SPD officers in Cal Anderson
Amid concerns amongst the community regarding fears about an uptick in theft, armed robberies, physical and sexual assaults, the Capitol Hill Community Council Thursday night met with representatives from SPD and the mayor’s office in an effort to address the issue.
“We understood,” said East Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis. “We have increased the presence of police out there 10-fold,” he added.
Brian Hawksford, a staffer in Mayor Ed Murray’s office, confirmed for the council attendees that the Monday budget proposal to the City Council will include funding for new SPD officers.
According to Davis, the majority of such incidents have taken place in the Pike/Pine corridor, with groups of individuals preying on unsuspecting bar goers. The rest have been reported in secluded areas of Cal Anderson, where several of the armed stick-ups have occurred. He compared the situation to “baby seals and great white sharks.”
CHS has reported on a few reported street robberies since the emphasis patrols started earlier this month but one purported armed robbery turned out to be a pistol-packed argument between two men over marijuana. Meanwhile, East Precinct has also been dealing with a spate of shooting incidents including this one on E Alder in which a teen ended up in the hospital with bullet wounds.
The short-term strategy for Pike/Pine described by Davis is one of “trying to figure out who’s who,” in regards to identifying those perpetrating the routine robberies and gaining more information on their strategies and whereabouts.
Davis said that it is likely that the perpetrators are fencing phones and electronics that they steal. CHS reported on the smartphone as Pike/Pine street robbery target earlier this month.
Thursday, SPD officers stressed the importance of the community’s involvement in keeping the neighborhood safe, saying that many crimes go unreported and that residents should always call 911 when they suspect suspicious activity to help prioritize police responses to area.
Brie, a Capitol Hill resident who attended the meeting, said that she often mistakes fireworks in the neighborhood as gunshots and doesn’t call in every loud bang she wakes up to. “I’m more likely to ignore a gunshot [because of the fireworks],” she said.
Davis praised the mayor’s Find it, Fix it walking tour of the neighborhood and the neighborhood “hoopla” regarding safety issues, saying that it is a rarely seen instance of community input and resulting coordination and engagement of various city departments.
“What really helps, is the community coming together. Keep it going,” said Davis.
George Bakan, president of the council, said that “messaging on a massive scale” should be done to inform the community about the possible threats and give safety tips on how to avoid such encounters.
“Go out with friends, don’t flash your money, if you think something is going to happen, go into a [nearby] bar,” said Davis. He said putting up posters featuring such tips would be a good tactic for public outreach.
Council vice president Zachary Pullin said that in the context of sexual assaults, the community should not engage in victimization messaging such as telling women “what not to wear.” He also reminded that underlying the issues around Capitol Hill crime are larger societal issues.
“There has been a decrease in funding for services that are important to those who are doing the crimes,” said Zachary in reference state cuts to various social services.
Council notes
- Holly Houser, director of non-profit Pronto Bike Share, gave an update on the development of the installment of bike share stations on Capitol Hill, saying that the program will be launched on October 13th. “We really want this to be a form of public transportation that is accessible to everybody,” said Holly.
- A senior Capitol Hill resident, Jack Arlio commented on the upcoming bus cuts, and how the disappearance of the 47 line will force him to walk farther from his home to find transport, adding that King County Metro should be postering bus stops about the cuts to inform other senior citizens about the changes. “I don’t think word is being spread around about this,” said Arlio.
- Beth Dupek from BDS Planning & Urban Design, a consulting firm hired by the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, briefly spoke about the Capitol Hill 2020 economic development plan, and acknowledged that Capitol Hill’s senior citizen community should be better factored into the changes happening in the neighborhood.
The Capitol Hill Community Council meets on the third Thursday of the month at the Cal Anderson Shelterhouse. Learn more at capitolhillcommunitycouncil.org.
“trying to figure out who’s who,” Wow!!! you are paralyzed by political correctness. Just go to the smoke shop behind the Shell station and watch the drug deals and the young Somali looking pirates. Not hard SPD, just put some effort into it.
It’s good to hear that the police presence has increased “10-fold,” but it’s a little late and should have happened earlier to prevent all the crime that has already occurred. An increase in street muggings/assaults happens every year on Capitol Hill in mid-late summer, and is entirely predictable. I hope that next summer the SPD will get ahead of the curve.
One of the officers who patrols Cal Anderson also mentioned that it would be helpful if folks would be aware of the park’s closing time (11:30PM), and recognize that the lights being on =/= the park being open. Residents have been walking their dogs and hanging out after hours because they’re confused by the lights. The cops spend resources and patrols going into the park any time they see someone there after hours, and they can’t tell what you’re up to (innocuous or not) until they walk up to you.
What about the other parts of Capitol Hill? A friend of mine was walking home from CC’s last night around 11 and was almost mugged for his phone. He broke his phone on the sidewalk so they wouldn’t take it but was pushed as a result. He now is bruised on his hands and face.
Gee, it would be great if the cops patrolled other areas of the Hill as well. We’re inundated with people living in cars (taking baths in the street), car burglaries, house burglaries, mail theft, vandalism. Haven’t seen a cop drive down our street in years. Rarely seem them drive through Volunteer Park. Not all of us live at Pike/Pine.
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