Monthly Archives: October 2025

Regional Transit Safety Task Force recommendations: bigger barriers to protect drivers, stronger rider code of conduct, better responses for ‘vulnerable riders’

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A task force formed to address operator and rider safety on public transit in the wake of the slaying of a Metro bus driver last year has delivered its recommendations.

The Regional Transit Safety Task Force handed over its report to the King County Council’s transportation committee last week.

The task force identified six initiatives including adding bigger, strong barriers to protect Metro’s drivers. The recommendations also focus on improving communication and coordination during emergencies, increased focus on rider Code of Conduct, increased security resources, and increased focus on mental crisis response, youth-centered strategies, and support for unhoused riders: Continue reading →

A third victim and city council rep public safety plan as 18-year-old victim in deadly Broadway and Pike shooting identified

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The 18-year-old shot in the chest and killed in this week’s deadly shooting at Broadway and Pike has been identified and a third victim hit in Thursday night’s chaos of gunfire has been reported after a male suffering from a grazing gunshot wound arrived at Harborview Saturday night.

Police are investigating the bloodshed including possible connections to the homicide last month a few blocks away at 10th and Pike that left a 26-year-old shot to death inside the vehicle he was driving.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood’s representative on the Seattle City Council says officials “owe our neighborhood more than statements or open letters” and has released a five-point plan for “meaningful public safety investments in Capitol Hill and First Hill.” Continue reading →

This week in CHS history | Bolt Creek Fire smoke, Rubinstein Bagels opens, Stitch Cafe is born

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Here are the top stories from this week in CHS history:

2024

 

Knitting together crochet, coffee, and community, Stitch Cafe now open on Capitol Hill


Continue reading →

Homicide: Victim shot in chest at Pike and Broadway— UPDATE: Second victim reported

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Thanks to a reader for this picture of the scene

One person was reported shot in the chest and police were searching for a white Dodge Charger after a shooting Thursday night outside the QFC near the Chipotle at the troubled corner of Pike and Broadway.

Police and Seattle Fire were called to gunshots in the area reported just after 8 PM and found a victim down with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest.

UPDATE: A second victim has been reported at Harborview.

UPDATE x2: SPD reports the victim found down on Broadway is dead and the circumstances leading up to the shooting are under investigation.

Police report the second victim arrived at the hospital in serious but stable condition with a gunshot wound to the leg.

According to East Precinct radio updates, police were looking for the Charger carrying at least two masked subjects last seen headed west on Union.

Police recovered video from a witness showing the assailants on foot at the time of the shooting. Continue reading →

E Pine Black Lives Matter mural vandalized

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(Images courtesy Converge Media)

A year after the neighborhood’s rainbow crosswalks were sloppily vandalized, paint and markings have marred the Black Lives Matter street mural stretching across E Pine south of Cal Anderson Park.

The Seattle Department of Transportation tells CHS it is looking into the situation:

The BLM mural on Capitol Hill was recently vandalized sometime between Saturday, September 27, and Monday, September 30. SDOT was notified by the mural’s artists, Vivid Matter Collective, on September 30. White paint was spilled across several portions of the mural, affecting multiple letters.

“We’re working closely with Vivid Matter Collective to restore the artwork as soon as possible,” the statement from SDOT says. “The artists were onsite today to assess the damage, and our crews are coordinating cleanup efforts that will include hydro-blasting and pressure washing to remove the paint.”

SDOT says it “remains committed to preserving this important piece of public art and ensuring it continues to be a space of pride and reflection for the community.” Continue reading →

SIFF exiting Capitol Hill’s Egyptian Theatre

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(Image: SIFF)

A plot twist in local cinema Seattle moviegoers had seen coming has been made official. Thursday, SIFF announced it will not be reopening its run in Capitol Hill’s Egyptian Theatre.

“For many months we prioritized finding a path to reopen this beloved venue. SIFF is currently prioritizing financial and operational sustainability above all else so the organization can continue the expansive programming offered at our additional three venues: SIFF Cinema Downtown, SIFF Cinema Uptown, and the SIFF Film Center,” SIFF executive director Tom Mara said in a statement. Continue reading →

Seattle Public Schools rejects plan supported by mayor and police chief that would have stationed cop at Garfield High School

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SPD increased its presence outside Garfield following the June 2024 murder (Image: CHS)

The Seattle School Board has rejected a plan supported by Mayor Bruce Harrell and his police chief to return a uniformed Seattle Police Department officer to the Garfield High School campus citing concerns over disproportionate policing and the district’s failure to implement community recommendations in its proposal.

“I cannot vote yes on this package. The trust has been ruined,” board member Michelle Sarju said during the Wednesday night session. “You all have broken my trust over and over and over again.”

Wednesday night’s decision on a “a School Engagement Officer” at Garfield follows more than a year of debate over the proposal following the 2024 campus parking lot murder of student Amarr Murphy-Paine.

The return of an assigned campus police officer would roll back a Black Lives Matter-era reform. Previously known as community resource officers, the program was dropped by the district in the summer of 2020 during the height of Black Lives Matter protests against police killings when the school board suspended a partnership with SPD that provided five armed officers with rotations and placements across Seattle’s public schools. Continue reading →

Questions over OPA track record of SPD’s new East Precinct commander — UPDATE: Removed

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Chief Barnes, left, looks on at a ceremony marking the promotion of Tietjen at the East Precinct (Image: SPD)

Chief Shon Barnes has named an officer with a questionable record on Capitol HIll to lead the East Precinct.

The Seattle Police Department announced the promotions of Michael Tietjen to East Precinct Commander last month.

UPDATE 11:20 AM: Publicola reports that Chief Barnes is removing Tietjen and will assign a new commander following criticism of the promotion and “a crisis of confidence among our LGBTQIA+ community members.”

Continue reading →

911 | Probably not the only arrest for smoking fentanyl outside a Capitol Hill QFC this month

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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS 911 coverage here. Hear sirens and wondering what’s going on? Check out reports from @jseattle or join and check in with neighbors in the CHS Facebook Group.

  • World School threat arrest: A 60-year-old are resident was arrested Tuesday after a set of bizarre interactions around the World School campus on E Union. SPD says the suspect assaulted a school security guard and pointed a gun at a teen during the strange series of events. According to SPD’s report on the incident, police were called to the 17th and Union school just before 1 PM as the neighbor tried to enter the campus “The suspect was walking his two dogs when he approached the school and forcefully pushed past the security guard to speak with the principal,” SPD reports. Police say the apparently intoxicated suspect then walked to 16th and Pike and approached two teens sitting in a car. “The suspect, armed with a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, began yelling at the teens, telling them they can’t park on the street,” SPD says. “During the interaction, the suspect reached into the car, grabbed a 15-year-old by the neck while wielding the knife. He also pointed a gun at the teen.” SPD says officers recovered video evidence showing the suspect pushing his way into the school, and a photo of him holding the knife in his hand. Officers tracked the suspect to his nearby home where he claimed to have no firearms. After securing a search warrant, police say they found two guns inside the home. The man was arrested and booked into jail for investigation of burglary and felony harassment. Animal control was called to secure the dogs and take them to a shelter.

    (Image: SPD)

  • Harvard Market QFC fentanyl arrest: It won’t be the only arrest for smoking fentanyl in front of a Capitol Hill QFC this month but it hopefully will be only case involving a wanted felon found to be illegally carrying a handgun. SPD says it made the bust of the 27-year-old early Tuesday morning outside the QFC at Broadway and Pike. According to police, patrol officers saw a man smoking “narcotics with a pipe” in front of the grocery store and arrested the suspect without incident:
    While interviewing him, police recovered a loaded gun. When they asked him where he got the gun, he told them he “found it.” The suspect, recently released from prison, has previous convictions for multiple felonies including unlawful possession of firearms, theft of a motor vehicle, eluding, and unlawful possession of a motor vehicle. He is prohibited from carrying firearms.
    Police say the suspect was wanted on a $4,000 arrest warrant for fighting in public, issued by the Centralia Municipal Court. Officers booked the suspect into the King County Jail for narcotics possession and unlawful possession of a firearm. There were no reported injuries.
 

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New ‘Persian daytime cafe’ Open Form now open on Capitol Hill

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(Image: Open Form)

(Image: Open Form)

“A gathering space inspired by the art of Persian hospitality. Persian tea, coffee, and natural wine — by reservation” is now open on E Pike.

CHS reported here on the plans for Open Form, a new cafe, event and work space from first-time venue entrepreneur Tara Almassi.

While the new cafe has a busy roster of uses it hopes will help it grow in its new 2,000-square-foot space above E Pike, it is centered around some ancient traditions.

“At the heart of Open Form’s daytime cafe is the Persian tea service, a ritual that is commonly served during gatherings in Iranian culture,” its opening announcement reads. Continue reading →