Capitol Hill Seattle reports that Seattle Cross, the medical marijuana co-op at 24th and Madison, was hit in a recent wave of federal raids on marijuana dispensaries in western Washington.

The Stranger offered this account of what happened there on Tuesday:

He told me that he heard the DEA agents announce they had a warrant, and then saw them carrying out large desktop computers and big plastic garbage bags full of marijuana. Then, he said, “they drove off in a quasi-caravan, and that was it.” (Another observer told me he read the warrant, and that it was very broadly written. This observer also said the DEA agents pulled carefully cultivated marijuana plants, intentionally separated by strain, out of their pots and threw them haphazardly into the garbage bags.)

In joint statements released by the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Justice, federal authorities didn’t name the dispensaries or the suspects but enumerated the transgressions behind the busts:

As set forth in the search warrant affidavits unsealed by the U.S. District Court today, these businesses attracted the attention of federal law enforcement for a number of reasons: their failure to abide by state medical marijuana guidelines; indications that they were distributing large amounts of drugs; and evidence they were laundering large amounts of money. Some of these marijuana stores were the subject of complaints from their surrounding communities as well as medical marijuana supporters, concerned about businesses operating outside the letter and spirit of state law. One operator was arrested this morning for violating the court ordered terms of his federal supervised release for a prior federal conviction. 

This spring, James Lucas, an owner of Tacoma Cross, told CHS he was bringing his co-op to Seattle to provide a service. “We try to keep the medicine high quality and affordable,” Lucas said. “I’m hearing prices of $400 an ounce. We’re going to come up there and try to help people out.”

Lucas said his dispensary system utilizes an identification card that also works like a membership rewards program. At the time, he said Tacoma Cross currently had about 3,500 members.

Eight people connected to Tacoma Cross were charged with felonies in 2010 after seven of their homes were raided. In the end, five people pleaded guilty to lesser misdemeanor charges and were let off without suspended or deferred jail sentences.

The Seattle Times reports that the federal legal paperwork details one alleged major transaction involving Seattle Cross ownership:

A search-warrant affidavit for those locations — and for homes where marijuana was being grown — accused both dispensaries of drug dealing and money laundering.

In federal court documents accompanying the search warrants, officers described a confidential informant buying 5 pounds of marijuana for $11,000 from the Seattle Cannabis Co-op.

The co-owner of Seattle Cross, according to an affidavit, posted a photo on his Facebook page showing three duffel bags of cash and a caption, “This gonna take all night to count … lol.”

Deposits in the Seattle Cross bank account totaled $850,979 in a year.

The legal environment around the city’s medical marijuana providers, already murky following the governor’s veto of a bill regulating dispensaries this spring, is now further clouded. Most providers continued to operate even as federal efforts to stamp out the industry increased in other states.

UPDATE: You can listen to an archive of the conversation online via Hollow Earth Radio.

Central Sounds is pulling together voices from around the Central District for a discussion on the recent Horace Mann occupation and the closure of Thompson’s Point of View (and pending opening of The Neighbor Lady). Guests confirmed so far include Wyking Garrett of Umojafest PEACE Center, Sakara Remmu of the Sable Verity blog and Jason Davison of Cortona Cafe.

The discussion will be broadcast online at Hollow Earth Radio, which is based out of a studio at 21st and Union. Central Sounds, a weekly show on the station, begins at 9 p.m. The discussion should get under way around 10.

From Rich Jensen, one of the show’s hosts:

We will be hosting a conversation about changes in the CD including the closure of Thompson’s Point of View and the controversy around the use of the Horace Mann Bldg.

We have confirmed participation from Wyking Garrett of Umjoa Peace House and Sakara Remmu of the Sable Verity blog. We have also reached out to Work it Out and others with informed perspectives to bring and hope to have their participation tonight.

Central Sounds runs every wednesday from 9 – 11 pm and focuses on the unique cultural legacy and social concerns of Seattle’s Central District and its connections to communities throughout the region and beyond.

We’ll kick off tonight’s discussion at 10pm.  Folks can tune in to HollowEarthRadio.org via the web and listen at http://bit.ly/LISTENtoHER.

Seattle Police have arrested a 20-year-old man they suspect was involved in a November 6 shooting at MLK and Dearborn (see our previous story).

The victim of that shooting, which happened shortly before midnight, was dropped off at the Swedish Cherry Hill ER shortly afterwards in significant pain. His injuries were not life-threatening.

One witness was walking near the intersection when she heard what she thought were firecrackers across the street, according to the police report. When she turned to look, she saw a man with a long-barreled black handgun firing at someone on the sidewalk who was attempting to dodge the bullets. The suspect then fled the scene in a black or green Ford Crown Victoria.

From SPD:

On the evening of November 15th officers arrested a 20-year-old male suspect who was wanted for a shooting that occurred near MLK Jr. Way South and South Dearborn Street on November 6th, 2011.  In that incident the victim was shot at least once in the torso and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 

The suspect was taken into custody in Seattle and subsequently transported to the Seattle Police Homicide Unit.  Upon completion of their interview detectives will be booking the suspect into the King County Jail for Investigation of Assault.

This remains an active and on-going Homicide/Assault Unit investigation.

The Second Saturday Art Walk on Cherry St wrapped up its final walk of the winter over the weekend. The tour of the quickly-growing Cherry Street arts district will pick back up in March.

From the CD Art Walk on Twitter:

Transit Riders Union inaugural meeting tonight

A reminder that the Seattle Transit Riders Union is officially launching tonight, 6 p.m. November 15 at the 2100 Building (24th Ave and S Hill St). From out previous post:

With huge cuts to King County Metro service narrowly avoided just months ago, more transit funding on the ballot due Tuesday and some major route changes on the horizon, transit is almost always a major topic on people’s minds and an important part of their lives.

Now, a group of people who say they are focused on expanding transit for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds is forming a democratic group to add another voice to the city’s transit conversation.

The Seattle Transit Riders Union will officially launch with a forum at 6 p.m. November 15 at the 2100 Building (2100 24th Ave S). James Bible, President of the Seattle Martin Luther King County branch of the NAACP, will speak at the event.

They also have a survey you can take online.

What does a 19th Century Russian writer know about contemporary American office culture? A lot, apparently.

Pony World‘s production of new work “Suffering, Inc” wraps up its run at Washington Hall this week, with a final three performances Novemeber 17-19. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online.

The production attempts to take Anton Chekhov’s works, full of “heartache, dissatisfaction, bitterness, and money troubles,” and put them inside a cubicle.

From The Seattle Times’ Misha Berson:

The piece raids Chekhov’s oeuvre to cobble together a script with lines of dialogue from seven of his one-act and full-length plays.

Imagine a sharp episode of “The Office” — if that sly sitcom were a live-theater piece blending loony sight gags and spasms of inspired physical comedy with poetic reveries of existential angst.

Performed in a multipurpose space in Washington Hall — outfitted with metal desks, swivel chairs and gooseneck lamps — “Suffering, Inc.” plunks you into the shabby offices of New Life Capital, a low-rent firm that (you assume) has seen better days.

You observe a week in the life of this failing institution, starting with an (overextended) Monday intro to the demoralized employees toiling under their barking, flustered CEO, Alexander (Martin Dinn).

The CD’s own Miss Cline Press is offering half-off on letterpress items until December 12.

All you have to do is make an order on the Miss Cline Press Etsy store and enter the coupon code TRULYYOURS50.

And if you stop by the studio at Central Space (Cherry St just east of 23rd) to pick up your order, they will refund your shipping costs.

Because holiday cards are not boring gifts if they are hand-crafted in the neighborhood.

A man was shot in the groin after an altercation at MLK and Dearborn shortly before midnight noon November 6, according to the police report.

The suspect fled in a black or green Ford Crown Victoria with a spotlight. He was described as a black male, 5’10” to 6’1″ wearing all black with shoulder-length dread locks.

Police originally responded to reports of shots fired in the area, but did not locate any victims or suspects. Swedish Cherry Hill ER then alerted police that a gunshot victim had been dropped off at the emergency room by a car that then left the area. The victim then walked himself into the hospital ER.

The victim had a gunshot to his right upper groin and was in significant pain. He gave a brief description of the suspect and suspect vehicle, but was unable to continue do to pain. He was eventually transported to Harborview.

A witness was able to provide a few more details, though the police report does not note a motive for the shooting.

From the police report:

A possible match on the suspect vehicle came back registered to a Squire Park home, though it was not confirmed as related to the incident. Police also noted that another person with a gunshot wound showed up to Swedish First Hill around the same time, though it was unclear if the two incidents are related.

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I’ve called Broadstripe twice about how our already bad service has gotten worse as of late.  The first person said they are doing “upgrades for our area” and the service will be like this for 4 to 6 weeks.  The next person I called said nothing about upgrades, just that they know about the problem and gave the estimate 8 to 10 weeks to fix it. I know it’s hard to imagine Broadstripe setting the bar any lower for internet service but is anyone else experiencing any (worse than normal) problems with their internet? 

With a farm in Duvall and market stands in the Central District, Clean Greens works to provide fresh, healthy produce to people in the neighborhood. Now, the organization is working to retrofit a house across the street from their home base at New Hope Baptist Church on 21st Ave just north of Yesler.

The G.R.E.A.N. (Growing and Retrofitting Eco-friendly Agricultural Neighborhoods) House will have a commercial kitchen to serve as place where community members can learn about food justice and learn hands-on how to prepare healthy food.

With the help of community members, Clean Greens grows vegetables in Duvall and sells them in the Central District at market stands and as weekly CSA boxes. (I spent several Saturdays biking their CSA’s to various homes around the CD, First Hill and Capitol Hill as a member of Fork + Frame. It was a blast.)

Despite the farm already having financial woes, The Reverend Robert Jeffrey, Executive Director of Clean Greens, said now is the time to start work on the G.R.E.A.N. House.

“In this time, we almost have to do everything at the same time,” he told attendees at the organization’s annual Harvest Dinner in early November. “We can’t wait.”

The house is currently being rehabbed into an energy-efficient space, and Clean Greens hopes to someday open a solar-powered community cafe inside, and the kitchen would be a learning opportunity for community members looking to get experience in a commercial kitchen. The house will also be a community space for things like open mic and jazz nights as well as holding support groups for families in crisis, the Rev. Jeffrey said.

The G.R.E.A.N. House, during the first stages of rehab this summer

Plans for the future G.R.E.A.N. House, including a rooftop solar array

However, the project has encountered funding issues. At the annual Clean Greens Harvest Dinner celebrating the end of the growing and market season, organizers announced a capital campaign to raise money for the project. They are also looking for donations of commercial kitchenware like large refrigerators and freezers.

People interested in donating to the project can call Clean Greens at 206.323.0534 or email [email protected].

From the Clean Greens blog:

Why is this important?

            While maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important for all people, critical health issues exist specifically among the African-American community, and especially in lower-income, urban spaces.  Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and more run rampant amongst the inner-city.  Ironically, it is these same communities that witness aggressive advertising from fast food corporations on a regular basis.  Too often, the convenience, cost, and accessibility of these companies compete with and beat out the healthier option of natural, self-prepared meals.  The G.R.E.A.N. House intends to combat this issue by eventually developing a café that will serve salads, sandwiches, and other meal products at reasonable prices prepared by participants who have been trained to cook with natural ingredients.  As a result, we will make healthier meals convenient and affordable, which will assist in inspiring the community to make health a priority.

What are the other benefits to the G.R.E.A.N. House?

Community Collaboration           

            Not to be forgotten are the benefits of learning as a community.  Perhaps the most significant theme of the G.R.E.A.N. House is its intent to encourage community productivity.  By providing a space with resources, instructors, and active community participation, urban community members will experience the rich value of interacting with one another, collaborating, and enjoying the rewards of working together.  The G.R.E.A.N. House will be a facility that is truly dependent upon teamwork.

Youth Learn Valuable Skills

            Sustainable living is more than just a contemporary trend.  It is a priority in our efforts to preserve the earth and our selves.  In addition to training on agricultural practices and preparing natural foods, the G.R.E.A.N. House will also provide technical classes on retrofitting homes.  Such knowledge will serve youth well, as it is becoming the interest of many large companies and homeowners to create and sustain a more eco-friendly living environment.

How can you help?

            To bring our vision of the G.R.E.A.N. House into fruition, we are in need of commercial kitchenware such as large refrigerators, freezers, storage, etc.  Of course, donations are always helpful as well.  We are calling upon friends and sponsors to help us create a space that will foster healthy, productive, and self-efficient communities.