Neighbors – be aware of your surroundings and especially so in the more “high profile” intersections of the hood. Have a safe Thanksgiving weekend all. chi-town
Neighbors – be aware of your surroundings and especially so in the more “high profile” intersections of the hood. Have a safe Thanksgiving weekend all. chi-town
Thanks for the heads up.
If you see something that doesn’t look right, feels wrong or is suspicious, CALL IT IN.
A crime in progress is worthy of a quick 911 call.
It is very noticeable how attendance at the theater drops after each publicized shooting. People avoid the CD and South Seattle for fear of being shot. After Dagene was killed at Philly’s we had 6 people all week. It’s not sour grapes about the cinema being slow but it does make me sad that the city can be so easily paralyzed by fear. I get comments fairly often from people outside the neighborhood asking if the area is safe. Our neighborhood can’t seem to get around it’s image as a crime infested place to avoid and that is a shame.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/389261_robert25.html
Title: As gangs feud, we’re all in the line of fire
Excerpt:
“When news stories about gang violence appear, an avalanche of public responses along this line follows: So long as these thugs stick to their own neighborhoods or shoot and kill off one another, it’s not a problem for the rest of us. … That’s just callous ignorance — and so shortsighted. Gang battles are spilling beyond neighborhood turf wars in the Central District, Rainier Valley or White Center.”
My comment: I’m glad to see Jamieson recognizing that so as long as they’re just “neighborhood turf wars,” it’s business as usual. Reminds me of someone’s (apologies, I forget who) comment about the city keeping the CD as a crime “containment area.” It’s intolerable… if you live here. And if you don’t live here? It’s like, “whatever.”
Final note: Don’t read the “Sound Off” comments on the P-I site unless you’re in the mood to be disgusted by humanity.
i had something very similar happen the other day with a colleague. I mentioned something about the neighborhood and she said, “yeah, that’s weird, since it’s all gang bangers and stuff”. I almost lost my mind. I love the liberal seattle residents who act all educated and inclusive but are truly shelted and exclusive (i.e…i’m just gonna stay up here in Ballard and Phinney and ignore anything else going on).
Good point. When I moved here from Ballard 11 years ago, I noted that gun incidents were at least as frequent there as here. Most violence here has nothing to do with most people: it’s personal, not random. The kids are much more interested in each other than they are in us. They’re not hanging out at Central Cinema.
Are your chances of getting shot statistically any greater in our neighborhood? Barely, if at all. But the gangbangers are highly visible, and there’s a lot of TV-news-style kneejerk fear about them. Bet they enjoy their high profile. If I was a teenager, I sure would.
I guess I’m saying this more to myself again but it’s time to get involved. Garfield High School, their PA, the community center and CAYA all need community members to volunteer. The day after Quincy was shot I walked our dog out past the school parking lot and met a girl who was Family. She was alone and crying, obviously upset so I stopped and asked what went down, if she was OK, could I help… It was really awful. The school has a couple (as is 2) counselors available but that’s not my point, We as individuals and families living here need to be physically seen in the school/teen community. Volunteering at the school in any capacity will help change the cultural enviorment we have right now where the school & the kids feel no bond to our neighborhood and we consider them as an inconvience we have to live with. When you volunteer at the school you have more reasons to talk with these kids, you can find out if your really helping or where the help is really needed. There’s no down side to getting involved with our neighborhood…OK, I’m getting off my own ass and going over to GHS and see what I can do to help..thanks folks, nice therepy session?
This discussion is bound to touch off several emotional buttons for all of us. Remember that most of our residents are law-abiding, good citizens of many differing socioeconomic backgrounds. I generally like my neighborhood.
I’m just feeling a little bit like the constant emphasis on the negative doesn’t help. Yes, Quincy Coleman was enrolled at Garfield but very troubled prior to that enrollment and and his death was not related to his relationships or activities at Garfield. I can think of any number of bad incidents involving students at various schools, including Roosevelt, where the incident is directly related to activities at the school, but the school is not constantly named and implied as the cause. What schools did he attend in general?
While looking at how we can help anywhere in the city is important. How do these kids become isolated. Maybe ensuring that the all schools here are schools where any of us would send our children. Ensuring that the programs that serve children are good enough for all the children. As long as we run poor and failing schools and programs for poor and failing students many children will be left out, only occasionally glimpsing into the world preparing others for success.
All in all Garfield is an excellent school and yes, should have community support. Volunteering is a great idea, but Garfield is not necessarily the main source of problems. Remember that volunteers in the school (and hopefully anyone working with minors) must and should be screened. In fact Garfield students are doing well on many levels compared to all other high schools. Let us support and celebrate all the great opportunities it offers.
I share your frustration. It is a great neighborhood.
nice, telling people to “fuck themselves” is a sure fire solution to any problem.
I’ve lived in the area (Capitol Hill and then North Beacon Hill) for the last twenty years, and have worked as a neighborhood service rep for City Light in the CD proper for the last several years. I’ve never had a problem and I’ve never felt threatened, but then again, I work in the daytime, and I don’t do credit cuts.
I have seen my share of young neighborhood kids doing drugs in broad daylight, and that never fails to shock and sadden me. Sometimes people try to hassle me, but I find if I just talk to them like a person, they usually back off.
Prior to moving to Seattle 25 years ago, I lived in Minneapolis and Omaha. If you want scary neighborhoods, visit any midwestern rust belt city. They’ll make the CD look like Medina.
we are a containment zone. Where is the outrage?
Be safe everyone! the name says it all … chi-town
p.s. I curse w/ the best of ’em – let that go
I was the victim of an armed robbery last week. My purse was stolen one block from Madison Market, near T Minor playground. I’ve never felt unsafe living in Seattle, but these are harder times. Just be attentive of your surroundings.
The SPD Gang Unit needs to get gang members to turn in Barry Sanders Jr. for the safety of the community ,
The local gangs need to know that they are at risk for more violence .
Sanders pictures are all over the news and the possibilty of retaliation by rival gangs is something CD residents should realize ,
If anyone sees Sanders call 911 to report him .
The CD will be on high alert until Barry Sanders turns himself in and hopefully the gang warfare will subside .
i just got here from L.A. and i can tell you that seattle is up with crime than south central. i came up here for a better life to get away from all that violence but theres more shootings up here than down there. the central district is so dangerous. I HATE SEATTLE
there is so much shit goin on between the CD and the SOUTHEND and people need to just give up the beef because all this is some dumb shit and people are just gettin killed for nothing and its dumb persobnaly I feel that if you can shoot somebody your weak as fuck because if takes a real person with heart to fight somebody and take the ass whoopin like a G but if you gotta shoot somebody clearly you are scary in my opinion and I dont htink takin a life is worth it.. People think that our neighborhoods are not safe, NOOOO they are safe its just the people in it that you are not safe around and that think they can own a “HOOD” they were not even around back in the 70’s to create no gangs but yet everyone wants to be from something..Ok its coo to represent your hood but to kill someone Nah thats no even close to whats up…
Until we change our laws to quit favoring these criminals, not much is going to change. If a kid can hold a gun, and use it towards another human – that kid should be tried like an adult and locked up for life and / or terminated via capitol punishment. Barry Saunders(thank god) is legally an adult, so he will either be killed by his rivals (which is my hope so I don’t have to finance his legal battle and incarceration) or locked up for a while without the luxury of ‘juvy’ which is what most of these gang kids know is the punishment(oooooh juvy for a couple of years now THAT is scary – not)… Our liberal ‘rehabilitation’ attitude towards the perps that commit these awful crimes is our downfall, it’s time for some tough love and to set some examples via our legal system and the death penatly. It is also reasonable to think that those that ‘won’t snitch’ need to be locked up for a while till they decide to ‘snitch’. That would be some cool legislation. Criminal charges for not cooperating with the police, a small but good start.
Alot of local news is useless, but this was a good story… and a great comment of the funding for the ‘mercer mess’ vs crime prevention… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HBZn4gJ0Rs
WILL SOMEONE RUN AGAINST NICKELS NEXT ELECTION?? HE IS A JOKE… I WILL CONTRIBUTE $1000 TO THE FIRST VIABLE ALTERNATIVE.
BTW – I meant TV local news – i think centraldistnews is great!
Well, it was nice of you to give us a try, dear. Sorry it didn’t work out. Try to be out by the end of the month, OK?
What color clothes should I wear? I have lots of black outfits but if the gangs that have my neighborhood as their turf wear red I will need to buy a lot of new clothes!! That can be very expensive!! Does the city have a clothing allowance plan for different incomes?
Seriously!!
When you look at the map you do not see ANY gangs north of the ship canal delineated. Why? Because the people who live there, like us here, would not stand for it!! Law suits (no clothing pun intended)would fill the courts. Why do WE stand for it. Why is it so blantly CONTAINED here?
And another day/month/year goes by and the beat goes on…..
I noticed the story mentions “million dollar homes”. Does it matter what the homes are worth?
i think you should go for PURPLE and yes, the city does have a income based clothing program. Since you understand the montlake divide so clearly, why don’t you just ship it back across the border? eyes, i really wish you would talk to some of your neighbors who don’t look like you to get a little more perspective. i am starting to worry about your level of redundancy. tootles.
If we are a “containment zone”, so it White Center, High Point, Aurora, Lake City, Rainier Beach, and a dozen other neighborhoods with crime problems.
Maudilin, hysterical, soundbyte-driven commentary just confuses the issue. It’s not time for “outrage”, it’s time for rational thought, followed by action.
Jessica, Mr Cole (see above) may need a traveling companion. Amtrak has a two for one fare sale on.
So “Please”, please tell me when the “action” begins. This has been “thought” about by residents here for several decades with little or no “action” by the city (excepts during the Rice administration). We have meetings, and meetings and promises…..
Yes “Promise” there are many of us out here in the neighborhood who are outraged at the double standards the city emulates. And your list of neighborhoods, most of thoses are SOUTH of the ship canal, that magic line the identifies where you are from and what services you get.
Being outraged at double standards is from from a superficial “sound byte” response. I am not confused, the city’s continued actions speak for themselves, are you?
Well, for a start, intestead of nursing this stupid, inaccurate, self-pitying BS about what side of the canal we’re on, we change the city charter so that the council is elected from the districts? True neighborhood representation, like real cities have.
Oh no. I forgot: It’s easier (and so much more fun!) to just feel sorry for yourself. This is Seattle, after all.
you should wear purple, eyes.
You have not lived here very long have you “Please”?
If you have and read newspapers and watched local news casts you would be a bit more aware rather than making the childish attacks you have.
Grow up!
Oh give it a rest, Eyes. I’ve probably been here twice as long as you have. I just don’t feel the need to be a self-aggrandizing drama queen.
You want change in this town? You want a better neighborhood? Get rid of the downtown council, and lose your ship canal martyrdom. I suggest that YOU “grow up”, and drop the cheap histrionics, like your “containment zone” schmaltz.
“I’ve probably been here twice as long as you have. I just don’t feel the need to be a self-aggrandizing drama queen”.
Please, you do not know me nor does this and your other harsh diatribe and personal attacks bear any usefulness in solving the problems in the CD. There are many who know and agree that this is a containment zone, one of several in the city. The city has even admitted this in meetings.
Try, please try to enlarge your perspective politically and socially.
OK, I’ll try not to hurt anyone’s feelings this time. I’ll just say again: It’s time to change the council so that we have district representation, instead of whining about the same old crap we’ve heard for the last fifty years about north versus south and the buzzwords du jour, “containment zones”.
Political power is the only thing that brings change. Depending on a mayor or council member to have a kindly feeling towards your neighborhood won’t cut it.
Was that too harsh or mean-spirited?
I want someone representing me and my neighborhood in City Council. I signed the petition for that initiative a few years ago, but the group did not have a lot of people to work on it.
One way to do it is a mix of district based council members and a few at-large. Another thing some cities have are actual neighborhood councils that have permanent boundaries and councilors who are elected on the regular ballot. And, they have an official role (and budget and independent organization separate from the Mayor and Council) in the government, representing a small enough area that you know your councilors personally. It does not preclude other neighborhood groups, business groups or associations, it just makes sure that there is someone representing you. This ‘let it sort of happen from the grssroots’ anarchy of Seattle where some neighborhoods have strong associations and are heard and others do not and so are ignored, wher some groups get patronage and funding from the Mayor and others do not, just drives me crazy.
Dear CDshoes
You have no idea what color I am. Am I to assume that you think I am white or that what I write is a white perspective? Am I to assume that perhaps you think people of color LIKE to live in an area with high crime and gangs?
Perhaps, CDshoes you should shuffle yourself to a library and research how middle class African Americans tackled similar problems in Chicago.
And yes purple is a nice color for all us UW alums.
any bloods in the south end of seattle?