A closer look at the RAC, Chancellor situation | Editorial

Published 11:28 am Friday, March 11, 2016

As journalists, one of the concerns that comes with the job is whether anyone is paying attention to our work.

No matter the form — print, broadcast or online — our job is to inform the public. But it’s not always easy to know whether people are reading or watching or whether they’re engaged and find the information we put out useful.

One way for us to tell is the comments sections below the articles we post online. And last week, we learned that people were definitely engaged — at least regarding one particular issue.

On Feb. 29, the Redmond Athletic Club (RAC) in downtown announced that it would be closing its doors at the end of the day. As a longtime member of the community, with a strong following, news of the gym’s closing was upsetting for many.

This in itself attracted many readers and commenters to the Reporter website.

And then Kam Chancellor happened and Redmond became the focus of a mini media storm and our comments sections saw more activity than they had seen in a very long time.

It all happened after Chancellor, safety for the Seattle Seahawks, posted on his Twitter page about how he had stopped by the RAC in downtown for information about purchasing the gym and the two female gym employees inside the building called 911 on him and the group of people with him.

His tweets garnered a variety of reactions from members of the community and beyond. Some described the employees’ actions as racist since Chancellor is black and the women were presumed to be white; others said the RAC deserved to close down if that was how they treated people, even saying Chancellor could have saved the RAC; and others said the employees should have known who Chancellor was.

In addition, many news outlets — from local media, to sports websites, to political blogs — reported on the Chancellor story and these stories also had their fair share of comments.

A common thread among these stories and many of the comments on these sites (as well as ours) was the focus on Chancellor.

Aside from the Reporter’s story, there was not much attention paid to the bigger story of the downtown RAC — which had been part of the community since 1982 — closing.

The club’s sudden closing left many people in the community upset and even angry. Keeping this in mind, it does not seem unreasonable for two employees inside by themselves to be concerned by a group of people “pounding” on the doors, as stated in the 911 call. Who’s to say these individuals weren’t a group of angry gym members?

The notion that Chancellor was discriminated against by the two RAC employees because of his race is a valid one — especially in the current climate in which black men are often portrayed as thugs and criminals. He had every right to feel this way, just as he had every right to tweet about his experience.

This being said, it should also be noted that Chancellor was part of a group of five people when he stopped by the RAC. Within this group were two black men (Chancellor being one of them), one white man, a black woman and a white woman.

The employee also mentions on the 911 call the homeless population in downtown, which has been a growing concern among businesses and residents. As previously reported, in the last few years, downtown property owners have seen an influx of break-ins, thefts and other crimes as well as individuals using building hallways and stairwells as places to sleep overnight. RAC owner Ryan Neal had also previously stated that the gym had been the target of attempted break-ins in the past.

So race may have played a part in the employees’ actions, but it was not the only factor and for media outlets who don’t cover Redmond regularly, that context was often lost in their reporting.

To those claiming Chancellor could have saved the RAC and the two employees essentially ruined the business’s chances, that is an oversimplification of the issue. The gym closed because they lost their lease, meaning Neal did not own the building. So while the Seahawk might have been able to acquire the business, nothing would have been “saved” unless he was also able to purchase the property.

And finally, to those who are saying the employees should have known who Chancellor was: Just because the Seahawks are a big deal around here, doesn’t mean everyone is a fan or even that fans would have recognized the football player. For most of his airtime, Chancellor is wearing a helmet that covers his face and a uniform that matches his teammates’. And to his credit, from his tweets and police reports, it did not appear that Chancellor tried to use his celebrity to his advantage in this situation.

To say the last week was a busy one for Redmond and us here at the Reporter is an understatement. But it was also educational. I will admit to making assumptions about an individual, organization or entire community when I have read sensationalized stories from around the country and around the world. And even as a journalist who should know better, I have taken these articles at face value, not considering the greater context and circumstances that could have led to an event or incident.

But having been on the other side of things and seeing how easily things can be misconstrued, I will definitely think twice before passing judgement.