Seattle, WA

Seattle mayor accused of lying after blaming Christian rally for park violence

Published

10 months ago

May 28, 2025

Press Room

Seattle mayor accused of lying after blaming Christian rally for park violence

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Organizers of the Christian rally that Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell blamed for a violent riot at a local park pushed back against his claims that they intentionally provoked outrage on Tuesday.

After police reported multiple arrests at the MayDayUSA rally at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, Harrell’s office released a statement defending the LGBTQ community and protesters while criticizing the “far-right rally” for provoking the violent reaction.

“Seattle is proud of our reputation as a welcoming, inclusive city for LGBTQ+ communities, and we stand with our trans neighbors when they face bigotry and injustice,” the statement read. “Today’s far-right rally was held here for this very reason – to provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are inherently opposed to our city’s values, in the heart of Seattle’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhood.”

Though Harrell’s office suggested the rally was intentionally held at Cal Anderson Park to stir up controversy, pastor Russell Johnson, who helped to lead the event, said the location was suggested to them by the city.

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“The @MayorofSeattle caught in yet another lie. He said we intentionally chose Cal Anderson Park for our worship rally to ‘provoke a reaction by promoting beliefs that are opposed to Seattle’s values.’ Oops. He must have forgot about the email HIS OFFICE sent us on March 7th denying our permit to gather at Pike Place and SUGGESTING we go to Cal Anderson Park instead,” Johnson wrote on X.

Johnson provided email screenshots showing that their initial location, Pike Place, was rejected for being unable to “successfully facilitate” the event. They also showed that Cal Anderson Park was suggested as an alternative option.

Fellow preacher Ross Johnston also told Fox News Digital that their first location was rejected, and they then chose Cal Anderson Park after the city’s suggestion. He condemned the mayor’s statement for taking the protesters’ side to “make things worse.”

“His reasoning, of course, is that our values inherently opposed the values of Seattle,” Johnston said. “Now, when I hear that, my question is what values is he referring to? Is he referring to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights? Because I don’t know if he knows this, but he’s actually an elected politician in the United States of America. And in the 250-year history of the nation of America, though we might not all see eye-to-eye on every single matter, or even religion for that matter, we all do agree on having the same rights, right?”

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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released a statement after police officers arrested over 20 people after violence broke out at a Christian rally. (GENNA MARTIN/San Francisco Chronicle/Mat Hayward via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Harrell’s office confirmed that the rally’s Pike Place location was rejected and that a city staffer “shared several parks that had potential availability.” However, Harrell’s press secretary, Callie Craighead, pointed out that Cal Anderson Park was the rally organizers’ first choice after being given other options, providing Fox News Digital with a copy of a permit from March.

Craighead also suggested the rally organizers “directly explained their provocative thinking” when choosing locations by citing a pre-rally video depicting Johnston describing their Pike Place location as “Antifa’s headquarters” and “where thousands showed up for BLM.”

“Mayor Harrell remains steadfast in his denouncement of rhetoric from groups whose messages promote exclusion, intolerance, and undermine the dignity and rights of any community member—particularly those that are marginalized, like our LGBTQ+ community,” Craighead said.

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Harrell accused Christian rally organizers of deliberately stoking outrage. (David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

She added, “As a Christian himself, the mayor is guided by the Christian values of love and justice, and his comments have specifically addressed ideologies that are in contrast to Seattle’s commitment to being a welcoming city for all. Like any faith community, Christianity is not a monolith—and many Christians throughout Seattle do not hold the beliefs expressed by the organizers of the Mayday rally.”

In response to the mayor’s original statement, Johnston and Johnson launched a protest rally outside Seattle City Hall on Tuesday, calling for his resignation. Johnston also emphasized that he “100%” condemned violence.

“We want nobody to be arrested. We want nobody to be hurt or end up in the hospital. Absolutely not. We condone all violence 100% of the time,” Johnston told Fox News Digital.

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Seattle, WA

New York Sirens beat Seattle Torrent in front of sold-out MSG crowd in historic game for women’s hockey

Published

12 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

New York Sirens beat Seattle Torrent in front of sold-out MSG crowd in historic game for women’s hockey

History was made Saturday night at Madison Square Garden as the New York Sirens played the Seattle Torrent before a sold-out crowd.

It was the first time a Professional Women’s Hockey League game was played at the iconic arena.

The ceremonial puck drop didn’t just signify the start of a game, but a new era in women’s sports.

“We got women in space right now. We got women on the ice,” Queens resident Aaimz Davis said. “We got women everywhere.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 04: A closeup view of the game puck during the game between the New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent at Madison Square Garden on April 04, 2026 in New York City.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

For Sirens season ticket holders, a sold-out MSG to see their ladies play was less of a “who would’ve thought?” and more of a “it’s about time.”

“Women’s sports have come a long, long way and this just means– this is just an awesome feeling,” fan Patricia Fraser-Morales said.

“You had the Liberty, yeah, OK, then you have Gotham, the soccer,” fan Myrna Morales-Fraser said. “Now you have hockey.”

It was a history-making game for the sport — both the first home game at the legendary arena for the Sirens, and the first time it’s drawn a crowd this big for women’s hockey.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 04: The New York Sirens and the Seattle Torrent play in PWHL action at Madison Square Garden on April 04, 2026 in New York City.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

On hand to mark the occasion was 39 Grand Slam-winning tennis great and trailblazer Billie Jean King.

“My dream has always been to help women’s sports grow because I come from a time when nobody cared about women in sports. It was horrible,” she said. “So when I see this, and I’m so happy I’m still alive to see it, you have no idea.”

Girls from the New Jersey Colonials youth hockey team, coached by Sirens Coach Greg Fargo, were excited and inspired. They see themselves going far, hoping to see their names up alongside the legends’ banners at New York’s center-stage arena.

“Maybe it’s gonna start growing more and more, and it’s gonna inspire more girls,” player Quinn Doherty said.

To give fans even more reason to celebrate, it ended up being a thrilling 2-1 shootout win for the Sirens.

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Seattle, WA

Salk: 2 caveats for a Seattle Seahawks first-round trade up

Published

24 hours ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

Salk: 2 caveats for a Seattle Seahawks first-round trade up

The NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and one of the things I keep hearing is people excited about the idea of the Seattle Seahawks trading up from pick No. 32 in the first round.

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I’m not necessarily opposed the idea of trading up, but I want to throw two big caveats in that. One, I’m not giving up any of the picks from next year, certainly not next year’s first round. Next year is supposed to be an incredible draft. This is supposed to be a mediocre draft where there are starters, not stars. If you got the opportunity to get stars next year, I want to take as many of those as possible, so please do not trade away certainly your first-round pick for next year.

But then Brock Huard has brought up this whole idea of trading up for Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love because he’s the best player in the draft. He might very well be right that he is. You know what I just can’t get myself to agree to? It’s trading up for a running back and certainly not trading next year’s first-round pick and this year’s first-round pick and probably more than that to get up into the top 10 for a running back, for a skill-position guy.

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Look, you were just barely able to keep me on board with paying $225 million for wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed knowing that you’re gonna be spending a whole bunch of money on cornerback Devon Witherspoon. I love all those players. I get nervous about spending that much money that far away from the line of scrimmage.

You wanna now go trade two first-round picks and try to get a running back? I’m sorry, that’s where you lose me. I just can’t go that far. I don’t care how good he is. I’m out.

This post is a transcript of the video at the top of the post. It is edited for clarity. Catch Mike Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• Seahawks’ 2026 OTA, minicamp schedule announced
• What GM said about Seahawks making ‘Hard Knocks’ debut
• Why Daniel Jeremiah isn’t concerned about Seattle Seahawks’ FA losses
• Why Macdonald envisions Shaheed as bigger WR threat in ’26
• Stacy Rost: Who makes most sense to play Seahawks in NFL opener

Follow @themikesalk

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Seattle, WA

FOLLOWUP: City Light’s Brace Point project now one-third complete

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

Press Room

FOLLOWUP: City Light’s Brace Point project now one-third complete

If you live in the Fauntleroy-area neighborhood where Seattle City Light is working on long-needed underground repairs and updates, Brace Point, you’ve probably closely followed their progress. For those who haven’t, here’s the latest of SCL’s periodic updates:

Seattle City Light contractors continue to work on the underground electrical infrastructure serving the Brace Point neighborhood. They are installing new duct banks, conduits, cables, vaults, and streetlights. The new infrastructure will help reduce the risk of outages and improve service for residents.
Underground civil construction is approximately 32% complete. Our crews have installed 3,470 linear feet of conduit and 13 underground electrical vaults. We expect to finish most civil construction by the end of 2026. After that, crews will focus on cleaning staging areas and restoring the project area to the same, if not better, condition.
You can reach our team at bracepointcable@stephersonassociates.com or 206-312-0021.
If you would like to talk to a member of the project team in person, you can find us in the upstairs meeting room at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library on Wednesday, April 8 from 12-1 PM.
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Current work areas:
Southwest Brace Point Drive: Crews are working near the intersection of 46th Ave. SW and SW Brace Point Drive.
47th Ave. Southwest: Crews are working north along 47th Ave. SW near the intersection of 46th Ave. SW and SW Roxbury St. Please drive carefully through this intersection and expect changing traffic patterns as the work progresses.
Longer than usual delays: Concrete pours are scheduled to occur on Wednesdays from 8 AM – 2 PM for the remainder of the project. Due to the narrow streets, trucks may have to park in the right-of-way. Please plan for longer than normal delays during these times.
Pedestrian trail: Crews are running new conduit and replacing the streetlight on the trail between 47th Ave.
Southwest to 48th Ave. Southwest. The trail is closed and expected to reopen in mid-April, once crews have finished the foundation for the new light pole. They will restore any areas disturbed by the project to City standards.
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Upcoming work areas
46th Ave. Southwest: After crews complete work on Brace Point Drive, they will start utility work on the segment of 46th Ave SW between Brace Point Drive and the intersection of SW Roxbury St and 47th Ave SW.
47th Ave. Southwest: This spring, crews will start working near the south end of 47th Ave. SW and work north towards the intersection of SW 98th St.