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Your post-Thanksgiving 2015 Capitol Hill briefing

Thanks to a CHS reader for this picture of QFC's new Harvard Market hours

Thanks to a CHS reader for this picture of QFC’s new Harvard Market hours

Here is the news you may have missed during the holiday week.

Broadway/Pike shooting investigation: No arrests have been announced in the Sunday, November 22nd shooting that hit four victims and injured a fifth in the middle of Pike/Pine nightlife crowds outside the Harvard Market QFC. Police were looking for a silver sedan used in the drive-by that was caught on video. Seattle Fire said none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries but one woman who was shot posted to Facebook saying that a bullet and glass entered her chest.

Mayor Ed Murray and East Precinct commander Capt. Paul McDonagh talked to community representative and members of the neighborhood chamber of commerce about the shootings, the emphasis patrols, ongoing gun violence across Central Seattle, and new tools coming to Capitol Hill in 2016 to free more time for cops to focus on policing while moving more drug and mental health issues toward services and programs.

Murray and McDonagh also said the department is having difficulty recruiting new officers as Seattle faces intense competition for qualified candidates. SPD said it would continue emphasis patrols in Pike/Pine in the wake of the shooting.

Meanwhile, the QFC at the corner where the shots were fired, shattering glass, and sending people scrambling for safety inside, has changed its weekend hours. UPDATE: A QFC spokesperson said the change wasn’t only in response to the shooting. “We’ve spent considerable time over the past weeks and months making sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our customers and employees safe and to serve that neighborhood,” the spokesperson said. “Since that 1-4 AM timeframe is when there are a lot of people coming out of the bars in the area, we determined that it might help eliminate a gathering space if we closed the store during that time.”

Armed robbery Friday night: Police were called to the Shell gas station in the 1700 block of E Madison Friday night after a reported armed robbery. According to East Precinct radio dispatches, a suspect showed a gas station store employee a gun in his waistband and stole a can of Red Bull just after 11 PM the Friday after Thanksgiving. Police searched the area but were not able to track down the suspect.

IMG_3438Black Lives Matter protest: Hundreds of protesters calling for justice and an end to police brutality added their message to this year’s downtown Christmas tree lighting by releasing dozens of red and green holiday balloons with Black Lives Matter flyers.

Capitol Hill Christmas trees: Though Seattle Area Support Groups and Community Center is on the move, its annual holiday tree lot is in full swing on 17th Ave.

Charlie’s reopening delayed: The restaurant group behind the reopening of the much-loved Charlie’s said it will need a few more weeks before debuting the overhauled hangout.

City Council passes 2016 budget: The Seattle City Council reached agreement on a more than $5 billion budget for next year including millions to address the city’s homelessness emergency… well, almost reached agreement. Soon to be leader of District 3 Kshama Sawant cast the lone vote against the spending plan.

50 oldest businesses in Central Seattle: CHS ran down the 50 longest running business permits active in District 3. Nice job, old timers.

First Hill Streetcar safety: We must be getting close. SDOT has scheduled First Hill Streetcar Safety Day for this Thursday, December 3rd. In the meantime, the First Hill Streetcar needs to quickly sort out its parking problem.

CHS mobile: Our new mobile site was born over the holiday week. To check it out, visit capitolhillseattle.com from your favorite mobile device.

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Nick
Nick
8 years ago

Regarding QFC: Call me slow perhaps, but how does closing down at night help the situation outside the store? Is the intent to be able to easily tell that anyone still hanging around / in the lot is truly loitering and not a customer?

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
8 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Maybe it has as much to do with the business they do INSIDE the store. Maybe the parade of drunks, shoplifters, or otherwise messy sorts make it not worth being open.

fluffy
8 years ago
Reply to  Nick

There are two things that immediately come to mind:

1. Look at every single time the Harvard Market QFC has come up in police blotter reports, and look at the times of day when the incidents occur

2. Even if stuff happens outside, stray bullets can still hit employees and customers inside

This is about harm reduction, and the cost of doing business including the risks to life and property probably wasn’t worth the relatively small amount of sales they were making during those times.

jc
jc
8 years ago
Reply to  Nick

There will be one less reason to hang out there during those hours. If they want booze or a snack, they’ll have to move on.

fluffy
8 years ago

The QFC has also beefed up security – I was in there to buy groceries earlier today and they had very visible CCTV monitors turned on at the Harvard entrance, and there were security guards EVERYWHERE.

Lately I’ve been thinking of moving somewhere that feels safer. Like Rainier Beach.

booz
booz
8 years ago
Reply to  fluffy

The visible CCTV monitors at both entrances aren’t new – at least not super new. They made their appearance about two months ago, I’d say. They have beefed up security, or at least visibility of security… For a couple days after this incident someone was stationed right at the Broadway entrance, instead of the usual teenager in an oversized Securitas button-up texting by the Coinstar. Though in more recent days it seems like it was a one-time surge and now it’s back to business as usual.

I think it’s good they are closing briefly on these days – won’t solve everything, or maybe anything, but I can’t imagine the business QFC is doing during those hours is worth it.

fluffy
8 years ago
Reply to  booz

Odd. I’ve been shopping there regularly for the last 3 years and I don’t remember seeing the CCTV monitors before, but maybe they were just never on when I’d gone in – or maybe I wasn’t primed to notice them by recent major incidents.

Also I had noticed they moved the Coinstar machine away from the Harvard entrance – I wonder when that happened, and if it was in response to recent events. That’s another store feature I don’t pay a lot of attention to though.

Timmy73
Timmy73
8 years ago

It may be a tactic to keep employees out of harms way which makes sense given recent events.

Adam
Adam
8 years ago

Not sure the store closing will help all that much, unless Harvard Market will have private security or SPD will crack down on the loitering. Given the store is closed, I could actually see the loitering increasing…