Unapproved pride flags are apparently prohibited in Seattle’s best known landmarks.

The Daily Dozen Doughnut Company in the Pike Place Market was told on Monday to remove a 2’x3′ pride flag because they needed prior approval from the market to hang them. The owner, Barb Elva, took the rainbow flag down Tuesday. She has since tried to negotiate with the Pike Place Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) and the Historical Commission, who basically run the market, to leave up the flags (they aren’t signs, Barb notes) until she can fill out the requisite application and plead her case to the market’s governing bodies. After all, Pride Week is this week and she has already missed the deadline to get on the agenda this month to get the signs approved.

Are we really to believe that, with all the visual clutter, around the market that every vendor has asked and received approval from the historical society to put up each sign, flag, post it note, and bit decoration? Is there a good reason why the pride flags had to be taken down or was this something silly and petty?

A call was placed to the Pike Place PDA and they are currently investigating the matter. The Historical Society has yet to comment.

UPDATE: Pike Place Market PDA spokesman James Haydu got back to me and explained that any sign or decoration that “alters the look or feel of the market” must have prior approval by the market’s historical commission and is added to the tenant’s lease. When asked why the market only approves new stall decorations once a month, he said that “The market moves organically.”

Thanks to Slog Tipper Keith!

22 replies on “No Pride At Pike Place Market”

  1. isn’t the market a private business that simply leases space to it’s tenants? if so they have every right to dictate what politics can be openly displayed … especially since it might have financial implications towards other tenants.

  3. I bet it was that rude lady at the dried fruit stand across from the fish-toss.

    “DO NOT LEAN ON MY COUNTER, DO NOT LEAN ON MY COUNTER, STEP AWAY NOW UNLESS YOU ARE BUYING SOMETHING. Oh, do you want some of this fruit? NO? GO AWAY THEN, GET AWAY FROM MY COUNTER!”

  6. Maybe it’s a free speech issue, just like the now illegal ban on unapproved street musicians at Seattle Center …

    All your flags are belong to … nobody.

  7. #1 The Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority (PDA) is a nonprofit, public corporation chartered by the City of Seattle in 1973 to manage 80% of the properties in the nine-acre Market Historical District.

    This isn’t just some mall that gets to make up rules that suit it. They are accountable to the citizens of Seattle and expected to act on our behalf.

  9. @1: Read @7.

    If the city says so, they must comply.

    And as part of the city, I say so. So do my dollars.

    Bring the flag back, now.

  11. Market businesses are allowed to put up decorations for all other holidays, including Christmas and Easter. But I guess celebrating Pride week might offend someone sensitive tourist from Iowa.

    Oh, wait…

  15. @5
    The average lease in the market is around 50 pages long – I used to have a place there. They can do just about everything short of telling you what to wear. They can even tell cafes/restaurants what they can have on their menus. That’s the first 25 pages. The second 25 pages say that they aren’t responsible for anything, ever.

  16. The posting makes reference to both a “flag” and also “flags”. Were they just trying to hang one? Were they trying to hang 10 of them? It’s unclear.

  19. The PDA revisted their earlier decision on pride flag and asked me to put flag back up. Thanks to the tall good looking man from left bank books it was soon acomplished. They have assured me that this wont happen next year ( i filled my request to the hysterical com). Thank you to whomever got ahold of the stranger people, you know who you are cause I sure don’t. We got pride seattle thats for sure but I dont just put up the flag up for us. As a former montana queer I know their is some queer boy or girl on the family vacation hating their life. I know that seeing the rainbow flag lets them have hope. I hope they know that someday you will turn 18. and that we are here, you have family waiting for you. We will keep the lights on and the flag up..

  21. I work at daily dozen–tossing doughnuts up in the air, and I agree with some of the other comments that say we lease from the PDA, so they can tell us what is acceptable. . .BUT
    Take a look at the rest of the market. Up to this point, political has been totally acceptable. Three Girls Bakery has an Obama poster as large as our flag. You can buy “terrorist body bags” downstairs. Pike Place Nuts has all sorts of disturbing and vaguely political things up. And has anyone posting this stuff ever been inside Left Bank Books? Yeah I didn’t think so.
    Another point to consider: We bring the PDA HELLA business and make them HELLA $CASH$ so they should let us do whatever the fuck we want!
    And rest assured gentle reader, the flag flies again due to all of you who caused their phones to ring off the hook in protest. DIRECT ACTION GETS THE GOODS!
    Happy Pride!
    –Luna

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