Crime, Overheard

Beaconian tells tale of two robberies

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Image by Anders Sandberg via Creative Commons/Flickr.
The Stranger has an article this week by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue: “Mugged at Gunpoint on Beacon Hill.” In the article, Coughlin-Bogue describes being robbed twice on North Beacon Hill, and his thoughts on revenge and gun ownership.

“About two blocks into our trek, a cop rolled by, and we flagged him down. He made a very unconvincing effort to track our assailants, giving the distinct impression that he believed our cause lost from the get-go. He also made sure to let us know, “If they tried to rob me, I would have pulled out my gun and asked them, ‘How badly do you want my stuff?'” I wasn’t in the mood to point out how incredibly foolish that statement was, so I just let it slide, borrowed his cell phone to get ahold of our roommate so we could get into the house, and let him drive us home.”

Have you been mugged on the Hill? Do you feel the police response was adequate? And what do you do to stay safe when walking around?

Arts, Education, Local Events

Chorus brings Canto to Cleveland HS

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Canto General---web graphicThe Seattle Peace Chorus will perform “Canto@Cleveland,” featuring the Canto General by Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda and renowned Greek composer Mikis Teodorakis, at Cleveland High School (5511 15th Ave. S.) on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. The event will also include a poetry reading by a Chilean Mapuche poet accompanied by an Andean pipe player.

The chorus does not normally perform at high schools, but chose Cleveland for one of their two performances of Canto General due to the school’s renovated auditorium and location in a diverse vibrant neighborhood. One hundred free tickets are available through the school for Cleveland students. Other student tickets are $5 and tickets for Cleveland parents are $10. These are available at Cleveland on the night of the concert. Advance tickets for others are $20 ($18 for students, seniors, and disabled) and can be purchased from a Seattle Peace Chorus member, online through Brown Paper Tickets, or by calling 800-838-3006. Adult tickets for $25 can be purchased at the door.

Proceeds from tickets and a free-will collection at the concert will benefit the Cleveland High School music program.

Advance tickets for either concert are $20 and $18 for seniors. They can be purchased from a Seattle Peace Chorus member or at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. Adult tickets for $25 can be purchased at the door at either concert.

The Seattle Peace Chorus will also perform the Canto General at Town Hall (1119 8th Ave) on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. This show will also benefit Cleveland’s music program. As with the Cleveland show, advance tickets may be purchased from a Seattle Peace Chorus member, online through Brown Paper Tickets, or by calling 800-838-3006.

Education, Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

6/8: Buy or sell to benefit BHIS at the Beacon Bazaar

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Save the date for the 8th Annual Beacon Bazaar, coming up on Saturday, June 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in front of Beacon Hill International School at 2025 14th Ave. S. The Bazaar is an event with community vendors selling goods and food to benefit the Beacon Hill International School PTA. Items available will include crafts, homemade tamales and baked goods, clothing, toys, books, organic veggie starts, and more.

All are invited to attend. If you want to sell at the Bazaar, tables are $30. You can keep your earnings, or donate all or part to the PTA. Here’s the flyer for vendors (we had to grab it from the Google cache because of problems with the BHIS website, but it should still work for now). If the link doesn’t work or you need more information, contact Beacon Bazaar Coordinator Mike Almquist at 206-619-5278 or almy55@yahoo.com.

The event will happen rain or shine; if we get some of that liquid sunshine, the Bazaar will move to the BHIS gym.

Crime

Robbers strike Beacon Hill pedestrians twice

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Monday, May 20, was apparently not a good day to be walking around on Beacon Hill. Seattle Police report two robberies that took place Monday evening, one with arrests and one without.

In the first incident, a woman was walking on the Chief Sealth Trail near Beacon Avenue South and South Orcas Street at about 6:40 p.m., listening to music on her white iPhone 4S, when she noticed a group of four teens following her. Two of the youths rode up to her on a bicycle and tried to grab the phone, but only knocked it onto the ground. They fled and the woman continued walking.

Later, she noticed two more boys following her, and she started to run. One of the teenagers caught up to her, pushed her down, grabbed the iPhone, and took off.

Police later found two of the suspects near 21st and Orcas, with a white iPhone 4S in one suspect’s pocket. Though the teen claimed it was his own phone, police found that it contained photos belonging to the victim.

The two suspects, aged 14 and 15, were booked into the Youth Service Center on charges of robbery.

Later on Monday, a man and his wife were walking home in the 4700 block of Beacon Avenue South just after 8 p.m. when two suspects ran up to them and demanded the man’s wallet. One of the suspects was holding a gun.

The wife ran across Beacon, looking for help, while the husband turned over his wallet. The suspect then ripped a chain from the man’s neck. The suspects then fled in what police describe as an older, full-sized white sedan with tinted windows and violet paint on the sides, driving westbound across Beacon Avenue.

Police were unable to locate the suspects, described as two black males: one 6’2″, thin, wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and armed with a handgun, and the other 5’5″, medium build, dressed similarly.


View May 20, 2013 Robberies in a larger map

Clean and Green, Food and Drink, Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

Help plant demonstration bean garden

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Photo by energyandintensity via Creative Commons/Flickr.
ROCKit Community Arts and the Beacon Hill Garden Club invite neighbors to help plant a demonstration garden at El Centro de la Raza later this week. The garden is planned to feature 24 cedar planters with over 20 varieties of beans, creating “the neighborhood’s first free veggie u-pick.”

Planting starts on Thursday, May 23 from 4-6:30 p.m. and continues on Friday, May 24 at the same time. On Saturday, May 25, the planting party takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers should bring a trowel and gloves; everything else will be provided. El Centro de la Raza is located at 2524 16th Ave. S.

Meetings, Recreation

Seattle Parks meeting tonight at Jefferson Community Center

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Sorry for the late notice — we’ve been dealing with some technical issues earlier today, and after receiving this announcement this afternoon, weren’t able to post this until now. There is a meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.) on Environmental Programs, Open Space and Maintenance in Seattle Parks.

Here’s the announcement:

Dear Jefferson Park neighbor,

Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting their fourth Parks Legacy Plan meeting tonight at Jefferson Community Center. Attached is a brochure that explains importance of the plan and tees up some questions that will help direct future funding.

At Parks we’re nearing the end of two consecutive levies, primarily for capital projects, that have expanded our park system. We’re at a crossroads. We’ve created the first draft of a Parks Legacy Plan that will take us into the future. This is the time when the public can have the greatest impact in shaping the future of Seattle Parks and Recreation.

The draft includes information on our city’s changing demographics, our current budget and basic services, what people think about our current parks system based on a series of recent surveys, national and regional trends in recreation, and information on costs, attendance and community benefit. It poses policy questions we’re asking the public to answer at the six meetings and/or by email.

The Plan can be found here along with important timeline information.

Here is additional information posted on the Mayor’s Blog Post.

Arts, Education, Local Events

Celebrate the arts at the Franklin High School Arts Festival

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Lion dancer photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lowry.
Lion dancer photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lowry.
Elizabeth Lowry, co-chair of the Franklin High School Arts Festival, sends this announcement:

Imagination. Swagger. Creativity. Culture. Intensity. Irony. Empathy. Everything comes together in the visual art and performances that Franklin High School students will present this week during the school’s yearly arts festival and talent show.

“The Mt. Baker Quakermaker Shaker” is the theme of this year’s festival, which begins with an art opening at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 16, at Mioposto, 3601 S. McClellan St. The FHS talent show is the main attraction Friday, May 17, starting at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, 3013 S. Mount Baker Blvd. The arts festival will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 18, on the plaza in front of FHS.

The events, which are open to the public, bring together students, their families, teachers and staff and Mount Baker neighbors. The festival raises money to benefit Franklin’s art, drama and music programs and student clubs, while the talent show raises money for the senior class of 2015. Tickets to the talent show are $3 for FHS students and $5 for others. The art opening and the arts festival are free.

The festival will feature student performances, including the steel drum band, fashion club, jazz band, Quaker band and lion dancers, along with displays of visual art, ceramics and wood arts. Student clubs will sell heirloom tomato and vegetable plants, treats and handmade crafts. Also for sale are woodcrafts, such as cutting boards, created by students and notecards featuring student art. Vietnamese sandwiches, chips and soft drinks also will be for sale. 

The arts festival is sponsored by the Franklin High School PTSA and the Franklin High student body.



For details and updates, find us on Facebook, check franklinhs.seattleschools.org, or email elizabethlowry@comcast.net.

Recreation

Summer lawn bowling league for women forming at Jefferson Park

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Jenny Mears of the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club writes:

Photo by Jenny Mears
Hello ladies! Come spend your sunny summer Wednesday nights in beautiful Jefferson Park with a fabulous group of women learning how to lawn bowl! What’s lawn bowling, you say? It’s an amazingly fun outdoor sport in which you and your team compete to see who can roll their bowls closest to the white ball at the end of the green, all while drinking gin and tonics (or a beverage of your choice). In other words, it’s a completely civilized way to spend a summer weeknight!

Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club has a great assortment of member events, tournaments, and leagues, including Bowl Busters, a league for women. We get together on Wednesday nights throughout the summer, sharing food and drink, and rolling bowls in the summer sun. All skill and experience levels are welcome; lawn bowling is one of those “moment to learn, lifetime to master” things! New Bowl Busters can try out the league with a special introductory rate of $40 for the Bowl Busters season. The first night of Bowl Busters is June 5th and the league runs Wednesday nights through the end of July. For more information or to sign up, see the Bowl Busters page on Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club’s website.

New bowlers do need to get a lesson on the basics before league begins. You’ll learn things like how to hold and roll a bowl, the objective of the game, and small tips to make you a good teammate your first game. Lessons are offered May 22 and May 29 at 7 pm. Sign up for a lesson by contacting BB@seattlebowls.org. Learn all about Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club at seattlebowls.org.

See you on the greens!

Urban Planning

Plaza Roberto Maestas project moving forward

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A proposed design for the plaza and stage at the Plaza Roberto Maestas project.
A proposed design for the plaza and stage at the Plaza Roberto Maestas project.

To the community from El Centro de la Raza:

In late February El Centro de la Raza presented to the community its latest designs for Plaza Roberto Maestas (PRM). We have been delayed in getting this post out to the wider community by the significant fight for State housing resources for this project in Olympia right now. PRM is the mixed-use community-inspired transit oriented development project that will be built on El Centro’s currently vacant south parking lot, next to the Beacon Hill Light Rail Station. It will be 113 units of affordable housing over 30,000 square feet of daycare, multi-cultural community center, retail/restaurant and office space. The latest design renderings incorporate feedback gathered from over ten community meetings and focus groups that took place in 2012. ECDLR just scheduled its first City of Seattle Early Design Guidance meeting for June 25th at 6:30pm at Wellspring Family Services on Rainier Avenue. This meeting will kick off our permitting process and is open to the public.

A rendering of a design for the 17th Avenue South side of the project.
A rendering of a design for the 17th Avenue South side of the project.
Plaza Roberto Maestas will be built in the spirit of Dr. King’s “Beloved Community.” It will be a physical place that honors the history and culture of El Centro de la Raza, while serving as a “town center” gathering place for the larger Beacon Hill community to utilize and enjoy.

For those that have not been able to attend community meetings to date, we have compiled this post and the following Frequently Asked Questions to maximize information sharing and community awareness of the project. In the near future, El Centro de la Raza hopes to co-host a meeting with the North Beacon Hill Council, Beacon BIKES and SDOT to talk about parking, traffic and pedestrian safety in the Beacon Hill neighborhood around this project. We will announce a date for this meeting soon.

Please feel free to contact Kate Gill de la Garza, Project Manager, with any questions about PRM. She can be reached at 206-860-2491 ext. 202 or at kated@beacondevgroup.com.

Read on for the FAQs about the Plaza Roberto Maestas project:
Continue reading Plaza Roberto Maestas project moving forward →

Getting Around

Plan ahead: 12th Ave S closure and detour May 18-20

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The Seattle Department of Transportation wants you to know that streetcar construction will force some lane closures on 12th Avenue South from May 18 through 20. This will affect vehicles traveling from the International District to North Beacon Hill. Here’s the announcement:

Next weekend (May 18 to 20) the southbound lane of 12th Avenue South will be closed at South Jackson Street in the Little Saigon neighborhood for First Hill Streetcar track construction.

SDOT’s contractor will close the street from 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 18 until Monday morning. Southbound vehicles will be able to turn east or west onto South Jackson Street. For vehicles traveling to Beacon Hill, the detour will be eastbound on S Jackson Street to southbound Rainier Avenue South, and then westbound on South College Street.

The detour will be signed to assist drivers traveling through this intersection. Local access, pedestrian access, and access to businesses will be maintained.

Uniformed police officers will be on-site to keep traffic moving at the South Jackson Street and 12th Avenue South intersection.

For further information, visit the project Website at www.seattlestreetcar.org.