All posts by Jason

Crime

Crime Notes: Inviting open windows, empty suitcases, and purported paperboys

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Paperboy -- but not the one going door to door near Horton Street. Screenshot by gamerscoreblog.
Paperboy -- but not the one going door to door near Horton Street. Screenshot by gamerscoreblog.
Several suspicious items of interest have been reported on the mailing list recently.

On Saturday, Shea near 16th and Stevens wrote:

Due to the hot weather, we opened a small window on our first floor to get some extra ventilation. In the ten years I have lived in our house I have only opened this window one other time. We left this window open for several days but yesterday we noticed someone had tried to crawl in this window. It looks like two people were involved and one hoisted either a child or female (the long thin handprints left on the window sill).

Thankfully they were not able to get far and didn’t actually make it into our house. We think this happened either while we were asleep or between 2:30 and 3:30 pm [Friday] (the only time we were gone).

Near the north end of Jefferson Park, Hazel noted:

On Wed night at about midnight we heard breaking glass on Spokane, John went to take a look, saw three people (2 females, one male) carrying something. He called after them, they ran east on Spokane tossing something into the bushes. John found 3 suitcases, empty. We called the police, they took the suitcases. One had an address in West Seattle. All were lovely old-fashioned style suitcases.

Today, Whitney near 22nd and Horton wrote:

Last week, a young-ish man came up to our porch, put down a small box, and knocked on the door. When I opened it, he said, “Is the lady of the house around?” I asked if I could help him. He looked at the newspaper that was still on our porch and said, “I was just wondering if you still wanted that delivered there or in the street?” I said something about the current arrangement being fine, and he said, “We just want our customers to be happy,” picked up his box, and left. Then I saw him head to the next house down to knock on the door, and I know that neighbor does not subscribe to a newspaper.
Should I be suspicious? Does anyone know what this is about, or did anyone else get a similar visit last week?

Kelly, a few blocks away at 18th and Horton, responded:

We got the same visit and we don’t subscribe to the paper. I was not home at the time but the guys remodeling our kitchen described the exact same scenario as you. They said the young man did not look into the house but given all the recent break ins it is certainly worth mentioning to the group.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: sidewalks, hot dogs, and cool adult beverages

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Street food finally comes to Beacon Hill with a new hot dog cart outside Beacon Pub. Photo of NYC hot dog cart by high limitzz.
Street food finally comes to Beacon Hill with a new hot dog cart outside Beacon Pub. Photo of NYC hot dog cart by high limitzz.
Willie Weir talks sidewalks in a new posting at his Yellow Tent Adventures blog. Specifically, about inverting the relationship where sidewalks yield to the street, and instead the street must rise up to sidewalk level –elevating the pedestrian, physically and metaphorically, to primary status, to match their position under the law for right-of-way. This sort of idea is being discussed and planned for the block of Lander just north of the light rail station. (By the way, there’s a great overview of various traffic calming practices hosted by the Project for Public Spaces. And Willie has posted several responses received from his challenge to our political leaders and candidates to “give it up” and go carless.)

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Michal spotted a new feature in the neighborhood: a hot dog cart!

Last night when I went to the Beacon Pub, I noticed there’s a new late night weekend dining option in Beacon Hill, right outside the Beacon Pub. Serves tacos, hot dogs, and burgers, they said they planned to be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and weekend mornings to serve breakfast items. There were a surprisingly large number of customers coming from seemingly nowhere, and not just from the pub.

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An afternoon round of chasing a little white ball around and hitting it with sticks is commonly accompanied by the consumption of a cool adult beverage. It is illegal to drink such beverages in Seattle public parks, unless there is a permit. So, is it legal to drink in a municipal golf course, such as Jefferson Park? Yes, as long as you buy the alcohol on site — Seattle 911

Crime

Phone snatchers, gold grabbers near the hospital

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Debbie writes with an account of a couple of brazen robberies last night along Beacon Avenue near Jefferson Park:

I was walking north along Beacon Ave yesterday evening, using my earbuds with my iPhone on a call. The phone was in my left hand. At about 7pm, I passed by two young black guys in white T-shirts and shorts. One was wearing a light gray knit cap. They turned around and one of them grabbed the phone from my hand and the two took off down the sidewalk. When they turned and saw I wasn’t pursuing, they slowed to a walk and cut into the VA parking lot. They had pulled the earbuds off the phone and tossed them to the ground. I ran to pick them up and caught up to them. I demanded my phone back, but they denied having it. I didn’t think it was worth physically fighting over, so I turned back as they continued to walk through the lot.

A man who had just parked his car saw me run toward the thieves. When I was within earshot of him, I said they had stolen my phone, so he called the police. The two crossed Beacon Ave and jumped the fence into the golf course. After our reports were taken, the officer took me to the Jefferson Community Center, where there was another report. A woman had a 14 kt necklace ripped from her neck about 15-20 minutes earlier than my incident. It sounded like one or two of the men involved with her necklace were the same as the ones who stole my phone.

She also passes along some advice:

I had a first generation iPhone, so it isn’t worth a whole lot these days. But when I get another phone, I’m going to get black third party earbuds so it won’t look like I have an Apple product. I will be more careful when I have the phone out on the street, I’ll save involved and lengthy conversations for indoors, and I will be more aware of the people around me and make eye contact as the officer advised. The part of Beacon Ave that the theft occurred in is also somewhat empty, so as much as possible I’m going to walk along 15th Avenue instead until it connects to Beacon to avoid walking around the VA area.

I’m not sure I’d agree about that stretch of Beacon being much less ‘safe’ than the sparse stretches of 15th, but I’ll add another safety tip: instead of keeping your i-device in your hand, put it in a pocket.

Urban Planning

SDOT plans 15th Avenue South improvements

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At the July North Beacon Hill Council meeting, Judith Edwards invited Brian Dougherty of the Seattle Department of Transportation to present SDOT’s possible improvements to the 15th Avenue South corridor from Beacon Avenue south to Spokane Street and on to Columbian Way. Neighbors along this corridor were specially invited to attend and share their views and opinions about what’s wrong and what’s right about traffic there, and to weigh-in on the potential improvements.

Q: What’s the difference between a bike lane and a sharrow?
A: Sharrows for wider areas of roadway that are not wide enough for a dedicated lane, or for downhill stretches where bikes are expected to maintain vehicle speed.

The changes are largely driven by the bicycle master plan which prioritzed routes along 15th Avenue South & 12th Avenue South from Jose Rizal Park to Columbian Way. The changes for bike facilities are planned for this year. Markings and traffic changes can be installed with relative ease with current configuration from Jose Rizal Park to Beacon Avenue. At Beacon, peak parking restrictions (7-9am, 4-6pm) cause problems for bike facilities. Neither bike lanes or sharrows work in current configuration.

Slide1

Almost unanimously, the neighbors along 15th felt that traffic runs too fast for the street, and when combined with the parking situation and lack of well-marked and signalled crossings makes it very dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

The slides of the presentation are below. If you’d like to share your thoughts with SDOT on possible traffic flow or parking improvements, you can email Brian at brian.dougherty@seattle.gov.

Slide2

Click for the rest of the slideshow.
Continue reading SDOT plans 15th Avenue South improvements →

Education

Van Asselt grant applications coming to your door

Keyunda Wilson, a teacher at Van Asselt Elementary School, writes to let neighbors know that the knock at the door this afternoon may not be from an annoying alarm system or magazine subscription salesman:

Van Asselt Elem. staff members will be going door to door today, 8/19 from 3-5pm, passing out flyers and sharing information about our plans to bring a community playground to the African American Academy building. We are applying for a grant and one of the requirements is that we get community members and neighbors to commit to helping us. Ways that you can support us would be to attend a planning meeting, donate snacks or building materials on the day of the build, help build the play structure, help gather signatures of commitment, etc.

Look for the dedicated staff members in your area and please show your support!

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Keyunda by email at krwilson@seattleschools.org or by phone at 206-252-7505.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: B-boys, beats, burglar alarms, and block watches

The documentary film It Might Get Loud features Beacon Hill resident Randy Parsons.
The documentary film It Might Get Loud features Beacon Hill resident Randy Parsons.
Massive Monkees, who sometimes drop in at the Jefferson Park community center, demonstrated their dance moves to Beyonce’s “Work It Out” on this week’s episode of America’s Best Dance Crew — with the added bonus of hula hoops.

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Andrew Matson at the Times is interviewing Beacon Hill’s own Blue Scholars about their new EP OOF! later this week, and to whet your appetite, he’s posted a link to the video for “Coffee and Snow”, filmed and released during last December’s Snowpocalypse. The video features shots of Beacon Avenue, the VA hospital, and possibly the Othello Safeway, all covered in a thick layer of white. What other locations can you spot?

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Do you have a home security system? Madison Park Blogger has some hard truths about Seattle Police alarm response.

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Guitar craftsman and Beacon Hill resident Randy Parsons is featured in the new documentary film opening August 28, It Might Get Loud, about guitar icons from three different generations: Jack White, the Edge, and Jimmy Page.

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Beacon Hill neighbor Tess Martin tells us what the Beacon Hill library branch means to her, on the Friends of the Seattle Public Library blog.

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There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the new “green” homes on Beacon Hill. The developers, Dwell Development, have several projects in Southeast Seattle. They are definitely a different aesthetic than the typical Beacon Hill house, but interesting.

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Mike Cheney is looking to create a South Beacon Hill block watch for neighbors in and around New Holly and areas nearby. This effort would be completely unrelated to the Citizens for the 2nd Amendment group or Mike’s own informal neighborhood patrols. Whether you agree or disagree politically, Mike’s aim here is simply to help make Beacon Hill a safer place to live. If you’re interested in helping get a block watch organized, contact Mike: redboneshadow@yahoo.com.

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Amber Swim, Program Coordinator for Girls on the Run of Puget Sound is looking for female volunteer coaches to help deliver “an after-noon school prevention program that uses the power of running to educate and prepare preteen girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.”

Girls on the Run coaches do NOT need to be elite runners. Any woman who lives a healthy lifestyle and is committed to improving the lives of girls can be a GOTR coach. Details at http://www.girlsrun.org/coaching.html.

Amber can be reached by phone at 206-528-2118, or by email at amber@girlsrun.org. The deadline to apply is September 4th.

Crime

Crime Notes: Clueless caller could be casing

From the mailing list, Heidi from near 19th and Lander writes:

I think we might have been cased for a burglary. A 40ish black woman came to the door saying she was looking for a lost dog. When asked what the dog looked like, what it’s name was, or where she lost it, she could not answer any questions at all. Never looked us in the eye, just craned her neck looking around the house and past us. Very uncomfortable situation. She left quickly and as she walked down the steps and across the street, a big black SUV with 2 men in it pulled up to get her. When they noticed us watching them, they screeched off quickly down the street. Didn’t get a license number or great description because they rounded the corner and took off so fast.

She notes that the police think they were likely just wanting to see if anyone was home and checking out what sort of lucrative easy pickings might be inside to be burgled. Hopefully they’ve been scared off and won’t be back soon, but be aware of this now-common sort of ploy.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Blue Scholars, Homework Helpers, and a School Board candidate

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Found dog 8/4, near 39th Ave S.
Found dog 8/4, near 39th Ave S.
Do you recognize this dog? Know where he belongs? He’s a rather timid and skittish and probably really wants to be home. Contact pateb@foster.com if you can help get him there.

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On the flip side of “found”, Kazi the orange tabby cat has been missing from his home near the Jefferson Park golf course since Sunday. He may be wearing a blue “stinky cat”-labeled collar. If you’ve seen him, please contact his owner through this Craigslist posting.

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Dayna P writes with a question about organizing a trash pickup effort on her block:

Hi. I’m a neighbor on 13th Ave S by Maple Park and recently walked to a friend’s house on 12th Ave, towards downtown. I just couldn’t believe the amount of trash on the street… really awful! I’m wondering if anyone out there is interested in helping me organize a neighborhood trash pickup day. I’ve never done anything like this, so don’t know the best way to go about it. Anyone out there want to help get this going? Does anyone know if the city/parks dept has any programs that help this kind of effort?

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The Seattle Public Library is seeking Homework Helpers for the 2009-2010 school year. Homework Helpers assist elementary, middle and high school students with understanding homework assignments, developing study skills and learning approaches for solving math problems. English is a second language for the majority of the students. Homework Helpers are asked to assist students for just two hours per week throughout the school year, some time Monday through Thursday, between 4 and 8pm. Openings are available at many south-end branches, including the Beacon Hill branch. For more information and to request a volunteer application, please contact Anne Vedella, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at anne.vedella@spl.org by Friday, August 14. Interviews will take place in August. They’re also looking for “Talk Time facilitators” at the Beacon Hill branch — contact Anne about that, as well.

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Local south-end hip-hop duo Blue Scholars turns the music biz on its head: the band signs a label to distribute their album. (Sabzi from the band lives on Beacon Hill. Also, catch their CurrentTV video featuring footage around town, including a stop at Jose Rizal Park.)

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Some strange things are afoot on 14th. Kara on the mailing list wrote yesterday:

We seem to have some suspicious activity going on at 14th Ave S and S Nevada. There is a red Toyota Corolla that waits at the intersection for a “delivery” from someone on foot or in a black extended cab Toyota Tacoma. They make an exchange and away they go. We’ve seen it twice in the last month, most recently this evening (Monday) around 9pm.
I suspect that it is drugs. We have reported it to SPD. If anyone else sees these vehicles hanging around PLEASE report to 911.

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West Seattle Blog says the removal of the leaky membrane is complete at the Beacon Hill Reservoir.

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Three burglary suspects were caught (and one remains at large) following a break-in at a home in the 4100 block of 13th Avenue South on Friday, reports the SPD Blotter. That didn’t make much of an impact, however. Hazel mentioned on the mailing list and in a post on her blog about another break-in which occurred not too far away at her home, 20th and Spokane on Saturday. Any recommendations for security companies? The question has come up on the list since.

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Wilson Chin, candidate for Seattle School Board. Photo courtesy wilson chin for schools.com
Wilson Chin, candidate for Seattle School Board. Photo courtesy wilson chin for schools.com
Wilson Chin joins fellow Beacon Hillian Charlie Mas in the race for Seattle School Board. The Seattle Times has a backgrounder article on all of the candidates for District 7.

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Travis posted several interesting neighborhood-related blog entries over the weekend, including a firsthand account of attempted plant theft from the landscaping around the new Beacon Hill light rail station and the strange appearance of an SPU trailer near Daejeon Park.

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An apprehension at gunpoint (with photo of cops with guns drawn!) was posted by Laura at the Beacon Hill Bungalow blog.

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Cakespy discovers one of the many delicious pastries at Delite Bakery: a Turrón — via Monkey Around Seattle

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I wonder if we’ll see anything like this with our new Residential (or Restricted) Parking Zone: A comparison of what it’s like just inside and outside the RPZ near Swedish Cherry Hill from Central District News.

(Updated 8/5 to correct attribution. Sorry, Laura and Travis!)

Life on the Hill, Weather

Open post: Ideas for coping with the heat

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A real frosty pitcher of beer. While the ice just waters down the beer and the extreme cold kills the taste, it looks rather inviting nonetheless. Photo by Ubi Desperare Nescio.
A real frosty pitcher of beer. While the ice just waters down the beer and the extreme cold kills the taste, it looks rather inviting nonetheless. Photo by Ubi Desperare Nescio.
The heat is getting to our computer equipment, even. Wendi’s monitor is flickering on and off (mostly off), my little cheap netbook has locked up several times, and the oppressive heat doesn’t make the prospect of sitting with the laptop terribly attractive either.

If you’re not lucky enough to have air conditioning, or if you’re getting a bit stir-crazy being trapped at home by your A/C, what are some places to head to, easily accessible from the hill, where you can hang out for a bit in a cooler atmosphere?

The Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library has air conditioning. Seventeen branches do. (I’m so sorry, Columbia City — sounds like your A/C-less branch might even be closed today!)

Wandering around inside Red Apple is refreshing, particularly near meats and in the frozen food aisle, lazily pondering which frozen fudge bar or ice cream sandwich would be best, but mostly chilling in the flood of cold air while standing there with the freezer door open.

Last night, we wanted to get out and get a meal somewhere cool with good food and drinks. I recalled the Collins Pub is just a half-block from the Pioneer Square tunnel station. A few blocks walk and we were in the elevator at Beacon Hill station. Once on the platform, it was a very pleasant temperature. A few minutes later, the air conditioned train stopped and we made our way to the Pioneer Square station and then up, out of the 3rd & Yesler entrance. Downhill and around the corner of the Smith Tower and we were at the comfortably cool Collins Pub. (I had a burger, impulsively with Field Roast instead of beef, with fries and tartar sauce. The burger was good, and the fries great. Wendi had a polenta dish with zucchini, broccoli, and a rustic tomato sauce. The polenta was good. The tomato sauce was a bit acid-y, and the broccoli was a surprise — Wendi hates broccoli. Luckily, I love it. Collins Pub offers a good selection of interesting craft beers. I had a pint of 21st Amendment‘s “Hell or High Watermelon Wheat” — surprisingly tasty and refreshing — and one of Ninkasi‘s “Radiant Summer Pale”, which grew on me the lower it got in the glass.)

What we’d like to know is: Where are you going and what are you doing to beat the heat?

Crime, Health and Safety

South Precinct: Adiós Capt. Liggins, hello Capt. Emerick

Captain Dave Emerick, new commander of the SPD South Precinct. Photo courtesy SPD.
Captain Dave Emerick, new commander of the SPD South Precinct. Photo courtesy SPD.
A big shake up in the command-level of the Seattle Police Department was announced this morning. Of relevance to Beacon Hill and other areas in the South Precinct:

Captain Dave Emerick, a 25-year veteran of the police force, is leaving the Violent Crimes Section to become the new South Precinct commander. Captain Emerick will lead approximately 83 officers assigned to Patrol Operations, including a Community Police Team and a plain-clothes Anti-Crime Team. Captain Emerick has previously served in the Gang Unit, Narcotics Section, Homicide Unit and Harbor Patrol. This will be Captain Emerick’s first precinct command.

Captain Les Liggins, a 24-year veteran, is departing the South Precinct to assume command of the Narcotics Section, where he will oversee three squads of detectives and the Drug Court Liaison. Captain Liggins brings to the assignment experience leading the Metropolitan Section (SWAT, Mounted Patrol, and K9 Patrol), Fraud, Forgery and Financial Exploitation, Auto Theft, and Audit Accreditation and Policy.

For more details on other changes in the SPD command structure, see the this article on the SPDBlotter.