Man accused of ‘death threats’ against Seattle mayor, socialist councilwoman
Jan 17, 2014, 2:41 PM | Updated: 7:39 pm
A Seattle man is in jail, suspected of posting threats on the Facebook pages of newly-elected Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant.
The 32-year-old was booked into the King County Jail Thursday night for investigation of malicious harassment and cyber-stalking. Bail was set at $600,000 during a probable cause hearing Friday afternoon.
According to court documents, members of Mayor Murray’s staff noticed the threatening posts on his public page.
“Death to Seattle faggots,” read one post.
“Mayor meet harvey milk,” read another.
Milk, the first openly gay person elected to office in California, was assassinated in November 1978. Mayor Murray, who recently married his longtime partner, is Seattle’s first openly gay mayor.
Interviewed by a Seattle police detective, Mayor Murray said he considered the posts to be “a direct threat to his life.”
Police believe the same man posted several comments on Sawant’s Facebook page, including “death to socialist council member” and “Feminist must get raped and die.”
Sawant, who took office earlier this month, is believed to be the first socialist elected to office in a major U.S. city.
Sawant told the detective that she was “concerned for her safety and the safety of her family.”
“Above all, I would like to remind everybody that we should be undeterred and undistracted in the work that we are doing,” Sawant told KIRO Radio at Seattle City Hall Friday evening. “It’s not just me. It’s tens of thousands of people out there who are fighting for the same things as me. And maybe if we have more tens of thousands joining, we will be stronger than any threats that can be made.”
Charges in the case are expected on Wednesday, January 22.
