This is probably not how former Seattle Mayor Ed Murray thought it would end up. Wednesday night, the Seattle LGBTQ Commission will hold a “Call for Community Healing” in the wake of the sex abuse scandal that forced Murray, the city’s first openly gay mayor, to resign last year:
Over the past year, sexual assault and trauma has been in the spotlight following multiple accusations of such abuse by our former Mayor Ed Murray. For survivors of abuse and assault, this trauma often manifests itself in mental health consequences, increased substance use, and addiction. These can flare up again when old traumas are brought up, as they were for many during this time. Unfortunately, the city was often split on how to appropriately support and manage the difficulties that surfaced for community members around such a significant event.
The Wednesday night event at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center will include “group discussion and mindfulness activities, as well as a number of mental health and other community support organizations tabling at the event.”
“Food will be provided,” organizers promise, “and time will be available for socializing at the beginning/end of the event as well.”
This event is being sponsored by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Office for Civil Rights.
Seriously?
This seems kind of superfluous (not to mention “new-agey) to me. I doubt many will attend.
I’m not sure how this affected the community at large? For the victims and those close to them, this sort of thing makes complete sense.
But I didn’t take it personally as a gay man that he did this. Something like a gay bashing on Capitol Hill, yes or maybe something like the Mathew Shepard incident years ago. But the fact that Mr. Murray is an alleged child abuser isn’t something I need to be comforted about. This time and money would be better spent on his victims or preventing sexual abuse.
Get a grip.
New-agey? On the contrary: The approaches mentioned here – learning mindfulness practices and finding community with peers, are supported by research showing they’re helpful to folks. In other words, not new-agey because these are common ways of supporting people, practiced and advised by all sorts of psychologists, social workers, etc.
Why is this support group being funded by the Office of Arts and Culture?
The space is being provided free of charge. That’s the only contribution from Arts & Culture. SOCR is paying for most of the food, and the LGBTQ Commission is covering other costs.
My question is, ‘Why is there an Seattle Office of Arts & Culture’ when the downtown streets are full of trash?