The man killed in an early Sunday shooting outside a Sodo nightclub has been identified as Desmond Jackson of the Central District, the Seattle Times reports. Jackson was one of two people shot in the incident, which started as a large fight around 3:30 a.m. The other person injured, not yet identified, is reportedly in critical condition.

Friends and family held a memorial vigil for Jackson Monday evening at the corner of 20th and Marion. He was 22.

From the Times:

A relative of the slain man identified him as Desmond Jackson, of the Central Area. Jackson, the eldest of three siblings, attended Garfield High School and most recently was taking courses at Seattle Central Community College, said his great-aunt, Gazelle Williams.

Seattle police homicide detectives and gang officers are investigating. No arrests have been made.

The Common Language Project and the CD-based film studio The Last Quest are working to finish a documentary about an Iraqi immigrant living in a Seattle suburb who got caught up in the war on terror and was deported.

To finish the film, they have Kickstarter campaign running that they hope will raise the $8,400 they need for post-production and animation.

The Last Quest were profiled in CDNews in September. They are housed in the 2522 E Cherry building, which joined the Second Saturday Art Walk on Cherry Street last year. They screened some short films and even held scratch-film animation workshops.

From the filmmakers:

Sam “Barzan” Malkandi, an Iraqi immigrant to the US and beloved family man, was working toward his piece of the American Dream in a Seattle suburb. But a footnote in the 9/11 Commission Report, connecting him to a high-level Al-Qaeda operative through his childhood nickname, changed everything. Five years of detention and multiple appeals later, Malkandi was deported back to Iraq–leaving behind a wife and two children.

Seattle-based journalists and filmmakers have teamed up to tell Malkandi’s story in a feature film titled Barzan. The team has turned to Kickstarter.com to help raise the post-production funds needed to complete their film.

Last year Barzan Director Alex Stonehill and Producer Sarah Stuteville traveled to Iraq and conducted a series of interviews with Malkandi. About his time in Iraq Stonehill says, “We met [Malkandi’s] family and roamed the city of his childhood. But there were so many questions that went unanswered, with each day that passed the story got deeper.”

Upon returning to Seattle, Stuteville and Stonehill, co-founders of the multimedia journalism nonprofit the Common Language Project, joined forces with the Last Quest, a local production company, to turn their reporting into a feature length documentary.

Barzan explores the controversial issues of immigration, xenophobia and the price of security in the 21st century.  This film is an epic geopolitical journey from the front lines of the Iran-Iraq War to the refugee camps of Pakistan and finally into the opaque government agencies charged with keeping us safe, even at the cost of freedom.

Haven’t seen her since yesterday afternoon.  No collar – she just finds a way to take it off.  Micro-chipped.  Anybody seen her today?  She lives on 22nd Ave between Union and Marion.

update:  she had snuck into the shed yesterday… which was locked.  Crisis averted.  Thank you.

Goodwill will break ground on their new building at Rainier and Dearborn Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. The three-story building will house education programs as well as administrative offices for the Seattle Goodwill Headquarters.

Plans for the new building developed after plans for a large, mixed-use redevelopment of the Goodwill site on Dearborn fell through for financial reasons three years ago, prolonging the company’s search for a way to house their training program and administrative staff. Leaving the door open for future redevelopment of the space, Seattle Goodwill tore down three vacant buildings on the lot to make room for the new 49,562 square-foot.

From Seattle Goodwill:

WHAT:  Celebrate the ground breaking of Goodwill’s new Job Training & Education Center and Administrative Support Building. 

WHEN:  Wednesday, February 15 at 9:30 a.m.

 

WHERE:  1400 South Lane Street in Seattle

WHO:  Speakers will include Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Seattle Goodwill CEO Ken Colling  and Seattle Goodwill Board Chair Wayne Lau. Community partners and staff will attend.

 

DETAILS:

This 3 story 49,562 square foot building will house a new Job Training and Education Center and our Administrative Support Services.

Job Training and Education (JTE) classroom space will increase by 20% and JTE staff capacity will double.  Together, these improvements will allow us to serve more individuals with our free job training & education programs.   Last year, the Seattle location served over 900 people.

The building is designed by Mithun and Foushée & Associates Inc.  is the general contractor for the project

Goodwill’s existing training center, store and donation center will remain open during construction of this project.

Occupancy is scheduled for April 2013.

When a thief stole a bicycle from one Judkins Park home, it’s doubtful he knew he was caught on camera. The couple had previously installed a security camera after too many car break-ins, and they posted images of the thief right here on Central District News.

Well, a few days later, they spotted the bike on Craigslist and told the police. They arranged to meet the seller (obviously not a CDNews reader) at 12th and Jackson, where the 17-year-old suspect was arrested. The bike was returned.

From SPD:

On February 5th, a victim reported that  his expensive bicycle had been stolen from his residence in the 1100 Block of 21 Avenue South.  The victim informed the officer that images of the suspect were captured on the victim’s security camera and those images were turned over to the officer. 

On February 11th, the victim contacted officers again after seeing an online post offering to sell his stolen bicycle.  The victim knew it was his bike because the post included photos of the bike.  The victim replied to the ad and arranged to meet the seller at 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street.  Officers coordinated with the victim in an attempt to recover his stolen property and arrest the suspect.

The suspect arrived with the stolen bicycle and was taken into custody by officers without incident.  The suspect is 17 years old.  The bicylce was recovered and returned to the owner after it was verified that it was the stolen bicycle.  East Precinct detectives will handle the follow up investigation.

Treneicia Gardner. Photo: MIKE SIEGEL / THE SEATTLE TIMES. Used with permission.

A growing number of studies are showing a link between teacher diversity and minority student performance. Yet the demographics of teachers at Seattle Public Schools is lagging far behind the demographics of the student bodies. Though only 43 percent of students at SPS are white, 79 percent of teachers are white.

To illustrate the story, the Seattle Times’ Brian Rosenthal observes a classroom at Leschi Elementary. The class’s teacher, Treneicia Gardner, was helped by a scholarship from the [Edgar] Martinez Foundation, which is focused on increasing teacher diversity:

Treneicia Gardner is counting down from five, signaling her kindergarten and first-grade students to hurry to the classroom rug for a math lesson.

Most have no problem making it. The only holdup is a line of kids hoping to grab a quick hug before bounding to their spots.

It’s a blend of control and connection even the most experienced educator might envy, and Gardner is a first-year teacher at a diverse, high-poverty school.

---

To be sure, her effectiveness stems from contagious energy, creative lesson planning and superhuman patience. But the 28-year-old says she has an extra advantage: Gardner, like many of her students, is African American.

“Absolutely, I feel like it makes a difference,” she said, reflecting at lunchtime on a recent school day at Seattle’s Leschi Elementary. “As a minority woman, things that I have experienced in my life are the same things they’re dealing with. It brings our relationship closer … It increases their comfort level and their confidence.”

Read more…

Voices Rising presents Vancouver, BC artist Berend McKenzie, performing an excerpt from his one-person show “nggrfg” at Washington Hall Friday (for more on the show, check out an interview with McKenzie in This Magazine).

Voices Rising is a series of performances by LGTBQ performers of color. The show is $10-25 sliding scale. Queer youth get in free.

From Voices Rising:

Date: Friday, February 10, 2012
Time: 8 pm, doors at 7 pm
Location: Main Hall – Washington Hall
Description:
Acclaimed actor/playwright/producer Berend McKenzie brings excerpts of his award winning one man show “nggrfgt” to Voices Rising!

(nggrfg: Bravery and Heart, Uniting Us One Audience At a Time.)

Hosted by the fabulous artist/writer/performer/activist Stephany Koch-Hazelrigg.

Tix:$10-25. sliding scale.

Free Admission for Queer Youth!

Casa Latina breaks ground today on a new building that will greatly expand their current space at 17th and Jackson. Mayor McGinn will be at the 11 a.m. ceremony to say a few words to mark the beginning of work on the three-story, 6,000 square foot building.

The building will help house the organization’s growing programs, focused on training and finding work for Latino day laborers. It will have retail and a kitchen on the ground level, and the organization plans to house a new labor hall, classrooms and offices in the rest of the space.

From Casa Latina:

Casa Latina will break ground on a new 6,000 sq ft building that will complete its existing campus on South Jackson St. on Thursday, February 9, 2012.  The community is invited to attend the celebration, which begins at 11 am. 

Casa Latina, a Seattle-based non-profit organization that works to educate and assist Latino day laborers,  is expanding its campus to meet the growing needs of the workers who receive job skills and safety training and job dispatch services.  Phase I was completed in 2009, when Casa Latina’s programs moved from its trailer and temporary shelters to its current facility.  Since that time, Casa Latina has added additional programs, become more visible in the community and grown in efficiency. This second Phase of the project will maximize flexibility for programming and establish a community gathering space that reflects Latino culture.

 

“We envision a lively cultural center where Latinos and other community members will come together to celebrate and strengthen social networks,” says Hilary Stern, Founding Executive Director of Casa Latina.  “Creating a sense of home and belonging is the foundation of Casa Latina.”

 

The new three story structure will have offices, classrooms, a new labor hall, and retail space and a kitchen in the lower level. The exterior will feature a space for artwork, a small plaza and a stairclimb. It is envisioned as a welcoming new home for Casa Latina and a great addition to the neighborhood.  The design includes many sustainable features including natural ventilation, raingardens and extensive use of recycled and reclaimed materials.  The building was designed by Johnston Architects and Anderson Construction Company is the general contractor.

 

“We are amazed and grateful for the outpouring of community support that has brought us to this moment,” says Stern. “With the investment of our current and future supporters, we are weathering the economic storm and moving forward on this very necessary project that will benefit not only Casa Latina’s workers, but the entire community.”

  

Date: Thursday, February 9, 2012

Time: 11:00 am

Location: Casa Latina, 317 17th Ave. S. Seattle, 98144

Queen Underwood hasn’t graced the front page of CDNews since the Cappy’s-based Queen Team training team called it quits in July citing a lack of funds. But she has not been simply sitting on the couch eating potato chips. The Garfield High grad has been training and fighting, working hard to stay on track to be the first ever women’s boxing Olympic Gold Medalist this summer.

From Seattle Met:

ON AUGUST 13, 2009, QUEEN UNDERWOOD was working as a sprinkler fitter in Seattle when she got the news that women’s boxing would be a medal sport at the 2012 Olympics. She called everyone in her cellphone, and work went out the window. Underwood has been training as an amateur fighter for 10 years, and this summer the 27-year-old Seattle native is the odds-on favorite to bring home gold for the U.S. in the 132-pound weight class. First she’ll have to fight through the Olympic trials in Spokane this February, but no one, including Underwood, is worried about that. This is, after all, a fighter whose motto is “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

Read more…

A robber allegedly followed a woman into her apartment building near 14th and Yesler February 3 and attacked her, according to the police report.

After sneaking in the door before it could latch, the suspect allegedly knocked her over the head, then kicked her on the ground. When she ran and tried to get attention, he attempted to stab her, but missed. The knife wedged between her arm and her rib cage instead.

He then grabbed her wallet off the floor and ran.

A patrolling officer spotted the suspect and followed him to his home. The suspect was placed under arrest.

From the police report: