(Image: Iconic Global)
Another apparently lasting impact of CHOP on Capitol Hill? The proliferation of private security hired to protect neighborhood businesses and buildings from property damage. But if one recent episode is any example, the companies some say are necessary to step in for the city’s police force might end up facing as much backlash as SPD.
CHS reported on the rise of private security on Capitol Hill in September as it became clear the companies hired during the Capitol Hill occupied protest and following anti-police marches were sticking around. One, Iron and Oak, now calls the neighborhood’s Odd Fellows Building at 10th and Pine home. The new crews have joined the existing presence of bouncers and nightlife security but have brought a new tone with paramilitary style uniforms and vehicles, and weaponry ranging from pepper balls to guns. You’ll find the companies from Pike/Pine to the winding roads of Interlaken where one has held a daily presence outside the neighborhood’s Seattle Hebrew Academy since CHOP.
But as the city looks back on one year since Seattle Police abandoned the East Precinct and temporarily shut down patrols and responses on Capitol Hill as CHOP formed, and as Capitol Hill’s nightlife districts reawaken after months of COVID-19 restrictions, the security firms working on Capitol Hill are being seen in a new light.
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The reaction to Butowicz’s message was swift — and negative
For Iron and Oak founder Aleksandr Butowicz, the revelation that not everybody welcomes the ongoing security presence came as the company owner posted on Facebook in what he hoped would be a message of goodwill and safety to residents as the Pike/Pine nightlife scene reopened.
“We’ll be out in force to help everyone stay safe as our nightlife and entertainment district reopens,” Butowicz promised, saying his company would deploy nightly “two-person de-escalation teams” with a medic on foot patrol around Pike/Pine to help keep the peace. But the ensuing reaction and negative comments quickly took over the conversation. Butowicz deleted the post and told CHS he was backing off the plan.
“People are freaking out that we’re ‘patrolling’ the neighborhood,” he said. “We’re literally doing the same thing we have for two years now. Provide for our own labor compliance, and if someone looks like they’re in trouble, stop and make sure they are OK. It’s not like we’re just roving aimlessly. Nobody pays for that, and we all have better things to do with our time.”
We reached out to Redside Partners, a firm that manages several Capitol Hill properties including the Odd Fellows Building at 10th and Pine, about its deal with Iron and Oak but the company did not respond.
Joseph Spiro, who runs Iconic Global, another private security company that has seen its presence on Capitol Hill continue long after CHOP, says enthusiasm for hiring the companies may be waning.
“We don’t have the footprint that we once had,” Spiro said. “People are going to see us around but our footprint is significantly decreased in the area.”
Still, the Iconic Global lead says the market opportunity that has come from a changing Seattle Police force and the city’s perception of it remains.
“At the end of the day, there are plenty of people that are not happy with the lack of policing here,” Spiro said.
As for expanding services as the neighborhood shifts into a new rhythm of reopening, Spiro said that business likely does not scale.
“A client can only hire us for a residence or their business. A client can’t hire us to be the police,” Spiro said.
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More tuff guys with guns walking around, great. The world feels like a terrible 80’s movie. And who “volunteers” at a for profit security company?
Real question for all the nimbys and yuppies that squawk on here all the time, does this make you feel safe? They’re here for you so I’d like to know.
Its kind of funny that’s how you read this. I saw the post this guy made on the Capitol Hill facebook group. He actually had a lot of “THANKS MAN” Posts from the defund people. They were excited for other options that weren’t SPD. ENJOY YOUR MOVE!
So this makes you feel safer then?
You don’t care how I feel. You are trolling and in reality you are “Moving Soon”.
You’ll note that the article opens “For Iron and Oak founder Aleksandr Butowicz, the revelation that not everybody welcomes the ongoing security presence came as the company owner posted on Facebook…”
This is Justin’s opinion of my decision to change my communication strategy to a more effective one for a small segment of the market – the CHSB segment. That’s a lot of emotion to imply around a simple marketing decision.
The response was, and remains, overwhelmingly positive. I believe this is because we do not operate in the manner implied -but not stated as fact – by this article. It is worth noting he doesn’t state that Iron and Oak staff are carrying pepper balls and such. He makes a general statement about security organizations doing so, and runs that statement one sentence behind a statement about my company. He chose not to print my also “on the record” statement that this allegation is categorically false. Specifically, I told him that if he sees any member of my staff running around with a pepperball gun, to submit that to me so they could be immediately fired and have their license to operate stripped “for cause”.
It’s a clever strategy. Guilt by proximity.
He has no information on my personal “feelings”, or much else about my company.
To his defence, I cut off the brief conversation I had with him because I felt the questions were being intentionally baited or led to frame my company as a weaponized, militaristic operation – a false narrative that will garner outrage and give him page views to sell advertising. This left him having to interpret positions he likely would have clarified if I had continued the discussion.
I felt the discussion was being conducted in bad faith, and I terminated it mid discourse. He has printed the only items I did state publicly, and filled in the gaps with *his* opinions, not mine. He has no right to speak for me, my employees, or our operations. Period.
-Alex
It’s 3rd world, but if you have a spike in crime and a reduced police force, not sure what other options you have as a business. Tell the criminal minded to go somewhere else sternly? Do nothing? Support the criminals since they need love too?
So after you’ve dropped $100 on getting plastered and a few meat trays.. These angles will guide you safely home, dodging the scary poor people? This is plan?
Nobody said anything about poor people being scary, or needing to dodge them. The article isn’t even about that. The patrols are about providing help and a feeling of safety if any violence or illegal activity breaks out. Please refrain from being melodramatic.
Yeah but let’s be real, what they’re mostly going to do is hassle poor folks and threaten Black people.
Oh, I imagine that they’ll harass people that, you know, act against the businesses they’re paid to protect. As they should.
So, build a problem, and it will come.
I don’t think any patron of the area holds any illusions that the private security is at all there for them….
We all know it’s because for too large a proportion of last summer people were allowed to run amok breaking windows, damaging property, stealing inventory, setting fires, etc. almost every night. The security guards are being paid by businesses to protect businesses because it’s become entirely clear that the city won’t or can’t.
What did you expect – just keep damaging things every night and insurance companies will continue to happily pay for it and businesses will welcome it because it’s just so totally woke allow people to destroy your livelihood in the name of progress?
Even the small part of truth in what you wrote may have happened, it happened a year ago, so let it go, already.
What do I need to let go… I haven’t hired any security guards…. I doubt the people who have care if it was last year or not, only about preventing more of the same in the future.
The “angles” won’t do anything…but if you are a good boy an ANGEL might take care of you.
What’s sad is too many folks believe the three responses you list ARE the appropriate response. As evidenced by the absurd “who cares about windows, that’s what insurance is for” response to last summer’s protest activity.
Oh thankfully a lot of people do believe practical is appropriate! Government aren’t a good place to look to solve spiritual confusion.
The fake woke empire of mostly white protest tourists. Angry a-holes from around the country that came here to camp and riot. Until they leave and stay away, businesses will want to defend against them.
Yes; they do. More so than any person involved in the CHOP/CHAZ ever made me feel, hands down. And also, were the volunteer CHOP/CHAZ security not wearing paramilitary gear and guns like ‘tuff’ guys? From the articles I read about the shootings which happened during their tenure they were.
Unless I read it wrong, nobody said they are volunteering. They are paid security. What he seemed to be saying is that in addition to just being paid to do security they will also ask people who look like they are in trouble if they need help, which is not a part of their job and the thing that they are not paid for. I could be reading that wrong, so clarification is welcome (I actually have an open mind about this kind of thing).
Oh, “paid security”,usually ex military, felons and the worst dregs of society, I feel safer already. My poor neighborhood. Geez.
Way to stereotype. Also, don’t felons deserve a job like anyone else?
Please cite your sources.
As long as protest tourists invade home neighborhood to take out their petulance on local businesses, there will likely be a demand for private security. We didn’t pick this fight. The angry 20 year old with a head full of ‘revolution’ did.
I will, 100%, not be patronizing any establishment with paramilitary style “security”.
That’s great. But will you patronize a business that has been broken into and looted and forced to close because mobs were allowed to destroy property without consequence? Well no because they are out of business. It’s too bad that businesses have a need to hire security to protect their inventory and people. This just adds to their overhead costs, along with the increased cost of insurance that will make them have to charge more. We all love the small retailer vibe on Capitol Hill, but when jerks are allowed to use the cover of protest to damage property, this is what happens.
You mean just Starbucks on Broadway and Amazon Go? Yeah, not going to those either. The only small business I saw leave was the one associated with the officers that shot Charlena Lyles. Stop with all the fake “sEaTtLe Is BuRnInG!” lines.
Besides, who wants to go have a drink while some 3-hour course trained dollar store dirty harry struts around in tacticool gear while harassing everyone?
My experience seems a little different than yours. I’ve lived on Capitol Hill for over 40 years and have had a small business here for over half of that. You mentioned a couple of corporate stores, who hired local people and payed them well by the way, and one other retailer that left. Yes, those may have been the ones that left. Well, I’m looking at the hundreds of small restaurants and stores that had to be boarded up for months. Had to apply for government help which too few received. And they weren’t put in this situation because of the pandemic, but instead had to deal with the reality of their address being the location of CHOP. We could discuss the politics of private security filling in for a community abandoned by the police, but instead I’m just trying to support the businesses located here and hope that this volatility doesn’t erupt again. Protest is great. Damaging businesses helps no one and turns people against the cause. My two cents.
Neither will the bums, vandals, and shoplifters.
That you, Donald?
Do you folks remember all of the complaints and concerns regarding the violence that was happening (pre-pandemic) after hours on Pike and Pine? What about the guns and fighting in the upper parking lot at the Harvard Market? Dig back into the archives, CHS reported on it regularly…
My point is this, every time there was a story about an incident, every time, Every. Single. Time. People would complain about the lack of police presence. Now people “hate the police,” the very same police they were begging to do something. So now that the police force is dwindling and they are backing down, the bar and restaurant owners in the area have hired private security guards to help keep the streets safe. Bars and restaurants will soon be open again for regular hours. People are fools if they don’t think the bad actors won’t return. They will.
So go ahead, defund or abolish the police…but you better have a sound back up plan in place before you do.
I think it’s important to clarify that not everyone or even the majority of people in this neighborhood “hate the police” and are part of the ACAB/defund/abolish crowd.
The damage has already been done though, and we’ll find out how much in the next election. I’ll be a miracle if there isn’t another attempt to overthrow democracy thanks to the left’s brinkmanship over public safety.
Who’s talking about defunding the police here? So you want “bad actors to return”? What for? The tv crews have left, tourist season is over, sorry.
Please stop begging for more drama.
It feels like we live in Columbia during the cartel years. This is what happens when there is a power vacuum created by a woke city council. Vote out and recall the clowns
Private, unaccountable, anonymous dudes with more firepower than the police with no way for people who aren’t paying them to engage them. Yeah, this is a huge improvement. Wow. Go to South America for a preview of the future of Cap Hill.
Ugh, security guards are often angry they can’t be cops and throw their self perceived weight around in idiotic, dangerous ways. Who are they for? I just want to back to my dance classes, I would have felt safe if volunteering goons weren’t going to be acting out all around the entrances. Give peace a chance.
You seem to conveniently overlook why they’re here in the first place, Carol. Had the trust funders not made a hobby of smash and tag private businesses would have no reason to pay money for them. I’m sure most would love to do away with the added expense. “Peace” would be lovely, but the onus is on the aggressors to instigate it.