SOUTHEAST SEATTLE – Nearly two months after Mayor Mike McGinn walked out on his last public Rainier Valley event, the embattled politician will return to Southeast Seattle to host another Town Hall meeting.

Mayor McGinn has held numerous such events throughout the city, but none ended quite as badly as the one that took place at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) in June.

According to the Mayor’s Office, the event was supposed to be an opportunity for “as many people as possible who live, work, or play in Seattle to voice their concerns and offer their feedback directly to the mayor,” but shortly after the meeting began, when an attendee interrupted him to complain about Seattle Police, Mayor McGinn got visibly upset and said it was his turn to talk. It went rapidly downhill from there with the Mayor stalking out shortly thereafter.

McGinn’s office later blamed anarchists for disrupting the meeting, but a young African American woman can be seen on tape saying the Mayor was ignoring their concerns because of their race.

“We have a concern that you’re not listening to,” she said. “Because we’re not white, you’re not listening.”

At the time, another similar meeting had been scheduled for July 18, but shortly after the disastrous event at NAAM, the Mayor postponed that event.

According to Community Engagement Coordinator Sol Villarreal, the delay was due to a scheduling issue.

The next event will be held Tues., Aug. 14, from 5:30 to 8 pm at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (6020 Beacon Ave. S.) on Beacon Hill.

Photo/Rainier Valley Post