Seattle Mayor Resigns Amidst Sexual Assault Allegations
- Details
- Category: World News
- Published on Tuesday, 12 September 2017 23:31
- Written by Janet Walker
Seattle Mayor Democrat Ed Murray, 62, a former Washington State Senator, has tendered his resignation effective at 5:00PM Wednesday, September 13, after a fifth person, came forward accusing the first term mayor of child sexual assault.
"While the allegations against me are not true, it is important that my personal issues do not affect the ability of our city government to conduct the public's business," the mayor said as reported in The Seattle Times.
Murray, one of the nation's first openly gay politicians, who has been under investigation since the initial allegation of sexual assault on a minor child was disclosed in a civil lawsuit alleging thirty years ago Murray repeatedly sexual assault a boy, 15, who has remained anonymous.
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Murray responded to those allegations indicating he did not remember the boy's name until the allegations were presented. The suit has since been dropped.
From that point forward, Murray has faced an ever growing circle of similar allegations all from underage children, the genders of which have not been identified, although it is suspected the victims are males. His decision to tender his resignation was so the "allegations wouldn't overshadow the office."
The fifth man to accuse Murray, Joseph Dyer, 54, his cousin, told his story to The Seattle Times, who had been conducting an investigation into the allegations, explaining Murray, then 21, and he, then 13, shared a room, in Medford, L.I. New York and where Murray repeatedly raped the teen.
Several of the other allegations stem from former Foster Children under Murray's care each whom described a similar pattern of sexual assault. The accusers have been able to withstand the re-traumatization of reliving the abuse and the ostracization, and even blacklisting, by those who are in positions of authority, those who can circumvent the accuser, to impose additional hurt and injury. Their stories are generally accepted as truthful.
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Seattle has been a forerunner in progressive reforms which improve the living conditions of its citizens including one of the first to raise the hourly minimum wage to $15.00. As a state senator, where he served for 18 years, Murray championed the nation's first Marriage Equality Bill and made discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal.
Sources: Various
