Repeat Felon Convicted for Selling Crack at Club Chocolate City

U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Western District of Washington

700 Stewart Street, Suite 5220 Tel: (206) 553-7970
Seattle, Washington 98101-1271 Fax: (206) 553-0882

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2008

SEATTLE MAN CONVICTED FOR SELLING CRACK AT NOTORIOUS SEATTLE NIGHTCLUB
Repeat Felon Convicted of Selling Crack at Club Chocolate City – formerly Deano’s

REIORDAN JONES, 34, of Seattle, Washington, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle of five counts of Distribution of Crack Cocaine. The jury deliberated about two hours following a two and a half day jury trial. When sentenced by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on June 2, 2008, JONES faces up to 40 years in prison.

According to records filed in the case, on five separate occasions JONES sold crack cocaine to a confidential informant working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). JONES met his customers in Club Chocolate City, a now-defunct Seattle nightclub that was a notorious hangout for drug dealers. Club Chocolate City, which was known for years as Deano’s, closed in February 2007. The location was well known to law enforcement as a place where drug dealers congregated and sold to customers. Acting on complaints from the community, DEA and the Seattle Police targeted the club for the undercover investigation.

At trial prosecutors played video and audio tapes of JONES making the drug sales to the informant. At trial JONES attempted to claim that he was not the person depicted in the video. However, at the time of his arrest JONES was shown still photos made from the video and he exclaimed "That’s me!" In closing arguments Assistant United States Attorney Mike Dion said, "Surely Mr. Jones can say when it is Mr. Jones." Dion asked the jury to consider the "simple and powerful" evidence of JONES' drug dealing caught on video tape.

Two other defendants have already been sentenced in connection with dealing cocaine at Club Chocolate City. KNUTE GOLIDY, 32, of Seattle, Washington, was sentenced January 7, 2008, to 70 months in prison and five years of supervised release. DEBBIE ANN WILSON of Seattle, pleaded guilty in August 2007, and was sentenced January 14, 2008 to five years in prison and five years of supervised release for three counts of Distributing Crack Cocaine.

The cases were investigated by the DEA and the Seattle Police Department, with assistance from the King County Prosecutor’s Office. The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Dion and Kelly Harris.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.

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.

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!

Miller Park article in Capitol Hill Times

Article about closing of Club Chocolate City, problems at 23rd/Union etc in the 6/27/07 Capitol Hill Times.

If you weren't old-fashioned enough to get a paper copy, here's the electronic version and a photo gallery. There's an interesting snippet at the end of the article:

Another issue that remains is the fate of the now vacant property in the spot formerly occupied by Chocolate City and Deano's market. Vulcan developer James Mueller has purchased the building across the street from the Chocolate City site, and has plans to develop a six-story mixed-use building housing both retail and residential.

Mueller said by phone he doesn't have any plans for the Chocolate City site, which he points out is still owned by Dean Falls. King County records indeed indicate that the property is owned by Falls' company, DEF Inc., and that the account is active and currently subject to or in foreclosure due to an outstanding property tax balance.

Club Chocolate City loses liquor license on March 1st

The owner of Club Chocolate City (the bar at 2040 E. Madison, formerly "Deano's Bar and Lounge") agreed to voluntarily give up his liquor license as of March 31st, 2007. The club had several liquor license violations, has been penalized with a month's suspension, and hence will have no liquor license as of March 1st, 2007. The Club can continue to operate without liquor, but this seems most unlikely. Ms. Helen's Soulfood Restaurant can continue to operate there (but I hear rumors that she's planning to move). I believe that the owner of Deano's Market will also be moving his business to Shoreline around the end of March.

What will happen to the crowds (dealers, prostitutes, hangers-on) that fill the sidewalks outside the club? Nobody really knows! The GOTS Program ("Get Off The Streets", so named by a client; run by Lt. Hayes and associates) will continue to offer outreach services to them. The drug dealers among them may choose to take their business elsewhere.

What should I do?
When the Safeway opened, the crowds all moved to Denny for a week, and then returned to Madison. Let's assume that the crowds disperse, and take the opportunity to "take back the streets" before they decide to return.

Maybe you've not wanted to visit the Twilight Exit bar (2051 E. Madison St., (206) 324-7462 ) because of the intimidating crowds at night? Why not give it a try: the more regular street traffic, the less comfortable the dealers will feel. The bar's got 8 beers on tap, liquor, a pool table, video games. Don't take my word for it: check out the reviews, and menu below. And while you're out on the street, maybe wander down to the Bottleneck lounge as well?

Some reviews of the Twilight from the web: 8 people's views from Yelp.com, 4 reviews from "Insider Pages", 2 from tribe.net, and 13 from Citysearch.com!

The details, as I remember them. Open 4PM to 2AM. Kitchen: Mon- Thurs: 4 - 11 PM, Fri, Sat, Sun 4 -12 PM. Breakfast (Sat, Sun) 11AM - 3PM.

Twilight Exit Menu pages (PDF files):

Appetizers, Soup, finger foods; Sandwiches and Burgers; Entrees; Breakfast; More Breakfast

Here are some thought from the CHS: Capitol Hill Seattle blog,

and here's what the Stranger's SLOG readers think about the news.

(Those of you with very long memories may recall that I started in this web business posting documents about "Oscar's II", the former bar at the Twilight location, including their new menu when they reopened)

East Madison Street in the 1950's


The Mardi Gras is now the Twilight Exit

Lots of activity at Deano's site on Saturday

Jim Mueller and another photographer were busy documenting the mural (featuring paintings of Dean Falls and other Central Area celebrities) in the bar at Club Chocolate City, prior to demolition.

I showed Jim the persistent lake in the street outside the Madison Inn work release building at 21st & Denny. A neighbor has dubbed the water "Lake Denny". The "lake" half-fills the street on rainy days, and makes pedestrian travel impossible. We've had no success in getting the City to follow through on promises to make the lake go away: maybe Jim will have better luck.

Jim agreed that it would be useful for him to host a public meeting, similar to the one he held at the Central Cinema about the 23rd & Union project, to share his plans for his two projects on Madison, and to hear our concerns.

Dean Falls and helpers were removing assorted useful items from the bar, including a cooler for Mr. Falls' farm. Darnell Parker, the former manager of Club Chocolate City bid me a cheerful "Good Morning", but I didn't get to hear what he was up to.

I got to return to Dean a book he'd lent me a while ago: "Let's Take a Walk: A tour of Seattle's Central District as it was then: 1920's and 1930's". In the book was this picture (courtesy of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State), showing the site in the 1950's when it was Aaston's Meat Market and Grocery.

4 Year Anniversary

On March 1st , 2007, Club Chocolate City closed, and the decades-long street crimes that had surrounded the bar vanished (literally) overnight. [OK, so the pictures were taken on Saturday 3/3/07, but you get the idea].

Club Chocolate City closed on 2/28/07 

All the drug dealers etc immediately disappeared 

And regular neighbors took back the streets 

I thought the dealers might move down to the store (which stayed open for a few weeks) 

but none did. Guess there must have been some direct connection between the bar and the street dealing!

PS (before you ask), it was NO FUN living around the bar back then.

Strip Clubs along Madison?

On Monday the City Council approved new zoning laws [KING 5 report, Seattle Times article] regulating the location of new strip clubs in Seattle, the rationale for which is given in the appendix to the legislation. See Councilmember Steinbrueck's webpage for other documents.

The new rules prohibit strip clubs near each other, or within 800' of schools, parks, community centers, child care centers, parks or open spaces. The supplied map of Seattle (CARE: large complex file) shows (in yellow) the very few places they will be allowed. I note that one of the closest such sites to downtown with good transportation [other than the South Lake Union/Seattle Center area] is the blocks of Madison between 19th and 21st. Some of that area has been redeveloped [Planned Parenthood, McKinney Manor] but Dean Falls' unoccupied properties (the former Club Chocolate City and Deano's Market) would appear to be eligible for use as "Adult Cabarets". One more thing to watch out for, I guess.

Lobbying City Council to amend the ordinance to include churches in the list of buffer areas would keep strip clubs away from our area.

Note that I may be being overly alarmist here, if we believe this quote from the Seattle Times article:

Two businessmen testified Monday against the new rules, saying they drove around the city with the new zoning map in hand and could not find any suitable place to open an "old-school cabaret" with an emcee and performing women.

"My partner and I hopped in our car and I drove to every spot" where clubs are allowed under the new rules, said Lucas Wunsch. "There is nothing."

Remember this for next year....

Everyone in the neighborhood still seems to be relaxing and basking in the warm, happy aura of the "post Club Chocolate City" era.

Sometime soon we'll realize what we want from our City and will have to go and ask City Council for it.

This Crosscut article explains how the Council's budget process works (sort of).

Go see Ms. Helen!

When Club Chocolate City closed this Spring, Ms. Helen Coleman (who ran Ms Helen's Soul Food there) became the cook at Rose Petals Restaurant, 6901 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Business has been very bad down there, because of all the light rail construction. This Seattle Times article notes Bettye Gray, owner of Rose Petals restaurant, says "this is the worst" business has been in 19 years at the soul-food establishment. Her main cook Ms. Helen, "and I will sit here all day long with no customers."
(The picture, also from the Times article, is of Ms. Helen getting the tables ready for lunch).

Rail construction is over and the merchants are luring you down there this Sunday with the Southeast Seattle International Festival :

The event, to help the neighborhood recover from light-rail construction, is Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Citadel, 4200 S. Othello St., a block east of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. Highlights include the Emerald City Jazz Ensemble, the Huong-Viet Traditional Music Performance Group, dance and martial-arts groups, and meals from five restaurants. Admission is free and meal tickets cost $6 at the festival.

Hop on down to the festival for some of Ms. Helens cooking, or just pop down to the restaurant some other time and enjoy some of her legendary cooking.

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.

Public Safety issues move to 23rd & Union

After the closure of Club Chocolate City, we were all concerned that the problems might resurface elsewhere in the area. A first snoop around seemed to suggest that they'd just vanished, though there was a report of some of the Madison Street regulars being seen at 2nd & Pike (they'd previously commuted there by #11 bus). However, there are increasing numbers of reports of a disturbing increase in drug activity and violence around the 23rd & Union area.

3/28/07: This evening there was a drive-by shooting across the street from Thompson's Point of View. Two of the bullet entered the Casey Foundation building across the street. This organization supports the needs of foster children.

3/30/07 (very early AM) : Drive-by shooting and car chase: CHS blog, KING TV, Seattle P-I reports.

Neighbors' reports:

incident_type = drug deal drug consumption public alcohol consumption rowdy behavior excessive noise gunfire
description = Here's some feedback about increased activity in other neighborhoods. We live near Thompson's on Union. Last night, about 6 shots were fired. They sounded like they came from 24th ave just north of Pike. (Shots were also fired the previous day in the liquor store parking lot across the street from Thompson's.) There's been a huge increase in drug activity etc around Thompsons since CCC closed. (received via the MPNA web report page).

I have some friends over near 23rd and Pike, who are taking the brunt of the purge of the nasties (nice for us on this side of Madison). I told them that part of our effectiveness was having such a good neighborhood liaison. Are you the liaison for them, or can you refer them to another who can help them keep their family safe? They have small kids.

So, what's to be done? I'll contact the neighbors there, and tell them what we did, and offer what help we can offer. And I await your suggestions...

Yes, yes, yes, I know that we're only treating the symptoms here, and that the BIG issues are racism, poverty, jobs, empowerment, etc, etc. However, we are doing what we can, by supporting Lt. Hayes' GOTS program (which brings support, treatment and housing opportunities to those on the streets) and by lobbying for more effective affordable/mid-level housing programs from the City of Seattle. At the risk of reducing issues to catchphrases:

• Charity (and safety) begin at home
• Think Globally, act Locally.

And don't forget, one bullet can change your whole life.

Congratulations, Captain Meehan: updated

Captain Mike Meehan was the commander of the East Precinct from 2004 to 2006ish and was very helpful in our ongoing struggles with the street crimes that emanated from Deano's Bar / Club Chocolate City.

Since then he's been in charge of many SPD divisions, as summarized in this SPD Blotter posting from July:

Captain Mike Meehan, a 23-year veteran, is leaving the Narcotics Section to take over the Violent Crimes Section, which consists of overseeing the Homicide, Robbery, CSI, Gang, Polygraph, Bias Crimes and Fugitive Units.  Captain Meehan has previously commanded East Precinct, Narcotics, Vice, Field Training and Audit, Accreditation and Policy.

Yesterday I was contacted by a reporter from the Berkeley Daily Planet (a free twice-weekly paper): their paper had just broken the story that Captain Meehan will (assuming he's OK'd by their City Council on Tuesday) be the next Police Chief in Berkeley, California.


I hope you will join me in congratulating Captain Meehan on his promotion. I note that (while the East Precinct has had many commanders in my time here), quite a few of them have gone on to more senior positions: John Diaz (SPD Interim Chief), Nick Metz (SPD Assistant Chief), Landy Black (Davis, CA Police Chief), and now Captain Meehan.


More details of Mike's promotion may be found on Capitol Hill Seattle and on the Seattle PI blog, or by a quick Googling:

By the way, I noted that the Berkeley paper, the SPD Blog, the above Google search,  and many of the other sources were using the same photo, which seemed strangely familiar to me. I eventually realized that it was one I had taken, in March 2004 at an East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meeting, and posted on the old Miller website.  The PI had obtained it from the SPD media relations office, who are apparently using it as their standard picture of Mike. I'm flattered!

By way of thanking Mike, and sending him on his way, here is that photo, together with one from his 3 hour fact-finding tour of our neighborhood.  His (solo) visit with our neighbors, his ready ability to communicate, and his frank, honest appraisal of what SPD could and could not do to help us, was what really impressed me about him, and made it so easy for me to recommend him to the Berkeley people when asked.

PS: One way to follow Captain Meehan's progress in Berkeley will be via the Berkeley Daily Planet's reporter's tweets, which of course remind Seattleites of this song.


Update (11/20/09): The Berkeley university newspaper, the Daily Cal, has an article about Captain Meehan, with quotes from me and from Stephanie Tschida, chair of the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition.


The Berkeley Daily Planet has another article about Captain Meehan, with quotes from me and from Dominic Holden of the Stranger.

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.

Club Chocolate City manager charged with selling cocaine

Last Saturday's Seattle Times had an article that noted:

More than a year after a problematic East Madison Street bar was shuttered, the former manager has been charged in King County Superior Court with selling cocaine.

Darnell Parker, 48, could face 12 to 20 months in prison if convicted of one count of violating the Uniform Controlled Substances Act

The article also gave details of two other people convicted of drug dealing in the bar, one of which had been noted here.

The manager, Darnell Parker, had approached the Miller Park Neighborhood Association before he became the manager of the bar. He met with the neighborhood association a couple of times, and answered peoples' questions. This MNPA website page gives a flavor of peoples' views at the time, and this page documents some of the process of license renewal. Some neighbors were skeptical of his plans, others were in favor of giving him a chance to clean the place up. A Seattle Times guest columnist wrote about the neighborhood in 2003, including details about Mr. Parker's plans.

The picture shows Mr. Parker answering neighbors' questions during a subsequent (May 2004) visit to the neighborhood association: he was invited by Lt. Hayes, who is standing in the background.

Recall, BTW, that the other licensee of the club ( Ms. Helen Coleman ) has relocated and is in business on ML King Way.

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!

Ms. Helen cooks again!

Ms. Helen's Soul Food Restaurant used to be in the Coleman Building at 23rd & Union, which was condemned after the Nisqually earthquake. She moved her kitchen to Deano's Bar (which was renamed Club Chocolate City) and continued operating there until the bar closed. I saw this flyer in the bar window at the weekend. Recall that Ms Helen's cooking has received many rave reviews from the media, eg Seattle Times, The Stranger, Seattle P-I and this news article from the P-I.

She's now taken up residence at the Rose Pedal Restaurant at 6901 MLK South.

Miller blog leads Seattle Weekly to Ms. Helen's Soul Food

This week's Seattle Weekly has a very positive review of Ms. Helen's Soul Food at its new location (though not of the location itself: they think "Ms. Helen deserves a restaurant of her own. "). They found her via the post on this blog of the flyer in the window of Club Chocolate City. Happy to be of service!

Do they read my blog avidly, did they Google, or do they perhaps browse the Slog now and again?

Find her at: Rose Petals Restaurant, 6901 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. RAINIER VALLEY. Open noon–8 p.m. Mon.–Fri.

Club Chocolate City's closing brings hard-earned quiet to Miller Park

6/27/07 Capitol Hill Times article about our neighborhood is finally available online.

Don't miss Bradley Enghaus's photo gallery of the area.

Neighborhood vignette

Monday 4/3/07: Had to go out @ ~ 10 PM: Deano's Grocery open, but no obvious customers. E. Madison Street deserted.

11:30 - Returned home via 23rd & Union/24th & Spring. Streets empty, Thompson's Point of View closed (shut Monday?), nobody on street, nobody outside Richlin's Super Mini!

While Club Chocolate City was in business, any similar drive-by would reveal 5 to 20 people on the street. Where are they all?

Back home via (deserted) E. Madison Street. Deano's Grocery now closed and chained up for the night. I've often seen the owner leaving at ~ 8PM (and not opening till after 9 AM). All the drinks compressed into one cooler. Shelves even more deserted than normal? Will the store stay open much longer?