Seattle Councilwomen Speak Out Against Arena Vote Backlash

SEATTLE (AP) — The five women on Seattle's City Council have responded to sexist attacks against them after a recent council vote sidetracked an arena proposal aimed at bringing the NBA back to the city.

In a Wednesday op-ed in The Seattle Times, the councilwomen wrote they were "deeply troubled" at the level of vitriol in social media posts and emails that often threatened "sexual or other physical violence," contained hateful language and racist rhetoric.

All five women on the nine-member council voted against selling a street to investor Chris Hansen, complicating his plan to build an arena in the city's SoDo District. The four men voted for the proposal.

In the op-ed the women said they were also accused of incompetence because of their gender by sports fans hoping for an arena.