Cops on patrol in 2011 — Cal Anderson has been here before (Image: CHS)

Since we first broke the news of new Cal Anderson Park rangers to help patrol the public space, CHS commenters have been weighing in on the proposed solutions including the rangers and increased SPD foot, bike and, yes, horse, presence in the park. Believe it or not, one rather dastardly solution brought up in the comments has been tried in the past to help clear the area of overnight activities. The Cal Anderson sprinkler solution reminds that we’ve been through this situation before with the park — recently, in fact:

If they randomly ran the lawn sprinklers overnight, that would be quietly effective….

An East Precinct representative told CHS in 2011 that Seattle Parks would be doing just that when the area went through a similar outcry to Mayor Mike McGinn about safety issues in the park. Parks denied that any such request had been discussed — and, after CHS asked about it, said it was technically not possible:

It is a state of the art computerized irrigation system installed in many parks. It measures how much water is needed at any given time and turns the irrigation sprinklers on and off at precise times, saving thousands of gallons of water per park each year. It operates only at night when the park is closed. The times are not predicable because of the sensors.

The Cal Anderson sprinkler solution was raised in 2011 after a Capitol Hill mother’s tweets about drug use and threatening behavior caught the attention of City Hall. The mayor’s office quickly responded with a call for increased patrols and more to help address the complaints. Following a tour of the park by the mayor and local representatives, overgrown foliage and benches were removed from certain hangout spots in the park to make the area easier to patrol and a more difficult place to camp.

This time around, there has again been a marked increase in trespass activity and parks exclusions issued by SPD, according to the East Precinct’s incident logs. Campers have been forced, more and more, to find other places to sleep with empty businesses and doorways to nighttime venues and bars distributing the population that had been centralized at the park.

Acting SPD chief Jim Pugel at Thursday’s announcement

Marches, rallies and block watches are one thing. Law enforcement feet on the street — or in the park — are quite another

In a plan to be unveiled Thursday, Seattle officials will announce that a Cal Anderson ranger will be assigned to the park after a spate of violence and complaints about the public space including two recent stabbings. UPDATE: Details on the plan for the new rangers are below. Continue reading →

A new effort to launch a block watch with Capitol Hill businesses and organizations to provide a visible sign — literally — that the community is rallying around doing something about criminal activity took its first steps with a rally and march through the streets of the area’s neighborhoods Wednesday night.

Chants included ”Our neighborhood belongs to us! Not crime!” and ”2, 4, 6, 8, no more violence, no more hate.”

“Today is about sending a message to our fellow citizens and our neighborhood that we are watching out for each other,” said organizer Shaun Knittel of Social Outreach Seattle.

The group marched through the streets of Capitol Hill, denouncing the recent increase in neighborhood crime and encouraging a more active and empathetic community.

The rally began with a series of speeches right outside Seattle Central Community College’s Broadway Performance Hall.

The group of around sixty people marched throughout the Hill, from Seattle Central’s campus to Plymouth Pillars Park. “Our neighborhood belongs to us! Not crime!” was their slogan.

The group plans on hosting free outdoor self-defense classes throughout the summer, available to all ages.

CHS wrote about the group’s ”block watch” plan here:

The rally and launch of the program comes as part of an ongoing effort from the new group to address concerns about street crime on Capitol Hill — especially among the LGBT community. Knittel said his group had been working with police for the past few months on a new program but the situation accelerated when one of Social Outreach’s own reported being robbed in a brazen daylight attack as onlookers failed to intervene. This stabbing in Cal Anderson came as the rally was already in motion. Meanwhile, CHS crime reports continue to provide anecdotal examples of the types of violence and street crimes that people in the area are dealing with. The most recent East Precinct crime statistics agree — we’ve seen a bump in crime around Capitol Hill. Even as Seattle’s overall crime continues to plummet, the timing, it seems for finding solutions in the neighborhood couldn’t be better.

Earlier today, CHS reported that, despite the recent outbreak of violent crime around Cal Anderson Park, SPD’s crime statistics actually show a drop in overall criminal activity on Capitol Hill in the first three months of 2013.

If you are interested in being part of the program, visit socialoutreachseattle.com.

Student reporter Elif Koc contributed to this report.