Seattle Redistricting Commission Announces New Land Acknowledgement Amid Controversy

After the Seattle Redistricting Commission’s controversial plan to split the U-District from UW was rejected, the commission responded in a last ditch effort to regain the support of citizens.

When initially proposed, the commission had received numerous complaints about the plan and had been accused of gerrymandering. The commission has since backpedaled and announced that they “aim to manipulate the districts in the most inclusive way possible.” The official statement was issued this weekend, via an email titled “Gerrymander!? I hardly know her”:

“Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are located on ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish, Suquamish, Stillaguamish, and Muckleshoot Tribes. People that are still here and continue to honor their heritage.

We here at the Redistricting Commission are committed to honoring the Coast Salish peoples and their heritage as we divide the land that used to be theirs. We believe in fairly dividing our districts without bias or affiliation as we avoid a popular vote at all costs. That’s why we have carefully considered all proposed plans and community suggestions before completely disregarding them and continuing to push our original redistricting plans. This year, we have even recruited a cultural representative to ensure our redistricting meets Salish values.

Meet John Thomas. Thomas is the president of Pacific Northwest Equipment Inc. and Chairman of the King County Republican Party. While John may not be Indigneous “by blood,” he feels a special connection to the Coast Salish land that surrounds his corporate office, and even shook an Indigneous person’s hand once.”

Following the statement, the commission provided a link and openly invited all questions, concerns, and complaints to be directed to them. The link, however, was just a long line of text formatted to look clickable.