Sometimes getting an early start on the day just isn’t worth it. A man was taken to Harborview with serious injuries suffered in a street robbery that began early Sunday morning following a good deed gone wrong.
According to police, the victim in the pre-6a robbery attempt said he was at the Harvard Market QFC when he was approached my an unknown male who asked him to buy a bagel for him. The victim told police he bought the man a bagel and the two went their separate ways. But as he left the store, the man was following him and asking for money, the victim told police. As the victim approached Seattle Central, the suspect suddenly demanded the man’s wallet and pulled out a “floppy” metal bar with a leather handle and began beating the victim in the shins and striking him in the head with an unknown object.
The victim told police he then ran down Pine before stopping at Belmont to turn on this attacker while brandishing a pocket knife. The victim said he told the suspect to put down the metal bar and a stand-off ensued. The suspect said he would put down his weapon if the victim dropped his knife at the same time. As the weapons were dropped, the suspect grabbed his metal bar and the knife and fled the scene westbound on Pine.
The victim then called 911 but the suspect had left the area by the time police arrived. He is described as a white male in his 20s with a slender build. He was reportedly wearing a knit cap and khaki shorts at the time of the incident.
The victim was taken to Harborview for treatment of swelling and bruises to his head and shins.
Capitol HIll is turning into a real dump.
Is the crime coming up from Belltown? What the hell is going on?
This is exactly what I was talking about in my post regarding the women held up on Summit and Olive. It’s beyond ridiculous. Nothing’s being done! Capitol Hill is rapidly becoming my least favorite thing about Seattle. When will something be done?!
This stuff is just ridiculously frequent these days.
This is awful that this happened, but as Jseattle noted, crime on Capitol Hill is actually down. I think reports like this are just being reported on more because of CHS’s hard work. I guess this reporting is a mixed blessing, as it is nice to know what is going on in the neighborhood, but it gives the impression that we are experiencing some kind of crime wave.
Yeah totally, I bet people don’t get robbed anywhere else in the city.
A few years ago a woman sitting outside the QFC on 15th Ave E, who looked to be homeless, asked me for some change to buy food. I didn’t have any change to give but I felt bad so I picked up a bagel and ab apple danish for her inside QFC. When I gave it to her, she turned up her nose and screamed she hates apples then threw both the bagel and danish on the ground.
I was so so embarrassed and confused by the commotion she kicked up. That was the first and last time I reached out to anyone on the streets. Nowadays my eyes glide over people who beg.
Unfortunately, with so many people on the street because of the economy, the limitations we’ve imposed on welfare, and so many people with mental problems on the street because of political decisions made decades ago, you’re going to periodically get something horrible like this. The only way to deal with it is to ensure that only people with deep mental problems are going to be on the street begging, and for there to be a place for them to go to get treated properly.
STOP giving money or food to people on the street! STOP!! if you want to express your generosity then write a check to the homeless shelter or social services agency of your choice… but as long as people give change, food, drinks to the homeless on the street we will continue to attract MORE homeless, crime, and criminals to the hill.
No.
Hard to imagine “limitations on welfare” when Health and human services is around 40% of the federal budget.
Welfare creates people that are dependent on the system and unable to improve their own lives.
As for street criminals, they are better dealt with 147 grains of lead in an expanding copper jacket traveling at 1100 feet per second.
Just FYI I have worked in acute Mental Health for almost a decade, the people robbing others on the street generally are not the mentally ill, they are common criminals.
People get so weird about whether or not their bagels are authentic.
Yes.
Many of the people between Dick’s and north Broadway QFC are fraudsters and will say anything and act diceitfully when trying to solicit spare change. I’ve (over)heard several conversations where they discuss these methods. Also I’ve experienced this one guy, an older gentleman with reddish short hair. They way he talks to potential “customers” is 100% different when he is talking to his smoking buddies.
its unavoidable. people bars stores civilization all packed in, people congregate, and people have needs.
this was a silly crime btw..
he was whacking the dude in the shins? thats weird and silly. i mean effective i guess, but odd..
many posts on here are followed by surprise or shock or fear, and then shit like blame and ‘what are we gonna do’.
its cool that the victim pulled out his pocket knife. stand up. fuck yeah.
i don’t know. i don’t complain or act shocked.
i just know i would pull out my own knife too. robbers should fear that. unless they have a gun.
but i guess knife at least trumps floppy metal thing.
also, dude needed a bagel? had to be a bagel? like not just some food? fuck asking for what sounds good to you. if yr gonna beg just beg for vague anything. im gonna beg my debit card to buy me a fucking tenderloin steak and some mashed potatoes? wtf.
and then fuck if yr gonna whack somebody in the shins about it later, why not just rob people in the first place?
oh man im getting silliy. i’m out. protect ya neck.
i also just wanna say,
karl wather,
i read yr comment and some of yr other comments and i think you are a weird dude w silly opinions, and i bet yr probably really boring in real life.
also, i am an anarchist. have always been. 29 years. and im certain that if you feel like this now, you have never understood anarchism.
Karl, that’ 40% is some interesting fiction.
Actual fed taxes raised: 2.192 trillion + 1.394 trillion deficit. = total spending almost 3.6 tril
Of that, actual social services budget is 19 billion (0.019 trillion).
Also: 9.9 billion is for training / employment .
actual fed (non-military/nonveteran/nonjail/non-politician )
housing expenses: 0.0594 trillion
Military/politician/veteran housing and realestate: 0.0531 trillion
Actual Medicare budget: 0.457 trillion
Non-veterans unemployment: 0.162 trillion
Veterans Unemployment : 0.046 trillion
For a ‘fun’ comparison:
US federal budget line item for interest on debt alone: 0.198 trillion
cost of 2001 bush tax cuts: 158billion
Cost to provide Every US child a 4 yr university degree for free: 127 billion
Cost of Iraq war : 784 trillion
Cost of same in afghanistan : 121 trillion
Combined net worth of world’s 1,210 billionaires: 4.5 trillion
1.090 trillion : the sum of corporate and individual tax deductions (lost revenue)
Criminals are not best dealt with by lead,/violence , or our justice system would devolve and brutalize to reflect its success. criminals are best prevented (education, health, food, housing,… You know, ‘welfare’) rather than punished/incarcerated. Family stability, socio-economic environment and education have exponentially more influence than welfare on potential criminality.
Though: Yes. Robbers tend not to be mentally ill and yes there’s no report that this was even a homeless person, just a hungry person.
Your mistake was to do something because you felt bad.
Do good deeds when you feel good: you do things differently, and better.
For the storefront beggar , treat them like you would a friend or client– assume nothing but ask pOlitely : ” hey what’s your story? Homeless or broke or both? Truly hungry or raising money for self-medication? ”
If truly hungry, Ask the person what they’d like. Yes, beggars can be vegans.
Here’s how it should go: “spare some change so I can get something to eat?”
“sorry I have no cash, but I could buy you something on my card. How’s a sandwich sound?”
“aw hells yeah – could you get me a tofu and cream cheese on wheat? and a coke?”
“sure that’s pretty reasonable. Hey, what’s your name?”
If you feel guilt pushing you to charity just forget it; that’s doing it for all the wrong reasons.
– my two bits about microcharity
I know the war in Iraq is wasting lots of money but I have never heard of it costing near a quadrillion dollars. $10 trillion is close to the figures that I’m familiar with. $10 trillion is insane so why not just go ahead and make it an even google?
I’d like to know what dream world @Anonny lives in. It sounds like a wonderful place to visit where rational conversation wins the day…. In Capitol Hill, you have use street smarts. Let’s not forget ours is the neighborhood where someone got killed by a pick axe on the street in 2010.
Whack me with a metal bar and you’ll find yourself looking down the barrel of a 45.
I 100% agree with this.
I once offered to buy one of those premade sandwiches for a homeless guy. He says “Aw, can we go to Subway?”.
EFF YOU.
And as I (basically) said to reply to your previous post:
Stop waiting for someone else to do it.
Call the cops. Keep your eyes peeled and your mind aware of your surroundings. Don’t put up with any shit: It’s your neighborhood too.
If you are truly that afraid of the hooligans on the street and don’t trust the Boys In Blue there are other things you can do. Maybe organize a night watch or something?
One of the property owners in the area told me that 10-15 years ago they used to get together in a group, armed with flashlights and phones, and walk the street at night. She claims it was quite effective in scaring the rabble off.
I honestly don’t understand the people who are wailing, “Sweet Zombie Jesus! It’s gotten SOOOOOO bad around here!!!” because in my experience the neighborhood has actually improved quite a bit over the last 5 years.
Haven’t you heard? Capitol Hill is the new Belltown. You’ve only got to spend five minutes on Pike/Pine on a weekend evening to realize that these areas are slowly being filled by the same douche bags that frequent Belltown.
What are you yammering about?
I think you really need to work on punctuation and writing out your words before you start engaging in a discussion of political philosophy. I sincerely doubt you can explain to me how personal self defense is in conflict with anarchism. But most of you losers are just communist who like to spray-paint the letter A on things.
Also, I know that you are against capitalism, but that is not the same thing as capitalization. Know the difference, it could save your life.
Opps, I made a mistake, Human services are 30% of the budget. I even used a lefty source http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm. I have no problem paying for veterans services, they earned it, unlike the entitlement mentality of most welfare cases.
I am so happy I get taxed at 28% so we take care of social leeches while out infrastructure crumbles.
The vast majority (90% at least) of “homeless” begging on our streets are liars and manipulators. If you believe that their request for money is so that they can buy food, as opposed to alcohol or drugs or tobacco, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you. There are many feeding programs in Seattle, where a person can get a hot meal 3 times a day, 7 days a week.
At least the street vendors selling “Real Change” are making some attempt to make a living by working, instead of asking constantly for a handout.
Thank goodness for the “limitations on welfare.” Freeloading is no longer a possibility. And don’t forget that these changes were accomplished by a Democratic President, Bill Clinton.
YES! I agree completely.