Rantz: The woke Seattle mob forced a Pike Place Market leader out

The Radical Left just claimed another victim thanks to the absolute shameless cowardice of the Pike Place Market.

Lillian Sherman, the executive director of the Pike Place Market Foundation, has been essentially pushed out — her resignation is effective March 7. Her crime? Canceling an event that Seattle’s woke resistance crowd insisted was some holy rite of progressive activism. The mob wasn’t going to tolerate any deviation from the script, and now, another leader has been purged for failing to meet the ever-changing demands of leftist orthodoxy.

Sherman’s departure follows a tantrum from activists over her decision to cancel a “Day of Remembrance” event at the Market. The event, originally organized by the radical social justice group Tsuru for Solidarity, was meant to commemorate the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. But this wasn’t just a memorial — it was a politically charged rally designed to draw a direct, absurd parallel between Donald Trump-era immigration policies and the forced internment of Japanese Americans.

The foundation, rightly, decided that the event’s overtly political “resistance” messaging didn’t align with its mission as a social service organization.

That should have been the end of it. The foundation had every right to say, “This isn’t what we do.” But in Seattle, nothing is ever that simple. You’re not allowed to say no to the Radical Left without paying a price.

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The Radical Left owns Pike Place Market

The city’s progressive activists view every institution — charities, businesses, public spaces — as a vehicle for their activism. There’s no opting out. So when Sherman’s foundation declined to host the event, the usual mob erupted.

The online outrage machine kicked into high gear; social media activists blasted the foundation for being complicit in oppression and leftist activists smeared the decision. The predictable “apology” from the foundation followed, a groveling statement about how they “want to be better allies moving forward.” And just like that, Sherman’s career at the Market was over because she didn’t feel comfortable letting partisan fools pretend deporting dangerous criminals, including child rapists, is the equivalent to forced internment of Japanese Americans.

The chance of this being a voluntary resignation is slim. It was almost certainly a forced exit, demanded by the same people who claim to champion “inclusion” but will destroy anyone who dares to dissent.

Sherman had been with the foundation for 13 years, overseeing major fundraising efforts, including the $74 million expansion and vital COVID-19 recovery programs. None of that mattered once the activist class decided she was an enemy of the cause.

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This is Seattle in a nutshell

The Radical Left still holds the reins. Any leader, even one with a long track record of success, is disposable if they refuse to play by the activists’ rules. Even the suggestion that a nonprofit might want to focus on its actual mission, rather than turning into a staging ground for left-wing protests, is treated as heresy. The activists demand total control over public spaces, charitable organizations, and, ultimately, the people who run them.

The message is clear: If you don’t toe the line, you’ll be next. It doesn’t matter how much good you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if your decision was rational or in line with your organization’s mission. If the mob decides you need to go, you’re gone.

Seattle keeps telling itself that it’s moving toward some progressive utopia, but the reality is far different. This is a city where fear governs — fear of backlash, fear of the activist class, fear of being labeled an enemy. Leaders, business owners and nonprofits all know the drill: either comply or get crushed.

Sherman’s ouster is just the latest proof that Seattle is still under the thumb of its Radical Left. And until the city grows a spine and stands up to this nonsense, it won’t be the last.

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