Thursday night, Capitol Hill resident and longtime representative of the neighborhood in Olympia Ed Murray made what CHS thought was a rather shocking admission for a mayoral candidate talking about his home turf. Murray told a forum of Seattle voters that he was afraid to walk through his own neighborhood’s central park — in the middle of the busiest area of Capitol Hill and just blocks from East Precinct headquarters — at night.
One night later, the candidate’s fears seemed justified — a 19-year-old told police he was robbed of his phone at gunpoint as he walked near the park’s basketball courts Friday around 8:30 PM.
So, what about you?
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It has been a rough summer — again — for the park and its surrounding streets. But this case involving what police say could be multiple hold-ups by the same group of teens also points to how individual acts quickly add up to “public emergencies.” The lights stay on at Cal Anderson all night now — and Mayor Mike McGinn has directed hundreds of thousands more dollars to SPD to hire more officers and increase patrols in the city’s hot spots including the park. The crime trends for East Precinct’s beat C2 that covers the park show a big jump in assaults and robberies in the area through July.
But thousands of people also continue to walk through the park — at all hours — just like they always have. It’s a park — not a war zone. You might get offered non-Washington Liquor Control Board-approved marijuana — but chances are you’re not going to be assaulted or robbed. It can be a lovely path through the area.
Candidate Murray says he is afraid — what about you?
Capitol Hill Mayoral Forum — Thursday, October 3rd
Capitol Hill stands a house divided on the race for Seattle mayor. Register for free tickets to Thursday’s forum at Barboza (10th/E Pike below Neumos) from 7 to 9 PM. CHS talked to both candidates about their campaigns earlier this summer:
At 6’2″, 220, I’m not particularly worried that I’m going to be assaulted or anything, but it’s more practical for me to walk down an extra couple of blocks to go up John where the light is better than it is to tempt fate.
Hate to break it to you: guns make height and weight differences irrelevent. And it does to eally matter what you weigh when there is three of them and one of you. Or if you have a knife in your face. Look at the recent crimes on this blog…many involve a gun in the face.
I’m a frequent blog reader and am aware of what’s going on; my point is that my hulking physical presence in the dark tends to make people cross the street rather than approach me.
I don’t think it has as much to do with fear, but rather disgust that a beautiful, urban park is once again a gathering place for the dregs of society.
It’s not fear, but considering it’s just an extra minute or two to go down Broadway or 12th, I’d rather not take my chances.
As a petite woman who travels mostly by foot, I would NEVER set foot in that park at night. The environment of the hill in general has changed to the point that I am constantly on my guard walking anywhere here at night. Even a year ago I felt much safer.
The most depressing part about people being scared to enter Cal Anderson park at night is that it has a snowballing effect. The more empty & devoid of average citizens that would do/say something the more dangerous it actually becomes.
I will continue to walk and ride my bike through Cal Anderson at night and be one of the few people who are attempting to improve its safety simply by being present. I would encourage others to do the same.
I feel the same way! I walk through there at least twice a day/night. Iv been followed and grabbed there recently while carrying groceries home. I now have a lil pepper spay which makes me feel a lil better …its not gonna save me from a gun. BUT I feel like if everyone just vacates the park we’re making it to easy for these assholes!
not afraid at all. cal anderson is a walk in the park compared to some places ive been (pun intended). id feel more worried wading through the crowds of drunken, roided up bros of pike/pine than going thru cal anderson.
Just back from a week in Manhattan. Never once felt unsafe there day or night. Capitol Hill…NOT AT ALL. What does that tell you??
…and before someone dismisses me, I’ve lived on the hill for almost 30 years.
I moved out of a big east coast city years ago because of uncontrolled street crime, and have lived in Washington for nearly 40 years. Moved away from Capitol Hill once before, in the late 70s, because of street crime, but returned to a much improved Cap Hill a few years ago. And until this last 6 months or so, I was out and about and never felt unsafe at any hour.
But I agree with BB and Cap Hill female — things have changed recently for the worse here.
I think part of it is lax enforcement of minor street offenses which emboldens those inclined to more serious criminal activity; part of it is spillover gang activity; part of it is temptation of easy money ripping off people’s phones or laptops; part of it is meth, booze, and other impairments; and a major helping of blame goes to the lame so-called “leaders” in Seattle whose response to crime is what??? “gun-free” stickers. I mean, That’ll show ’em!
Manhattan is quite a bit larger then Seattle. Our downtown core is just a little larger then the Times Square area. There are lots of places in Manhattan I wouldn’t go near at night.
Yep I feel safer in most places in NYC at night than Seattle. They have more more people, more light, life and their cops un-pc. By comparison it’s dead here at night (sorry, pike/pine can’t compare with many NYC hoods) and the dim street lights suck with too many dark pockets.
Seattle need to seriously start busting some balls. As long as the troublemakers can get away with offenses we will keep going downhill. We need more than sit-down kumbaya sensitivity circles to deal with drunken high behaviors.
As a woman who has lived in both New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) and on Capitol Hill, I felt much safer in New York than I ever do here. My life usually doesn’t take me through Cal Anderson, but I do generally avoid it to be safer. Especially a woman often walking alone.
Earlier in the night when there are more people around, fine. 2:00 in the morning, no.
I’m not all that crazy about Cal during the day, either. Around 7 AM, or near the ball fields later in the day is fine. Other times and places, yeah I’ll go through, but I am hyper aware and will alter my path to avoid potential trouble.
My sister was just visiting this weekend from NYC. We walked through Cal Anderson the same night that 19 year old was held up. It disgusts me that this is a continued problem in the park. We additionally saw 3 people shoot heroin without a care in the world right on boylston/ olive way.
I really would like to see our police force get tough on crime. Look at NY for an example on how to police.
You don’t want to go down that path. Racial profiling, stop-and-frisk, unauthorized surveillance; I do not want these gestapo tactics in my city.
Why not? Prefer to live a life controlled by sewer rats?
I agree. We see almost the same exact description of the perpetrators every time there is a violent robbery. Why are we all, including the police, asked to ignore this? And if you are not crossing the street or flat out running to avoid groups of two or more people who match the description, I think you are insane.
Less freedom for a little more safety. Unfortunately we can’t eliminate risks, but in our attempt to do so, we chip away at the things we set out to protect. How many people would visit or walk the streets of Capitol Hill if they were to be subjected to random searches by police? Or monitored on the basis the color of their skin, their religious preference or their political activities? Yea, NYPD sets a great example here. If this is what you’d like to see, please move to the Big Apple, don’t bring it to Seattle.
jc – This is my city as well as yours, and I would like to feel more safe as I go about my business. It is too bad that some people apparently can’t be trusted to treat others respectfully without being forced to. I think people who call for those who disagree with them to move – to NYC or Bellevue or wherever – need to consider why this has to be the only solution. You seriously think this would be a better city if, rather than doing something to prevent people from doing drugs, fighting, raping, shitting, assaulting, etc., we get a bunch of people who are turned off and frightened by this – people who go to work every day and pay the taxes that pay for the parks and the social services and the bus services, etc. – to move? Why don’t you just move to Detroit then? That seems to have been their game plan for quite some time.
I didn’t say we should do nothing. NYPD is not an example I wish to follow, but there are many alternatives to this that don’t require giving up rights we are ostensibly protecting.
jc – Okay, I get your point, and I don’t think it’s fair that the stop-and-frisk policy was used by some bullies to harass innocent people. But, seriously, do you have an answer to how to balance the fact that, in general, we can tell by looking how likely a person is to cause trouble; the fact that we have limited money to spend on police and need to spend that wisely; and the fact that very few of us want to see people unfairly hassled? I would add that I think most of us have a pretty accurate sense of who poses a danger to us and that our profiling is much more nuanced than just race, gender, and age, although those play a role.
“Gestapo like tactics”? I think you need some education on the nazi regime. That statement is just hyperbole.
Often times, the term racial profiling is used incorrectly and is often used as a way to accuse the police who are using valid tactics to identify potential criminals. While it is true that sometimes innocent people are misidentified, the majority of the time that is not the case. I would guess that if the police were to have spent more time at The War Room when it was in business would have been accused of profiling even though they very likely had legitimate reasons to do so.
I think the cops are going through a bit of a mid-life crisis: On the one hand SPD was the target of a lot of excessive force complaints/investigations and on the other hand they’re trying to be all cool about pot smoking, etc.. I too am seeing (and hearing about) a lot more junkies shooting up in public places around the Hill. This really isn’t something that anybody wants to see happen (I remember the early 90s quite well).
In general, I think that a lot of low level street crime is going unpunished from downtown, up and over the Hill to the CD. I don’t want to see the police randomly targeting groups of people, but we have things like open container laws for a reason. Warnings, tickets and misdemeanors won’t make all of this crime go away, but it may make some of these areas less attractive to those looking to victimize, rob or shoot up. Of course, I guess heavy rain cain’t hurt either.
I agree with the person who posted above–I walk through Cal Anderson at night because that is the best way to keep the park safe. The more people walking through at night, the less opportunity criminals have to take advantage of a lone person. But a permanent night guard or two patrolling the park from sundown to 4am would make things feel a lot safer.
The problem with that line of thinking is that THEY outnumber US. I belong to 2 groups who have been using the very nice meeting building right in the center of all of this, and we meet at night. We are finding someother place to meet as, even in a group, we do not feel safe to walk to and from.
Earlier this summer I read a story reporting that funding was in place for a pair of park rangers to spend time patrolling the park. I use the play area once or twice a week and walk through the park several times a week at all times of the day and evening. I have seen the rangers only once, about two weeks ago, about noon. How many hours per week are the rangers patrolling the park?
I agree with others that the thing that makes me feel the safest in the park is seeing non-threatening people (people who don’t seem mentally ill and/or drug addicted) going about their business – reading, walking their dogs, jogging, etc. I try to walk through the park when I can (and I find the park less scary than walking on 11th), but I would not walk through there alone anywhere near dark. There are many times during full daylight when I divert course because of things I see or hear in the park. It is just not nice to have to be so on guard when you are just walking to get something to eat or whatever, and it will never, ever feel safe in there as long as there are so many crazy drug people hanging out there.
Some people come on here and say that it is rude or small minded to think that people like that don’t have a right to be in the park, but the fact is, when I go through the park, I pose no threat to anyone. I am not going to be loud, to leave any trash, to leave dog poop, to scare anyone, rape anyone, assault anyone, or kill anyone. People who make a park unpleasant for other people are people who don’t share well, and they do NOT have an equal right to be there as people who behave civilly.
Hells no! I absolutely would not. I don’t even like going through there during the day these days. Last week I walked through and saw two people shooting up, then watched another group yell swears at another passer-by.
And before someone gives me a lecture on toughening up, I’ve lived and worked in some areas of NYC with serious crime problems. What I learned from that is not to take unnecessary chances.
As a commenter mentioned above, the problem is that it’s a downward spiral. The more people avoid it, the sketchier it becomes. And in fact, the park seems much less crowded these days. The way to stop and reverse the downward spiral is for police to be a strong and visible presence and to ENFORCE THE LAW.
Like JTContinental above, I don’t feel much threat walking through Cal Anderson at night, because I am 6’3″, 200#, can give off the “dont fuck with me vib”, and can take care of myself. But I also recognize my privilege. Until a 4’11 90# blonde girl can safely walk home after 2am through the park while talking on her phone, the park is not safe.
How come the SPD waste their brutality on stupid stuff that piss off both the population and the feds, instead of using it where it would actually be socially useful and not upset the taxpayers. Cowardice?
I think the police need to actively profile and hassle people that are making the park an ugly place. People also need to start calling 911 whenever something doesn’t seem right. My wife talked to some officers who were passing by when she saw some weird stuff going on in the restroom in the park and the police later came over and thanked us for letting them know.
What about a 4’11 90# black, hispanic or asian girl?
I live on the hill and until recently walking through Cal Anderson was part of my commute. I walk through the park after 10 pm rate Late at night I feel much more comfortable in the park than I do walking along 11th.
I will still walk through Cal Anderson Park late at night, but I’m paying extra attention to my surroundings. I’m not going to let fear keep me from enjoying one of the better things about living on Capitol Hill. I also prefer that the walkway lights remain on for better visibility. The robberies that have taken place this past summer have been everyplace and not so much centered on the park.
While running at Cal Anderson a week ago I witnessed two guys shoot up 10 feet away from children playing in the playground area. I yelled at them to take it somewhere else and told them they should be disgusted with themselves for doing that next to small children- they responded by calling me every name in the book. I called the police but they showed up long after the men had left leaving their trash and belongings behind. When the police arrived they didn’t even get out of their cruiser. They just sat there on 11th nowhere near where I reported the crime. I would like parents to be able to use this park without having to worry their kids might step on some junkie’s spent needles. The other problem I have with the police enforcement is when they do kick people out of the park they seem to filter into the neighborhood around SCCC, sleeping on the sidewalks, strewing trash and clothing everywhere, tagging and shooting up without a care in the world. It saddens me how much neighborhood has fallen apart.
I’ve lived on the same block, a few blocks from the park, for over 10 years now. I’ve seen drug use and criminal activities in the neighborhood ebb and flow in that time. A couple of years ago it seemed that meth-related activity was on the rise. Tweekers and their wire-filled backpacks seemed to be everywhere. In the last 3-4 months it seems that heroin is back with a vengeance. In the last month or two, I’ve kicked users out of my yard who were in the process of shooting up, I’ve stepped over a group of “campers” who were sprawled across the sidewalk shooting up on Howell (yes, I called the cops), and yesterday, I woke up to three needles strewn across the sidewalk in front of a nearby driveway. Fortunately, all were capped. The tongs & sharps container hasn’t been this used since I first moved here. There are many children who live on my block.
Perhaps we should expand the scope of our lens and start looking beyond the park… Displacing criminal activity from the park will not make it disappear from the neighborhood.
I’m no more or less afraid of Cal Anderson than of any other park. Which is to say, no, I won’t go there at night. It’s a bad idea to walk through a park (any park) at night.
If you aren’t afraid to walk through Cal Anderson late at night, you’re either a complete bad-ass or a complete idiot.
I’m not even comfortable walking through the park during the daytime. Last time I went there were many people openly doing drugs, lots of groups of people who were obviously just looking for trouble, and random people lurching in my direction. They need to do more to clean up the park and Seattle just in general. We have a lot of laws that could be enforced and aren’t.
Your “Yes/No” choice is very unfortunate.
My actual answer is “Yes I’m afraid, but I’ll take my chances.”
Avoiding locations or activities out of fear only makes the situation worse. Caring, responsible, ethical people don’t have the option of abandonment.
Agreed, except my answer is that I’m not afraid, per se, but I’m not willing to put myself in a position of vulnerability alone in a dark park.
It is unfortunate. So is guilting people who don’t want to get mugged. So there it is.
Has it occurred to anyone else that Cal Anderson is going visibly downhill right as the police are being forced to change their past practices? I could be unfair, and I do respect the officers who risk their safety for the city, but it almost seems like the precinct at Pine and 11th all decided “screw em if they don’t appreciate us, let them see what it’s like when we’re not allowed to do our job.”
It could almost be a reverse Hammtrak in a way. This is what happens when the police let the criminals just have a section of town as a lesson to the rest of us on why the police were using heavy-handed methods in the first place (not at all condoning those methods btw)
Yes, this has occurred to me. And, on the one hand, it makes me a bit mad that the police are having a tantrum at our expense. On the other hand, I have to admit that it has changed my view on what police have to deal with every day. If they do their jobs well, regular citizens have no idea about the masses of crazy, violent, drugged-up, antisocial people that exist. So when we hear of a police officer hurting someone, we assume he was hurting someone like us. Now that I see what some of these folks are like up close, I have to admit that I’m much more behind some rough policing. Those packs of thugs with guns are bullies, so how do they deserve better treatment than what they give to others?
SPD could easily try to isolate these guys if they setup a sting with an undercover person strolling through the park blatantly on a phone with all exit streets surrounded so they can be caught as soon as they attempt a mugging. You have at least one consistent location where these thefts are occurring and these pieces of shit could possibly be the same pieces of shit robbing people in other areas.
Absolutely no, not when it’s dark. And during the day, I don’t walk through the south end either, from the reservoir building to the west-east walkway along the playfield. Walking back from Blick along that way last week at about 3PM, the wading pool (where I took my kids, but I won’t take my g’kids) had people sleeping in it. I then came up on the path and was in the middle of a fight – first verbal, then a few knives shown. The people were drunk/impaired, aggressive, intimidating. My No Walk Zone is now from the steps off Broadway between the buildings to the Park, through the south end of the park during the day, and not any part of that area when the sun goes down. It’s not safe, not for me and not for the people who hang out there.
Maybe if we get some new leadership, things will change, but right now everyone is pointing fingers. Mayor McGinn says the problem is that the police could write tickets for low level offences but City Attorney Pete Holmes won’t prosecute them. Holmes himself blames the cops, for sloppy paperwork and not sending many cases his way. And as for the cops, temporary chief Jim Pugel blames the other two, the mayor for not being a good leader and the city attorney for letting people ignore tickets. I think we’re on out own out here.
You won’t catch me up in that area at night, and my headphones usually come off and my iPhone stays stashed in my pocket. If asked for the time I ignore the person and keep on walking and I walk fast, no sunday stroll for me that just gives the crooks more time to make their move on you.
I like Cal Anderson because it’s full of weird people. It’s an exciting place. It entertains me to see wacky stuff going on. That used to be bike polo and homeless ukelele players.
Sounds like it’s getting worse though. I still walk through there at night to see the weirdos and add some citizen foot traffic, but lately I do it with caution. I take out my headphones and don’t bother if I’m encumbered by backpacks, uncomfortable shoes, or <95% sobriety.
Along the chain link fence on the east side of the soccer field? On the far side of the hill near the train station construction wall? I don't go within 30 feet of those unless I'm ready for kung-fu.
I love the weirdos, I understand that the homeless kids need a place to be, but it's starting to get a little too menacing. This coming from a guy that likes slightly menacing things.
[…] Anderson safety: In a CHS poll with more than 1,000 respondents, it’s probably not surprising to learn that 84% said they […]
I have been here once, however, I had no idea that it was an unsafe place. I just saw your survey and have a suggestion to make. Why don’t you use SoGoSurvey’s online survey tool to create surveys? They have some really nice customization options that make the surveys look fun and interesting.
Enough with the false dichotomies. The choices are not “no cops” or “stop and frisk.”
Just having cops in the park at night, not harassing people but certainly keeping their eyes open, would make a huge difference. Especially a cop or two on bikes who can cover a lot of ground.