Tag Archives: alarm system

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.

Health and Safety

Door-to-door alarm system solicitors cause alarm

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Several neighbors on the mailing list have mentioned a small group of nervous young men going from door-to-door pitching GE alarm systems. They may just be inexperienced at their job, but their demeanor, lack of brochures and business cards, and hard-sell tactics are causing concern.

Sara from the mailing list mentioned she’d seen them a few years ago when she lived in Queen Anne, and that she’d learned they are BYU students recruited by an alarm company every summer for door-to-door selling.

Reports from Monday and Tuesday have placed them canvassing homes east of Beacon Avenue from 18th to 25th Avenue South.

Contacted via telephone, Tim Burdick of Burdick’s Security on Rainier Avenue relates that he’s received a number calls about these hucksters lately; they were also around Columbia City yesterday. He too mentions that they appear to be some sort of summer program hired by an out-of-area alarm company that hits the region every year.

One of these men actually jammed his foot in the door when the homeowner attempted to close it, according to a caller Tim had spoken to, and they had also mentioned they represented “Platinum Security”. Interestingly, the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Watch crimelog had a report Monday afternoon from 24th & Spokane: “Attempted burglary. White male posing as alarm installer tried to push his way into the house. White hat, blue jeans now headed east on So. Hanford.”

Some digging online turns up Platinum Protection, LLC based out of Orem, UT. A telephone representative confirmed that they do summer door-to-door sales nationwide. While they have a Seattle summer office, contact information for that office was not provided.

In any case, if you feel threatened or in danger, do call 911. Call in your complaints to Platinum Protection as well: 801-223-6500.

Update: They’re active all over nearby; this sounds like them in Hillman City, too.

Thanks to Alex, Joyce, David, Hazel, Ezra, Sara and Sandra from the mailing list, and also to Tim from Burdick’s Security!