City weeds out link to Hempfest site

City weeds out link to Hempfest site

Saturday, August 18, 2001

By MIKE BARBER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

No, you aren't suffering short-term memory loss.

Yesterday's city of Seattle Internet page really did mix pot with potties.

But while explaining Mayor Paul Schell's stand on installation of public toilets was a legitimate issue for the Web site, the city says another item linking viewers to marijuana leaves and an agenda to legalize pot was high and wide of the mark.

After being posted most of the morning, it was busted by afternoon, disappearing like a puff of smoke.

Viewers who wanted to see what was happening around town in the morning were greeted by a highlight at the top of the Web page touting this weekend's Hempfest 2001 celebration at Myrtle Edwards Park.

When they clicked it, they were linked to the Hempfest site, a black page with a shower of multicolored virtual marijuana leaves. After the cannabis downpour, up popped the Hempfest page, listing events, speakers and agendas to legalize marijuana happening at this weekend's celebration at Myrtle Edwards Park.

One photo, presumably from last year, showed two Seattle Police Department bicycle patrol officers radiating good public-relations smiles, holding high some Hempfest T-shirts.

Marty Chakoian, director of the city's department of information, was not amused.

"I thought it was really inappropriate. It implied the city was endorsing Hempfest, which we are not," Chakoian said.

"The thing that bothered me was not so much that it linked to the actual Hempfest site itself. But the first thing that people got on the Hempfest site was (marijuana) leaves and an announcement that the festival was to promote the legalization of marijuana, which is a political agenda," he said.

While the city approved the permits to hold the celebration at Myrtle Edwards Park todayand tomorrow, Chakoian said it can't appear to be rolled up into Hempfest's political agenda.

Chakoian usually reviews the day's Web page first thing each morning but had some meetings to attend yesterday and got to it later. He said his Web manager was supposed to review it in his stead but didn't pull it. When Chakoian finally saw it hours later, he just said "no."

P-I reporter Mike Barber can be reached at 206-448-8018 or mikebarber@seattlepi.com

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