Just woke up to 9 LOUD gun shots in powell barnett park tonight…scary…
here’s the full story from SPD:
On June 26th, at approximately 10:38 PM, East Precinct officers responed to several 911 calls of gun shots heard in the neighborhood of 28th Avenue and Jefferson Street. A vague description of the suspects was provided. Officers contacted several people in the area, however no victims were located, nor was any property damaged. During the course of the investigation it was determined that several people had been hanging around near the park. For reasons that remain unknown, one of the individuals in the group pulled out a handgun and fired approximately 3 -4 shots. Immediately after that, an unknown person in the group returned fire, shooting an additional 2-4 shots. The entire crowd, as well as both suspects, fled the scene. Some left in vehicles while others fled on foot. Officers arrived within a minute of the call and were told by a nieghbor that one of the suspects had fled eastbound on East Jefferson. A suspect was contacted in the 500 Block of 30th Avenue. None of the complainants or witnesses were available to identify the possible suspect, so he was interviewed and released from the scene. A Metro King County deputy observed a person matching the suspect description behind a bush at 30th Avenue South and South Washington Street. He stopped the suspect at 28th Avenue South and South Jackson. Officers went back to the bushes at 30th and Washington and located a loaded revolver. The gun was recovered and placed into evidence. The 16 year old male suspect was arrested. He was transported to the East Precinct where he was interviewed and released to the custody of a relative. A total of three suspects , all males, were located, contacted and interviewed. Detectives will be responsible for the follow up investigation.
we heard them too.
We thought they were fireworks at first. Live 20 feet away from where it happened. Why can’t our community have a good weekend party in the park without idiots showing up and showing off? There were close to 200 people relaxing in the sun, having a good time. Just a couple of kids who want to play gangster…ruins what we are trying to build.
It could have lasted that long but when I drove by at 7:45 the Powell Barnett party was in full swing. Went to the gym and was back in front of my computer at 26th and Jackson when I heard the shots. Gun shots (especially 9mm and 38) have a very distinctive crack that is very different from fireworks. Larger caliber and slower moving bullets are harder to distinguish. I heard the first 3 to 4 shots as well as the subsequent return fire (?).
The first series was on the second while the second set was closer to two shots per second. They did appear to be coming from the park – to the NE of me. I probably should have called it in but based on the distance to shots and the number I expected a flurry of calls from people much better to describe what was going on to the police than I could. On one hand we should feel good that they are such bad shooters that in a one on one gun fight we would have a much better chance of surviving, but on the other those bullets go somewhere and do sometimes go into people walking behind the intended target or sitting in their homes.
If you live around the park do a quick perimeter walk of your house and see if you can spot any bullet holes. I am sure the police will be interested in the direction the shooters were firing. It is very possible they just fired into the air.
My backyard borders the north eastern part of the park where this all went down. I got home around 10:20 and saw some punks congregating around the bench at the pqrk and had a feeling they were up to no good. A few minutes later i hear some gunshots and run to the back window in time to see a mid 2000s black sedan and a silver, 2 door, suv jacked up on wheels with huge silver rims fleeig the scene. I also saw 3 kids running out the northeas corner of the park, one was fat wearing jean shorts. I really love this neighborhood and it makes me really pissed and sad at the same time that some idiots can screw things up for everyone. These kids probably think they are so tough too. Hopefully i never hear gunshots again in my neighborhood.
When you see people congregating at a bench in a park what makes you immediately call them punks? I’m curious how you can ascertain this so quickly. Not only did you label them as punks but you also had a feeling they were up to no good. What gave you that feeling?
They turned out to be punks, so what’s your point? If 29th house had seen those kids, and thought that, and nothing happened, we wouldn’t be reading about this now, would we?
You can’t defend the indefensible, and only an idiot goes looking for an insult.
What I said wasn’t meant to be an insult at all. But as you said, only an idiot goes looking for an insult. So I will just leave it at that.
My point was to understand how this resident can see young people and tell whether or not they are punks at first glance. I wanted to understand what made 29th house feel like that. I’m not sure why you felt so compelled to respond the way you did.
If you don’t see a community connection to our youth being constantly judged and their own sense of worth in this community then that is on you (and unfortunately the rest of us). I know you are not the only one, Grow up, to dismiss this connection because there are always terribly judgmental descriptives used in the comment section.
I’m not saying in any way the judgments that 29th house made were the cause of this particular incident. What I am saying is that there seems to be a culture of disdain for many of the youth in our community and that does not make things any better. That culture of disdain is historical and it is damaging. It is a contributing factor in some of the seemingly senseless acts we experience in this neighborhood. I’m sorry you don’t understand that.
“What I said wasn’t meant to be an insult at all. But as you said, only an idiot goes looking for an insult. So I will just leave it at that.
My point was to understand how this resident can see young people and tell whether or not they are punks at first glance. I wanted to understand what made 29th house feel like that. I’m not sure why you felt so compelled to respond the way you did.
If you don’t see a community connection to our youth being constantly judged and their own sense of worth in this community then that is on you (and unfortunately the rest of us). I know you are not the only one, Grow up, to dismiss this connection because there are always terribly judgmental descriptives used in the comment section.
I’m not saying in any way the judgments that 29th house made were the cause of this particular incident. What I am saying is that there seems to be a culture of disdain for many of the youth in our community and that does not make things any better. That culture of disdain is historical and it is damaging. It is a contributing factor in some of the seemingly senseless acts we experience in this neighborhood. I’m sorry you don’t understand that. “
PEOPLE LIKE 29TH HOUSE ARE SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN WITH NO KIDS.
I’m not sure what kind of people 29th house is. I think there are plenty of newcomers with young kids in the neighborhood. There are also single men and women without kids. And there are gay couples with and without kids. The neighborhood is different now. I get that. But the world has not magically changed. Things are still crazy in the world, especially for young black boys.
I just think many people assume they are better than others. And those people don’t tend to consider the privilege and advantages they may have had. They don’t seem to consider how they might impact kids who don’t belong to them. The world is not perfect and there are children growing up in less than perfect homes. These kids are here and they are not going anywhere. So we can sit around and blame their families or we can blame institutional racism or we can blame the police or we can blame each individual, etc. But what exactly will change when we do that? Nothing.
There were a few reasons I felt like they were punks up to no good, but mainly because they were dressed thuggishly, loitering in a park late at night looking over their shoulders constantly. Sorry if that is politically incorrect, but the look of these kids gave me that feeling. I was their age once and remember the things I would have been up to if I was a part of a group in a park after dark acting like they were. Anyways, if nothing happened, then whatever, who cares, but I think you should be a little more concerned at the fact that these kids just affirmed my suspicions.
Yeah, There are lots of kids out there who try and look weird, or dress thuggish or have tons of piercings, and a lot of them are great kids, so who cares what they look like, but seriously, I’ve seen tons of drug deals go down at this corner around this time of night from these same people, so yeah, maybe I thought they were just doing drugs, not about to shoot each other.
And Gotti, you know NOTHING about me, and I don’t see why you feel a need to defend people who pull out guns and shoot at each other in public parks. I don’t care what age they are or what they look like, if someone fires a gun in my neighborhood then they are a thug, a punk, and and idiot.
So we are not supposed to be judgmental of kids and gunshots? All that gets us is more dead kids. Why haven’t we figured that out yet?
Government can only do so much. The same is true of the schools. The kids need adult role models, and part of that entails – wait for it – being judgmental. Someone to step in when they’re being stupid, or lazy, or rude, or self-destructive. It’s part of socialization.
Otherwise, you’re doing the kids a disservice, and they get out in the cold hard world, which doesn’t give a damn about their feelings, or how they express themselves, and they fail.
Teens – whatever color – ARE punks sometimes. That’s part of growing up. But we need to be there for them, and that means sometimes holding them accountable and expecting better of them. I can’t think of a situation where this is needed more.
The kids were punks. Sometimes they’re easy to spot. Ask a cop.
About three quarters of the time I go by Powell Barnett Park, the top stairs are occupied by people openly smoking joints with kids in tow. Now, to be clear, I personally have no problem with smoking weed, but to do it in public with in a supposedly kid friend environment, with kids all around (including your own) is pretty “punk”.
Now, a better demonstration of “punk: Walk through the park and its periphery when folks have congregated into groups. Some are fine. Some are not. On the former– Some will nod hello. On the latter– some will seek to intimidate you, or make clear you shouldn’t pass anywhere near their “spot”. You observe them. You learn faces. You see which people openly disregard the family setting, throw their trash on the ground and consume and sell drugs. Those are the punks. If you don’t believe me, “grown mother of 2”, stop by with your kids around 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. You might discover not all kids are so innocent. You also might discover you don’t feel so safe and so supreme in your knowledge about everyone’s goodness at heart.
So you’re saying that 29th house was actually just being an adult role model when he/she assumed the kids were dressed “thuggishly” and were “punks”? Wait for it.
And are you also saying that all kids are just punks sometimes and they need more guidance? Are you saying that young people of color don’t experience racism? Wow. I’m glad you have it all figured out.
“Hi, cop?”
“Yes, random person?”
“Umm, were the kids punks?”
“Yes, random person, kids in the park- especially brown ones- are punks”
“And officer, are those punks easy to spot?”
“Yes, random person, they are easy to spot”
“Okay, thanks officer! Blackandtan (who I have a hunch is really whiteandpasty) told me to ask you. Thanks for clearing things up”
But for real, just try hanging around some more teenagers and I’m sure you’ll become more comfortable and less like a narrator on animal planet. I’d invite you over to hang out with some teenagers sometime but I’d be worried you might try to explain the delicate nuances of the word punk to everyone and wind up looking like just that.
If you are asking me for a play date at Barnett park between 7-8pm, I would have to decline. But not for safety reasons. I am not afraid of Barnett Park or the teenagers in it. I’m not afraid of the kids at the gas station, community center, or the teen life center. I’m not afraid of the kids at the basketball courts in Pratt and I’m not afraid of Quick Pack chicken or Flo Ware park. I love my neighborhood.
I know all kids are not innocent. That seems to be a reading comprehension issue on your part and not directly related to any statement I made. I don’t feel supreme but I do feel safe. And I have love for the kids in this neighborhood. I wish they felt as safe as I do.
I might not agree with your take on everything but I do appreciate your response. Thank you.
And I don’t think gotti is trying to defend anyone. I think gotti’s perspective is just extremely different than yours and others’ on this forum. That’s okay with me. I hope it’s okay with you too. :)
grown mother of 2 said: (who I have a hunch is really whiteandpasty)
Nice. Grown Racist Mother of 2, evidently. That’s just awesome.
Do you teach your kids that, Grown Mother?
Are you kidding me???? really…why is this about race…grown mohter of 2…get over that. when i called the cops, i said i heard gunshots, they said where, i said across the street…they said can you see anyone, i said yes, they said are they black or white, male or female…i said black, male. i also said i heard a bunch of cars take off and almost hit a car driving on mlk…
end of story…i saw poeple in the park and i thought…there are some people in the park…the park closes at night and when it did, i thought…they are still there…what are they doing…
i stole from nordstrom when i was 15 and i was in so much trouble, not because of the color of my skin, because i stole. i had to pay back nordstrom…(four times what i stole), take a bunch of theft classes, do community service, and now had a record unitl i was 18.
this isn’t about race, it’s about keeping our community safe…
Because I think the person that posts under the name blackandtan might really be white and pasty I’m racist? Huh? That’s just awesome.
I teach my kids to think critically about what people say and do. Does that make me racist? I teach my kids that their race does not predetermine who they are. My kids know that other people may try to predetermine who they are based on their race. Please feel free to call CPS on that terrible crime!
Your story about shoplifting from Nordstrom’s is really touching. Thanks for sharing. LOL. FYI I would assume if your caught for shoplifting and get in trouble it doesn’t have much to do with your race. Thanks for stating the obvious. But how about when you go shopping in Nordstrom’s now? Do they follow you around or treat you like you already are a shoplifter? Did you know they do that to lots of people. And did you know that those people are not white? Now, I would say that is about race. But that’s beside the point, right?
It seems that many people in this comment section have reading comprehension problems.
People sometimes hang out in the park at night. There are not always gun shots in that park. It is summertime and kids are in the park at night more. You were a thief as a child. Most white shoplifters are not called thugs. Most black kids sitting in the park are called thugs/punks/etc. Just the facts. Really though, this isn’t about race for me. It’s about certain attitudes towards our young neighbors and their friends. Unfortunately those attitudes are closely tied to race no matter how you try to deny or explain that fact away. Let me guess… you don’t see color when you interact with people and you also have black friends. LOL.
i brought up the nordstrom thing because teenagers will be teenagers…and all of us had to pay consequences for bad decisions…
AND…yes they do look at me when i go into nordstrom…yep…i have noticed it, many of times…lol!!! you don’t know me, what i look like, what race i am…do you? but you sure can assume a lot about me…wow…
I heard the gunshots and immediately flashed back to last fall. I’m sure we all did. I love this neighborhood. I think this is a really healthy argument you’re having here, too.
I particularly love your comments, Grown Mother of 2. Makes me proud to be raising my daughter here. Thank you for sharing your perspective and your wisdom with the neighborhood.
“So you’re saying that 29th house was actually just being an adult role model when he/she assumed the kids were dressed “thuggishly” and were “punks”? Wait for it.”
No. I was commenting on a situation where some young kids were hanging out in a place where gunfire erupted. Why can’t you see the problem there? Do you think it’s a good idea for kids to be out alone at night with no supervision? Do you think youth violence is just an figment of the imagination?
“And are you also saying that all kids are just punks sometimes and they need more guidance?”
Yes.
“Are you saying that young people of color don’t experience racism?”
No, of course not. That’s ridiculous, and the sort of assumption that cheapens what needs to be a civilized conversation. What kids don’t need is people using a very real problem – racism – as an excuse for bad behavior or for putting themselves in bad or dangerous situations. They need someone in their lives to have expectations of them, not just tell them that nothing is their fault and they can never change their lot in life because that’s just the way things are.
“Wow. I’m glad you have it all figured out.”
I don’t have it all figured out – nobody does, especially when it comes to teenagers.
Btw, BlackandTan is a drink, a good one at that! Nothing to do with race like the white and pasty comment.
Thank you Grown Mother of 2.