolve me of any wrongdoing and I will be vindicated. I am in discussions with counsel about legal action to protect my character and reputation given the defamatory nature of the allegations.”

“I would urge [Human Resources investigators] and the City Council to redirect their energy from these baseless claims and examine why 50% of Black department heads have been relieved of their duties under this administration,” Wheeler-Smith wrote. “This alone signifies why I must stay and so must this Department.”

Wilson replaced two of Harrell’s seven Black department heads: former transportation department director Adiam Emery, who was previously Harrell’s deputy mayor, and Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs director Hamdi Mohamed, who spoke with PubliCola about her departure last month.