(Image: Bang Hair)
A Capitol Hill hair salon owner says they are temporarily shuttering their E Pine location until Seattle Police can change the tense situation around its East Precinct at 12th and Pine. The precinct’s new security wall isn’t helping.
“Seattle is not unifying in any capacity, the divide is becoming greater,” Bang owner Casey Nikole tells CHS. “That wall is a symbol of that”
Last week, Nikole sent an email to Bang clients letting them know that Bang’s E Pine near 12th location that had just recently reopened after a COVID-19 shutdown is, for now, closing.
“Our proximity to the 12th Police Precinct continues to make our block wrought with tensions,” the announcement reads. “Our staff have endured unnecessary stress due to the actions/inactions of our local government and this location has become too unpredictable to operate with a regular schedule.”
The E Pine salon will be used as Bang office space until conditions change.
The shuttered business will be one of many around this part of the Pike/Pine core where COVID-19 restrictions have brought a wave of temporary and, sometimes, permanent closures. The environment around CHOP and the protest zone has also been an issue. Some small businesses have joined a lawsuit with neighborhood developers and land owners suing the city for not doing more to sweep out CHOP and protests.
Bang’s message is different. “We stand in solidarity with the protestors and Black Lives Matter,” the salon’s notice to customers reads. “We’ve seen unlawful use of militarized police force, tear gas, and rubber bullets right outside of Pine’s doors.”
“Pine’s ability to operate as a salon has become dependent on conditions around the Police Precinct that continues to be very unpredictable.”
Nikole said that Bang clients can choose the E Pike location in the meantime and that the hope is for the E Pine Bang to reopen when the “political climate” changes. SPD’s investment in a cement wall and fencing, however, seems like a move in the wrong direction.
“The difference between Pike and Pine — It’s only 6 blocks,” Nikole said, “”When hostility rages, it ends up at that corner of 12th and Pine.”
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The problem with this flailing violence is that it attracts more violence. Maybe folks will come to their senses when it’s exhausted, they have no more energy, and realize they went nowhere. Maybe they a wise approach is possible instead.
You better be talking about the cops
Yes, the city government (Mayor Durkan especially) bears some responsibility for the ongoing chaos in this area. But the SPD, by building the wall, is only responding to the violence which is being perpetrated by far-left anarchists. Do you expect them to just stand by as the precinct is attacked again and again? They have a perfect right to defend their buildings in a way they feel is necessary.
It is the criminal activity (arson, looting, graffiti, etc.) which is driving and continuing the problem, so the anarchists are primarily responsible. I’m no trump fan, but he is right when he says that Democratic-run, liberal cities must do a better job of restoring law and order.
Well RWK, I think you’re wrong on every point, as usual! Maybe you’re more like Trump than you want to admit…
Respect to Bang for supporting the ongoing movement for positive societal change, and for sacrificing income to protest the violent and unjust actions taken by SPD–sanctioned by Mayor Durkan.
If Bang only sees local government and police at fault, then I have no sympathy for their loss of business. Maybe call out the violent and destructive behavior coming from the far left. Or are they still excused for their tatics because real protesters were tear gassed 2 months ago?
Boy, you must have absolutely loved the DNC! It’s nice to meet one of the handful of big brained centrists who it was actually designed to appeal to.
If they did, their business would be targeted, and burned as has happened to other business who have dared to speak out. They are held hostage by the violence, and are only allowed to say certain phrases in order to escape their captor’s wrath.
Look for the coded words in their statement.
“Pine’s ability to operate as a salon has become dependent on conditions around the Police Precinct that continues to be very unpredictable.”
..the hope is for the E Pine Bang to reopen when the “political climate” changes.
Another kidnap victim seeking help from the ‘mostly peaceful’ violent mobs.
“If they did, their business would be targeted, and burned as has happened to other business who have dared to speak out. ” – which businesses? it’s funny…a search for that doesn’t bring anything up. is it still a secret?
No one is asking for sympathy. There is no call to arms or pleads for attention here. Tear gas has happened sooner than 2 months ago. July 26 we closed due to tear gas outside our doors again. “If Bang only sees fault……” don’t make a leap of judgement here. This and COVID are ongoing issues affecting and many businesses. It’s easy for you to make assumptions based on this article but there is more happening that what you read online. We are simply responding to what is happening on our block and in the community in general.
Are you really comparing the actions of a handful of independent members of the public to those of many dozens of highly-trained, heavily-armed, heavily-armored, public servants working in a strict, hierarchical, command structure? The former are acting as individuals, whether or not their actions coincide. The latter is doing so under the direction of department heads Carmen Best or Adrian Diaz, directly reporting to Mayor Jenny Durkan.
One protester does not represent all protesters. One police officer very definitely represents Durkan’s police department. This fact is even more significant because the organization can root out and remove those who act out of line but chooses nearly 100 percent of the time not to do so.
Every member of SPD has the ability and responsibility to address unacceptable behavior on the party of their colleague. No member of the public has any responsibility, and little of any ability, to do anything about the actions of other members of the public.
Equating violence or property damage perpetrated by the police department to violence or property damage perpetrated by private individuals is ridiculous.
The police station is attacked multiple times. Arsonists attempt to burn it down on several nights including when police are in it. Why exactly shouldn’t the police put protection around the building? Because of it’s proximity to all the other buildings on the block if it burns the entire block including residents and businesses could also burn. It would be irresponsible NOT to build protection around it.
When Seattle had Sam Smith, our first black city council member in office, the black community lobbied for the precinct to be located at 12th and Pine to be closer to the Central District to respond to crime. We have had 28 homicides as of yesterday this year and that’s a 200% increase from last year. There are attacks happening almost daily on random strangers including knife attacks and beatings and the city is really kind of out of control in case you hadn’t noticed. Many residents actually want police to show up and protect them. The main complaint is that police are so understaffed that they don’t come quickly enough and often enough when people need them. The hair salon needs to speak with more people outside of their immediate bubble.
Um, you obviously don’t know “the hair salon” or you’d know that Casey’s bubble in Seattle is plenty big. Everything she says is valid. She’s been front and center near the cops; you might give Casey some credit for knowing more of the intimate nature of the current conflict than others not there.
I’m unclear on some of your statements though. It would be great to see where your data comes from if you can post a link or something? Currently, the crime dashboard has been showing 26 homicides YTD since Thursday or so. By this time last year we’d had 19 homicides; by the end of the year, the total was 28 (same as 2018.) How are you getting a 200% increase by going from 19 to 26? Or even 19 to 28?
“There are attacks happening almost daily on random strangers including knife attacks and beatings and the city is really kind of out of control in case you hadn’t noticed. ” – are these underreported? I found one online about a guy with a knife. The only beatings by random strangers I know of is cops beating either protestors or the homeless, just depends on venue…but I don’t think that’s what you meant.
It’s discouraging to watch people just repeat what SPD puts out there like, “arsons of this week and “multiple serious arson incidents and explosions”…you mean back in June? One of which was barely a flame and the other one that was talked down by the group from CHOP protecting the building. And the spokesperson as to the reasoning,
““The precinct is located in proximity to approximately 500 residential homes and many small businesses,” the city’s statement reads. “Who we feel just fine covering in tear gas along with peaceful protestors, medics, and about 1% of the state of WA.”