Suspect arrested in Shannon Harps Capitol Hill stabbing

From KING 5 TV:

• Washington State Patrol crime lab that they found a DNA match to 48-year-old James Anthony Williams
• Detectives believe Williams and Harps did not know each other.
• Police say Williams was already in the King County Jail for a probation violation.
• He was convicted and sentenced to 11 years in 1995 for first-degree assault. Williams had a brief conversation with a man at a bus stop in Seattle, then pulled out a gun and shot the man twice in the hand.
• In 2007, Williams was arrested three times for violating his probation.

From a Slog posting comment:

He will not stand trial. He's already been declared mentally unfit to stand trial in lesser case, what makes you think he won't get off by reason of insanity for this?

From the Seattle Times:

• long history of paranoid schizophrenia
• Williams voluntarily provided a DNA sample that night
• detectives went looking for him when that sample later matched DNA found at the crime scene.
  
• he was already in jail on an unrelated probation-violation charge.
• Williams was on medication and was receiving care at Sound Mental Health
• In December, the home address listed for the suspect was on Summit Avenue (maybe not the "Summit Inn": see below)
• Williams has a severe history of mental illness
• has been involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals in Texas and Arkansas
• He resisted medications after claiming he was turned into a monkey after receiving Haldol at a Texas hospital.
• In 1989, he told a psychiatrist in Arkansas that, "God tells me to 'put people up' which means he wants me to shoot bad people."

The Seattle P-I has lots more about the suspect and knives. KOMO TV gave his address as the Curben Hotel on Summit. There have been concerns with the Curben Hotel in the past. Note that he'd moved there after the murder. See KOMO report: " Police arrested Williams at his room at the Curben Hotel on Summit Avenue in Capitol Hill, where he had reportedly been staying since Jan. 4". (Thanks, Seadevi, for pointing that out)

So, where does that leave us? DNA evidence pretty clearly implicates a very deranged man, who was probably both living and receiving treatment in an area of Capitol Hill which has been long known for its high concentration of social services. We are all aware of assorted deranged individuals in the area, whom we tend to assume are harmless.

We obviously need (but may never see) more details of his evaluation and treatment, and of the rationale for letting him live amongst us, rather than in a secure environment. And it would be good to know how many more people with similar diagnoses are living amongst us. Maybe the issue of the impacts of social services on our lives would be a topic for the January 31st Capitol Hill Community Council meeting.

One solution might be a truly secure long-term psychiatric hospital, similar to Broadmoor Hospital in England. (I don't know if Western State has such facilities: we seem to leave custody of dangerously insane people to the prison service, and hence they get released at the end of their sentence. Yes, I know this is a slippery slope).

Find out more: try this Google search, and this Capitol Hill Triangle post.


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Club Chocolate City dealers convicted

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all. Friedrich von Logau

From the January 14th P-I (thanks, Seadevi for noting the first report):

Seattle woman gets 5-year federal prison sentence

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- A federal judge in Seattle today sentenced a 42-year-old woman to five years in prison for distribution of crack cocaine, her second conviction for drug dealing.

Debbie Ann Wilson, of Seattle, served two years in prison after being convicted in 1997 of conspiring to sell two kilos of cocaine.

At Wilson's sentencing today, U.S. District Judge James L. Robert told her that drug dealers were a "scourge" on society and warned her that if she was caught selling drugs again, "they'll be carrying you out (of prison) in a box."

According to a plea agreement filed Aug. 2, 2007, Wilson sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration on three separate occasions last year at or near the former Chocolate City nightclub in Seattle. That nightclub was closed in February, 2007.

She was arrested on June 11, 2007, and indicted on July 11, 2007.
_______

Seattle man sentenced to 70 months in prison

Associated Press - January 7, 2008 6:45 PM ET

SEATTLE (AP) - A Seattle man has received a 70-month prison sentence in U.S. District Court for distribution of crack cocaine.

At 32-year-old Knute Golidy's sentencing today in Seattle, Judge James L. Robart told him that he needs to turn his life around in prison. The judge emphasized the violence that surrounds drug dealing.

According to records filed in the case on Feb. 28, 2007, Golidy sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement administration. Golidy met his customers in Club Chocolate city, a now-defunct Seattle nightclub that was a notorious hangout for drug dealers.

The club closed in February 2007.

_______

And yes, the Police do try other things first!

Share a thought for our neighbors to the south

When Club Chocolate City closed many of the problems associated with it surfaced around 23rd & Union, especially outside the long-suffering Thompson's Point of View.

Things seemed to have quietened down for the winter, but there was another shooting there on Sunday evening, as noted by KIRO TV (which apparently thinks that 23rd & Union is part of Capitol Hill), by the P-I and by the Stranger's SLOG (don't miss the readers' comments on the SLOG post).

The neighbors are wonderfully sanguine, however. One even responded with a haiku:

Rain falls on warm shells
Cops search near teller machine
for clues while man points

The neighbors meet regularly for dinner at Thompson's, followed by strolls around the neighborhood. If you'd like to join them, join the Central Neighborhood Association Google Group to be alerted to the next opportunity.

Mailbox alert

From a neighbor:

I am a fairly new (only about a year or so) resident of the Madison Miller area. I live in one of the townhouses on 21st Ave and E. John street and noticed that someone had pried our locked mailbox open. I just wanted to mention it, because I wanted people to be aware that someone may be making "mailbox rounds" and maybe you can remind them to keep an extra eye out during the holidays!

An update from the neighbor:

The Post Office has not been helpful one bit! Along with the recent event I have tried to address the issue of the mail delivery person sticking everyone's mail 1" into the slot on all of the boxes lately as well. I have found my mail, medical bills, bank statements, mortgage bill and all sticking right up for anyone to grab! It's a bit frustrating, but I have indeed been trying to address the proper channels. We did not, however report it to 911, as I didn't think of that at the time. Next time, however, I will certainly do so!

I get the feeling that the postal service is a bit overwhelmed during this time of year.

We were able to repair the box, and are now sure to get the mail as soon as we arrive home each afternoon to lessen the time it spends in (or half in as it may be) the box.

The next step is either a different type of locking box, or a PO box address.

And another neighbor chimes in:

I live in a townhouse on 21st Ave and E. John as well, so quite likely I am this person's neighbor. I never lock my mailbox. I have noticed the mail sticking out sometimes as they describe, and it does appear that the other boxes may have been pried open at some point.

Maybe I should start locking my mailbox. Maybe we should invest in more secure boxes all around. Maybe it doesn't matter. Why would someone steal bills and junkmail, and if they do is it any more than simply an inconvenience to us?

I'm not at all surprised the post office isn't cooperating. I was the first of the 4 units to move in, and had several months of dealing with the post office before they would deliver mail at all! They are wholly uncooperative. Initially, the builder put up a box at each door since the townhouses are two separate structures of two units each. Apparently, the law states that buildings with 3 or more units need a central mailbox. This is two separate lots, two separate addresses, each with two units so it should be ok. The post office agreed. The mailman did not, and refused to deliver the mail or even tell us. It took a while to even figure out what was wrong - I left the mailman a note at a different house's mailbox to come see me since I was receiving no mail, and I skipped work one day. He came over and practically yelled at me for 15 minutes about the builder not following the rules, and that is how I found out about the problem. I had no opinion in the matter, and said they should put the box wherever they wanted so I could receive my mail. Eventually the builder moved all the mailboxes to one unit and now the mailman begrudgingly delivers. The mailman was in an argument with the builder and post office, who neither would do anything, and in the meantime I (illegally) received no mail. I don't have much confidence left in that system.

Assorted crime reports

(After several quiet months, all these reports appeared over the last week.
Please submit comments if you can enlighten us about any of them)

speaking of halloween, did anyone hear those shots last night around 10pm? 19th & Howell I believe? Cops were combing the area but none of them would tell me what happened.

*****

11/1/07: 2000 Block E. Madison

Looks like it (Deano's) got tagged with graffiti recently -- all over the doors and one side of the building. Would call the graffiti hotline, but the several times I've tried them in the past had zero response.

*****

10/26/07 300-400 block 22nd Ave E.

We have either left our doors unlocked or someone has slim jimmed into our cars the last few days. The old ones of the fleet that is.. and for that matter the latter is the highest concern. Just wanted to send an email and alert everyone and see if anyone else has had to deal with such nuisance recently.

*****

I wanted to share a neighbor's experience that is greatly upsetting.
Yesterday, 10/31/07, while at home a neighbor who resides near the corner of 23rd and Pine became aware of suspicious activity next door to her home. Upon investigating, she observed 3 young boys (approximately 12-13 yrs.of age ) forcing the garage door open and entering the home. The neighbor, upon observing this activity, then asked the young boys what they were doing where upon they immediately ran off. The neighbor then called the police and waited for their arrival. The police arrived approx. 20 min. later and apparently found crack cocaine that the boys had thrown from their pockets in their haste to leave the scene. Obviously this is upsetting as far as the attempted robbery is concerned but the additional tragedy in my mind is the age of the alleged perpetrators and the possession of the crack. The blatant attempt in mid day by these young boys is very unnerving and leads me to question whether there are serious hard timers directing this activity...my guess would be, Yes.
I only know that we as a community need to be aware and do whatever we can to help
save our youth from repeating the cycle of drug use and all it entails.

Neighborhood featured in SPD Newsletter

Below is an excerpt from the Sept. 16th Seattle Police Department "Report to the Community", which came with the Sunday newspaper, and is now available online.

EAST PRECINCT

In the East Precinct, it was another kind of outreach. In the Miller Park neighborhood, particularly the intersection of Madison and 21st, precinct officers joined forces with neighborhood Blockwatch groups and various agencies to address the lawlessness and drug-dealing that had made the neighborhood unsafe.

Police arrested the hardcore lawbreakers and entered them into the criminal justice system. But in addition to more assertive policing, officers tried something completely novel: they set up a kind of outdoor “street school” in which free classes were offered to neighborhood denizens. The classes, which took place in an alley every Tuesday afternoon, offered lessons on everything from how to get a job to learning how to take care of one’s vision. The classes provided a way for people in need to “connect” with people who could help.

In the long run this dual approach, enforcement and education, improves safety and security.

At the same time the street school was in session, police worked with the liquor control board to shut down a local tavern that had become a magnet for drug dealers and buyers and an assortment of other lawbreakers. With the tavern closed, the trouble-makers jailed and the needy given help, residents reclaimed their neighborhood.

Capt. Paul McDonagh, recently promoted to command the East Precinct, credits Lt. John Hayes and Ofc. Tyrone Davis for bringing about the transformation. Said McDonagh: “They have done a lot of good work out there.”

County Council Public Safety Town Hall report

The Stranger's blog (the SLOG) has this report on last night's King County Council Town Hall meeting on "Criminal Justice Reform: what is to be done?".

I've added my letter to the Council as the first comment on the Slog entry (I couldn't stay till the end of the meeting). I cc:'d the letter to the City Councilmembers who worked on the issue, and got this reply from Tom Rasmussen:

Thank you Andrew I appreciate receiving your comments. I was not able to attend last night due to scheduling issues.

Councilmember Licata and I added funding into the city's budget to support these programs. The GOTS program appears to be very promising and will have my continued support. The Clean Dreams project may need more adjustment and work to ensure that it is making a difference in the community.

I would like to work with Councilmember Gossett to continue our efforts to reduce crime and to help the people who are involved or likely to be involved in crime to change their lives for the better.

Tom Rasmussen

Seattle City Council

(Here's a Real Change article about the Clean Dreams project, and a couple of Seattle Times articles (first, second one)

Tire slashings on E. Mercer between 20th & 21st

From some neighbors:

In the last two weeks we have had four tire slashings on our block of East Mercer Street between 20th and 21st. Two were on my wife's car and two were on my neighbors car. Both were parked directly under the street light when the vandalism took place. All four occurred on separate nights and on the street side of the vehicle. We called the Seattle Police non emergency number to report this. All four tires have had a small puncture on the side wall and were not repairable.

Neighborhood & Personal Safety Against Shootings

EAST PRECINCT CRIME PREVENTION COALITION

Thursday – August 23, 2007
Seattle Vocational Institute,
2120 S. Jackson St. Parking is on the north side of the building
6:30 - 8:00pm

Welcome/Introductions – Stephanie Tschida, Chair - EPCPC 6:30 - 6:35

Neighborhood & Personal Safety Against Shootings 6:35 - 7:05
Seattle Police Department

Community Concerns/Announcements 7:05 - 7:40
State of the Neighborhood
• Community Crime Mapping

Precinct Update - 7:40 – 8:00

• Enforcement Updates – Capt. Paul McDonagh & Lt. John Hayes
• Additional Govt. Agencies Represented - City Attorney, DOC, WSCLB etc.

• High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) - Denise Harnly, SNG

• "Get Off the Streets" Program - Mary Williams, SNG

Hit and Run incident

A report from a neighbor on 24th. Not clear what we can do, other than try and get license plate numbers,

Friday, August 3, 2007 9AM, 2200 block, 24th Ave E.

Someone traveling at high speed in a late model Cadillac or other large gold vehicle totaled a parked Ford Escape which was pushed up on the curb as a result of the impact. The Escape was pushed into a parked Subaru, also pushed up on the curb, doing approx. $3200 damage to the Subaru. The speeding car continued down the street, sideswiping two other parked cars. (the driver of the speeding car must have been injured by the impact, and the front end of his car seriously damaged.)

This happened at 9 am....police were called / made a report, but the perp was not caught because none of the neighbors got the license plate. Car sideswiping happens on a regular basis on 24th, but the damage to 4 parked, unoccupied cars was extensive this time.
( I was at work. A neighbor reported the incident.).

GOTS outreach program and 23rd & Union

PI article about Lt. Hayes's GOTS program, which started out at 20th/Madison and moved to 23rd & Union when the dealers moved there after Club Chocolate City closed.

Program aims to clean up busy drug area

Outreach workers try to help people get off the streets

By KERY MURAKAMI
P-I REPORTER

Sometimes crossing the street can save a life.

Crystal, a woman who spent most of her life on drugs, was talking about that one day recently, on the south side of East Union Street at 23rd Avenue in the Central Area. etc.......

Stolen Car Alert

Howdy, folks! This is Don at 331 22nd Ave E.

Just wanted to let everybody know that my roommate Bill had his car
stolen outta our driveway yesterday (7/3/07), sometime between 11am and 7pm.
It was a Ford Taurus, probably being parted out even now (the police
didn't seem optimistic about finding it). Feh. On the off chance
anyone saw anything unusual during that time, feel free to drop me a
line at this email address.

Thanks much, be cautious, and have a mighty fine Fourth of July.

(PS: from the stable door department: a deal on getting "The Club". My sympathies. Andrew)

Evelyn Lewis sentencing cancelled

(this is the court case we were asked to write letters about)

Hello All,
Would you pass the word that the sentencing has been cancelled and Ms. Lewis wants to obtain a new attorney and withdraw her guilty pleas. Her next hearing will be on July 9, 2007 at 4:00 PM. At that time Ms. Lewis should appear with her new attorney who will formally set her motion to withdraw her pleas. Justin Monroe, on behalf of the State, will object to this motion. We will keep you advised of all the court dates involved in this process. Please feel free to call me for more details. 206-423-9756. Thank you for your patience in this matter.

All the Best,
Ellen O'Neill-Stephens
206-423-9756

Your letters, testimony, presence needed in Court

You all remember how unpleasant the groups of drug dealers on Madison used to make our lives. Most of them seemed to be destitute and were probably both dealers and users, in need of help and rehabilitation. We all felt grateful that Lt. Hayes, Seattle Neighborhood Group and POCAAN staffed the GOTS program there every Tuesday, to try and connect the destitute people with services.

You will not be surprised to learn that, among the destitute people on the street, there were also "career criminals". Please read this letter from Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ellen O'Neill-Stephens (who has been working tirelessly with our Madison task force for the last year) which details one such case and tells us what we can do to help in the prosecution. The gist of her letter is:

Your attendance at this sentencing will be an opportunity to tell a Superior Court Judge about the adverse effect open air drug markets have on your lives and work in these neighborhoods. Only a few community members may have the opportunity to address the court, so it will also be important to put your thoughts in a letter addressed to the judge.

Please send your signed letters to:
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Justin Monroe
516 Third Ave. W554
Seattle, WA. 98104
Fax-296-0955
e-mail justin.monroe@metrokc.gov

The sentencing for Evelyn Lewis has been rescheduled for:

June 22, 2007 from 2:45 to 3:45
Honorable Catherine Shaffer,
King County Courthouse, Courtroom E753

Please feel free to contact Ellen, if you have any additional questions, at her e-mail address (Ellen.OneillStephens@Seattle.Gov) or cell phone 206-423-9756

The Sentencing Hearing is next week, so please write your letters NOW, and contact Ellen if you will be able to attend the Court Hearing.

You might also want to post your letters here, as comments to this message: Click the COMMENTS note at the end of this post. You may comment anonymously if desired.

Many thanks for your help: this prosecution may not directly help the East Madison Street neighborhood, but it will surely help 23rd & Union and other afflicted neighborhoods.

Many thanks,

Andrew

Culture Clash in the CD

This weeks's edition of the Stranger (6/7/07) features an article by Charles Mudede entitled:

A Central District Story A Bar, a Mugging, a Protest, and a Misunderstanding

The article deals with a white group's reactions to a mugging at 23rd & Union, and assorted associated black/white misperceptions. The Stranger's blog (the Slog) has a follow-up to the article which includes a first person report on the mugging which sparked the whole affair, as well as disturbing reports on activities on Madison which I had been unaware of (though was not surprised by).

It all seems to have resulted from the migration of the street crowds from Madison to 23rd & Union when Club Chocolate City closed.

Mr Mudede deals very thoroughly and thoughtfully with the race / CD / gentrification issue, as he did in his previous report on life around Deano's.

The conclusion of his present article is:

What we all want is simply this: for the dealers to do their thing without guns, without violence, so that the rest of us can do our things—our drugs, our art, our drinking, our shopping, our hiphopping, our fucking—in peace.

And that's it, man.

The flaw in that argument is, of course, that he is simply asking for gun control, which is never going to happen in this country. Law enforcement can only control the gun-toting dealers by going after them as dealers. And some of us feel that we do need to control the intrinsically destructive addictions in our society: meth certainly, crack probably ...... This Slog comment says it much better than I did!

Sonja Richter will be missed, we must insist on equally energetic and flexible successor

A neighbor with a business on Union writes:

Nice article on a decent, hard-working civil servant who throughout her career attempted to defy the Peter Principle and break Parkinson’s Law…
Thanks!

Capitol Hill Times article (5/3/07)

Sonja has been our crime prevention coordinator for most of the the time that the Miller Park Neighborhood Association has existed, except for when she spent a while working in Lake City. You'll find her mentioned in almost every copy of the Miller Times!

As far as I know, the City has not yet assigned a replacement for her!

Andrew

Waiting for the Mayor's visit
to Miller Park

Demonstrating an unsafe gate
at an apartment building: it's now been fixed, thanks to Sonja

Violent Gang Task Force arrests 47 in the Central District

(There's a detailed report in the Seattle P-I, a shorter report, with video, on KING-TV and a long Seattle Times article that mentions Miller Playfield )

Here's the Press Release:

SEATTLE – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
Special Agent in Charge Kelvin N. Crenshaw announced today that the ATF Violent Gang Task Force has arrested today 47 gang members and associates who operated in Seattle’s Central District on federal and state firearms and drug charges.

Crenshaw told a news conference that six defendants charged with federal firearms and drug violations were arrested without incident, four of them Wednesday, one today and one previously. A seventh defendant remains at large.

The remaining 40 defendants were arrested on state drug charges over the course of the six-month investigation, during which investigators recovered 31 firearms from a concentrated three-mile area surrounding the Central District.

“There were hundreds of transactions taking place every day,” Crenshaw said. “The main players were operating an open-air drug market in the middle of neighborhood streets, making residents feel paralyzed and too scared to leave their homes.”

“Our number one priority is saving lives,” said Seattle Police Assistant Chief Nicholas Metz. “Our goal is to have the biggest impact on neighborhood safety, not only for the present generation, but for future generations as well.”

“What makes this program successful is the cooperation between all the law enforcement agencies in this task force,” said King County Sheriff Sue Rahr. “Without this partnership, it is unlikely we would be announcing these arrests today.”

The ATF Violent Gang Task Force is a coordinated effort among ATF, Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff’s Office, and the Washington Department of Corrections. Assisting agencies include the FBI, United States Attorney’s Office, Seattle City Attorney’s Office and the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

More information on ATF and its programs to reduce violent crime is at www.atf.gov.

###

Note that the East Precinct's GOTS program was operating in the Central Area concurrently with these ATF Task Force activities:

And finally, funding was extended for the Council's own pilot programs to integrate social services and law enforcement efforts in two neighborhoods: the GOTS (Get Off the Streets) Program in the Central Area and the Clean Dreams Program in Rainier Beach. Both programs have police officers and social workers working together to identify specific individuals who need an array of social services to stabilize their lives and keep them out of the criminal justice system.

(The above quote is from the 11/25/06 edition of Councilmember Licata's "Urban Politics" newsletter.)

The GOTS program operated on Madison until the closure of Club Chocolate City, and then moved to the 23rd & Union area. It offers those on the streets access to treatment and housing referrals, to help them break the cycle of street dealing/life.

And here's a highly relevant upcoming talk at Seattle University, about helping at-risk youth:

Gregory Boyle, S.J., will present “Tattoos on the Heart: Lessons from the Barrio” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31 in Pigott Auditorium, Seattle University.

Father Boyle is founder and executive director of Jobs For A Future/Homeboy Industries, an employment referral center and economic development program. Begun in 1988, for at-risk and gang-involved youth, Jobs For A Future is, today, a nationally-recognized center that assists 1,000 people a month in re-directing their lives. Through its unique and multi-service approach, Jobs For A Future offers hope to those for whom hope is often foreign.

Located in Boyle Heights, a community with arguably the highest concentration of gang activity in Los Angeles, Jobs For A Future provides employment opportunities, counseling, and many other services (including free tattoo removal). By seeking to address the root causes of gang violence, Jobs For A Future creates opportunities so that at-risk youth can plan their futures and not ther funerals. “Nothing stops a bullet like a job” is the guiding principle.

In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Boyle formed Homeboy Industries, to create businesses that provide training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. Since the first venture, Homeboy Bakery, the following economic development enterprises have been created: Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, Homeboy Graffiti Removal, Homeboy Maintenance and Homeboy Landscaping.

Boyle’s talk is being sponsored by Seattle University’s Social Work Program, College of Arts and Sciences, MAGIS, Student Development, Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, Endowed Mission Fund, as well as the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, King County Superior Court and the Seattle Police Department Foundation.

It ain't over till it's over

Our neighborhood has been much quieter since the closure of the bar and convenience store on E. Madison Street. Nonetheless, Summer is approaching and, as the stories below and the reports from our neighbors on 22nd Ave and elsewhere indicate, we still need to be alert to activities in the neighborhood.

From the Capitol Hill Times POLICE BEAT, May 16, 2007

The following are based on incident reports from the Seattle Police Department's East Precinct. They represent the officers' accounts of the events described.

DRUGS, TRESPASSING

Just before 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 11, officers on routine patrol stopped in front of a convenience store near the 2000 block of East Madison Street. The neighborhood is well known for a wide variety of chronic criminal activity.

Officers saw several people loitering in a suspicious manner. In particular, they recognized one youth in his mid-teens as someone they knew from several previous drug encounters. Upon seeing the officers, the youth began walking away, soon turning into a nearby nightclub's parking lot, also a location notorious for chronic drug activity. The officers lost sight of him when he left the parking lot.

Moments later a call came in that a youth matching the description of the youth they'd just observed was dealing narcotics by the convenience store. Officers drove around the block and soon found the youth. He was arrested for having trespassed in the store, then searched. The search uncovered a baggie with a rock-like white substance which later tested positive for crack cocaine.

The youth was then booked into the King County Youth Service Center. Charges for trespassing were pending.

From our neighbors near Frazier Park on 24th:

Just got a call last night from a neighbor who observed a drug dealing going down in the street in front of the park. It was an old gray Volvo with some African-American males and one tall African-American female. Another neighbor got the license plates of both cars and reported it to the police. I need to follow up today.

Also, last night the same neighbor who observed the drug deal heard a muffled gunshot and called 911. She said it sounded like it was happening on 24th and just after that she heard a car speed away.

On a more scatological note, several neighbors (me included) have had to clean up human feces in the park lately. Although it may seem just gross, it’s also potentially a serious health hazard.

Also it seems that someone has been sleeping in the park on the hillside off and on. Please call 911 if anyone is even in the park after 10pm. We worked really hard to get our park hours changed from 11:30pm to 10:00 PM, so we do have the right to have the cops forcibly remove anyone in the park after 10.

Public Safety Update

Club Chocolate City closed on March 1st, Deano's Grocery store closed a couple of weeks ago (and Ms. Helen resurfaced) and most of the street issues that used to plague our neighborhood seem to have moved on. Here's what I've heard:

• Still occasional apparent drug deals in alleys
• Some of the familiar faces seem to have resurfaced downtown
• Most of the remaining drug activity in our neighborhood seems to be on 22nd, between Madison and John. Seems to be partly because of the proximity to Elizabeth James House, a 90 unit senior/disabled apartment building on 23rd, owned by Capitol Hill Housing (CHHIP). They are aware of assorted issues there (outsiders in building, passers by, people hanging out etc) and are working with the Police and City Attorney's office to craft solutions.
• A lot of the "action" seems to have moved to 23rd & Union, as many people expected it would: people are hanging out around the Key Bank, near Thompson's Point of View, and in the plaza by the Post Office. When I've walked by the crowds seemed younger than those I recognized on Madison (though I did see the gold football helmet lady).
  

The "action" seems to have spilled over onto 24th Avenue (between Union and Olive) and the residents there were very upset by a couple of shootings on the street (and one at 23rd/Union) in a short period. Many of them came to King County Prosecutor Ellen O'Neill's Madison Street taskforce meeting last month. They then met (at Thompson's Point of View) to form blockwatches, and some of them attended the last East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meeting. The Police have stepped up emphasis in the area, and have relocated Lt. Hayes' outreach efforts (the Get Off The Streets program) from Madison to 23rd & Union. All these efforts seemed to have resulted in peace for now, though there are still very disturbing events in the area.

In summary, our immediate area's amazingly quiet now, most of the issues seem to have moved to 23rd & Union and some to 22nd & Madison. Law enforcement activities seem to be keeping things under control.

For much more detail, see this annotated summary of excerpts from E-mails that have come my way.

Farewell Dan Okada; Welcome Tienney Milnor

Our neighborhood has benefited for many years from the City Attorney's "Precinct Liason Program". Assistant City Attorneys, assigned to the East Precinct, have been invaluable in dealing with Liquor License applications and renewals, Good Neighbor Agreements with bars and minimarts, and many other services they can tell you about.

Dan Okada has been our attorney for several years: his masterpiece, for which we will be always grateful, was the negotiations with the owner of Club Chocolate City, which resulted in that bar relinquishing its liquor license. Dan has now returned to prosecuting cases for the City. He has our eternal thanks, although he (very ethically) refused our small gift at a recent cleanup.

His replacement is Tienney Milnor, who worked alongside him for a couple of months to learn the ropes. The City's directory is outdated: Tienney and Dan have essentially swapped jobs and offices, but the links still show their old phone numbers.

Tienney's already hard at work attending neighborhood meetings, and is working on the public safety issues at the 23rd & Union shopping area - things got bad there about the time that Club Chocolate City closed, although the crowds hanging out in the two areas seemed different.

Do contact Tienney (206-684-4375, tienney.milnor@seattle.gov ) if there are public safety issues that might benefit from her help. And don't be shy about dropping Dan a note to thank him for all his help.