Update: The port's internal investigation found no evidence of racial bias, but port CEO Ted Fick fired Zachrisson and Lincoln for allegedly violating the port's e-mail policy. The two former employees have sued the port for wrongful termination. For evidence of wrongful termination, they argue that Port Commissioner John Creighton sought attention from KIRO and The Stranger to the e-mails in order to retaliate against the employees for a disagreeing with a 2012 motion brought by Creighton that would have given some minority-owned businesses preferential leases.
This week, the Port of Seattle announced that it is pursuing an internal investigation regarding e-mails exchanged between two port staffers that contained racially charged insults. One set of e-mails provided to The Stranger appear to show the airport's dining and retail manager calling a black business owner a "thug."
On Monday, Port CEO Ted Fick placed two employees on paid administrative leave, but would not confirm whether the employees were the two in question.
The emails were obtained as part of the discovery process of a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by three minority-owned airport concession businesses against the Port of Seattle last fall. The lawsuit alleges that the port relegated those businesses to remote locations with low foot-traffic, charged them higher rent than white-owned businesses, and signed leases with them that had terms that were less favorable than those with white business owners.
SeaTac Bar Group is one of the companies suing the port under the Civil Rights Act. The company, which is owned by Rod O'Neal and Jerry Whitsett, operates Africa Lounge and the Mountain Room Bar on Concourse A.
The lawsuit, which claims that the port has plans to terminate contracts with all of the businesses in Concourse A, alleges that the port told SeaTac Bar Group it wanted to turn Africa Lounge into a shoe-shine parlor and barbershop.
In December of 2011, O'Neal (who is black) attended a port commission meeting to talk about some of the challenges of running his business on that concourse, where all restaurants and bars (with the exception of Starbucks) are run by Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Entities (ACDBEs)âfederal jargon for businesses owned by people of color and women. The federally funded program aims to create a level playing field.
During the December port commission meeting, port staffer Elaine Lincoln e-mailed Deanna Zachrisson, currently the airport's business manager for dining and retail, and asked who was sitting next to her. "Gum-chewing Rod... the thug," Zachrisson replied. A few hours later, O'Neal testified in front of the port commission. Ten minutes after he finished, Zachrisson and Lincoln traded more e-mails. "Puppet," Zachrisson wrote. "Idiot," Lincoln replied. It's unclear whether they were referring to O'Neal or possibly port commissioners who spoke about the ACDBE issue after O'Neal's testimony.
On Tuesday, community activist Eddie Rye Jr. testified in front of the current port commission, telling port commissioners he'd brought the discrimination complaints to the attention to the Congressional Black Caucus.
"This has been some of the most vile racism I've seen in a long time," Rye told The Stranger later that day.
Neither Lincoln nor Zachrisson returned a request for comment.
In a statement, Port CEO Ted Fick said, "The Port of Seattle values respect for all members of our community and in all aspects of its business operations. I am committed to ensuring the Port of Seattle handles this serious matter with transparency and accountability."
The port commission also released a statement calling the e-mails "totally unacceptable."
"The Commission fully supports a thorough investigation by the CEO, and expects a prompt resolution," the commissioners' statement read.
