Seattle Mayor Places Civil Rights Director on Leave

Podcast host Angela Rye criticizes the decision as based on "baseless" and "gossip blog" reporting

Published on Mar. 11, 2026

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The Seattle mayor's administration has placed the director and deputy director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights on administrative leave following allegations of discrimination and harassment. Podcast host Angela Rye, who co-hosts the "Native Land Pod", expressed shock at the decision, calling the underlying PubliCola report "largely unsourced" and "full of anonymous allegations." Rye also disputed the leave status, stating the director was actually on family medical leave to care for his sick mother.

Why it matters

The decision to place the civil rights director and deputy on leave raises concerns about the new administration's handling of sensitive personnel matters, especially involving officials focused on equity and civil rights issues. Rye's criticism highlights the potential political fallout and community backlash the mayor's office may face over this move.

The details

According to the report, the Wilson administration placed Derrick Wheeler-Smith, the director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, and Fahima Mohamed, the deputy director, on administrative leave last week following allegations of discrimination and harassment. Podcast host Angela Rye, who co-hosts the "Native Land Pod", expressed shock at the decision, calling the underlying PubliCola report "largely unsourced" and "full of anonymous allegations." Rye disputed the leave status, stating Wheeler-Smith was actually on family medical leave to care for his sick mother, not administrative leave.

  • The Seattle mayor's administration placed the civil rights director and deputy on leave last week.

The players

Angela Rye

Co-host of the "Native Land Pod" podcast who criticized the Seattle mayor's decision to place the civil rights director and deputy on leave.

Derrick Wheeler-Smith

The director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights who was placed on leave by the Seattle mayor's administration.

Fahima Mohamed

The deputy director of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights who was placed on leave by the Seattle mayor's administration.

Seattle Mayor

The administration of the current Seattle mayor who placed the civil rights director and deputy on leave.

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What they’re saying

“I just want to acknowledge that, from my view, to say that the PubliCola story is a report is very loaded. I would say that this runs more like a gossip blog. From what I reviewed, it was largely unsourced, full of anonymous allegations.”

— Angela Rye, Co-host, "Native Land Pod" podcast (KIRO Newsradio)

“It's a lot of he said, she said, and I'm actually really stunned to see the administration — the new administration, not even 90 days in — so mired in nonsense with people who agree with them more than 90% of the time.”

— Angela Rye, Co-host, "Native Land Pod" podcast (KIRO Newsradio)

“As far as I know, both of them were on family medical leave, and so if that is the case, I don't know how you switch someone's status to administrative leave because of some trumped-up allegations.”

— Angela Rye, Co-host, "Native Land Pod" podcast (KIRO Newsradio)

What’s next

The city will need to clarify the leave status of the civil rights director and deputy, and address concerns that the decision was based on unsubstantiated allegations.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the challenges facing the new Seattle administration in handling sensitive personnel matters, especially involving officials focused on equity and civil rights. The mayor's office will need to tread carefully to avoid further backlash from the community and maintain trust in the city's commitment to civil rights.