Holly MatkinSeattle, WA – A self-proclaimed democratic socialist running for Seattle City Council blamed “white masculinity” in the death of a female student who collapsed on an icy University of Washington (UW) campus sidewalk on Wednesday.
He then did fundraising for his campaign off of her death.
District 4 council candidate Shaun Scott immediately took to Twitter to accuse UW College Republican President Chevy Swanson of causing 19-year-old Hayley Smith’s death, KTTH reported.
Scott alleged that Swanson helped to organize students to pour water on the sidewalk so school officials would cancel classes.
“Hey, UW College Republicans…Someone slipped fell, and died on ice at UW,” Scott tweeted. “It has been credibly alleged that your president helped organize students to pour ice water on walkways so you could get an extra snow day.”
“You don’t get to sit this out,” he continued. “What is your response?”
“It isn’t the 1950s anymore, and you guys aren’t ‘Animal House,’” Scott wrote in another tweet. “America is done suffering the ‘good clean fun’ of destructive White masculinity. When I get elected, I will be your councilmember too. The community needs accountability from you.”
But Swanson argued that he had nothing to do with organizing the supposed sidewalk-sabotaging events, and said they never even took place.
“A member of a UW meme Facebook group meant for sharing campus specific memes created the first event, which got a lot of traction as hundreds of students RSVPed and shared as a joke,” Swanson explained to KTTH.
“The second one was by a Facebook page that I am not an admin of, yet people fraudulently push a claim that I created the event,” he added.
Regardless as to whether the events took place or not, the area where they were slated to be held was approximately two buildings away from where Smith collapsed, KTTH reported.
Scott was back on Twitter on Wednesday night to retweet a comment from one of his critics, as well a link to donate to his political campaign.
On Friday, UW Police Department Major Steve Rittereiser announced that Smith was not killed by slipping and falling, KIRO reported.
“The King County Medical Examiner reported yesterday afternoon 19-year-old University of Washington student Hayley Smith died a result of a pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis,” Maj. Rittereiser said.
“According to the CDC, a pulmonary embolism usually happens when a blood clot, often in your leg, travels to your lungs and blocks a blood vessel. If the clot is large, it can stop blood from reaching the lungs and is fatal,” he continued.
“She did not slip as was first reported,” Maj. Rittereiser confirmed.
Scott took to Twitter again on Friday to “update” his followers, claiming that Smith “may have collapsed, and not slipped.”
“Others are also reporting on slipping on ice,” he further alleged.
Just two minutes later, he followed up with another jab at Swanson and the UW College Republicans.
“Still no word from College Republicans about about whether/why they participated in or joked about icing walkways at UW,” Scott tweeted.
The aspiring councilman added that he “heard” Smith’s family “doesn’t want anybody doing interviews about the matter,” and said he won’t answer questions about the situation, supposedly out of respect for them.
Scott’s posts blaming Swanson and “white masculinity” for Smith’s death had not been deleted or corrected as of Sunday morning.
Scott, who touts himself as a writer, organizer and filmmaker, said that he aims to repair “foundational injustices” created by “white supremacy,” he wrote in an editorial in The Stranger.
The Black Lives Matter activist said he also plans to “pave the way for law that would bind the city to pay rent to the indigenous peoples whose land we use rent-free.”
“My vision for my city cannot be compromised,” Scott wrote. “In November 2019, we’re going to blow the doors off this city.”