If there was one lesson at last night’s EPCPC meeting, it’s that it can get results. It’s the one opportunity neighbors have to talk directly to police leadership, telling them where resources should be applied.

A big crowd attended last month and people made specific reports about crime problems in their part of the neighborhood. This month several of them returned and reported positive progress:

• 14th & Remington – Described by a resident as “little Beirut” last month, he said he is now “extremely impressed” with SPD’s efforts, and that it’s now a much quieter area thanks to the help of SPD and Seattle U
• 12th & Jackson – A resident there who was having problems with the Operation Nightwatch homeless services says that things are now much better due to the Community Police Team’s assistance
• 22nd & Union – Issues with illegal parking for users of the gym there have been getting more attention from Parking Enforcement, reducing the impact

So if you’ve got issues around you, make time to go next month and tell SPD what’s going on.

Here’s the other news from the meeting:

• Burglaries are getting better, with several major offenders arrested and now in jail. SPD has been working with prosecutors and judges to highlight specific cases and try to reduce the catch/release cycle of repeat offenders
• No arrests or additional information on the roving band of muggers/assaulters/property-destroyers
• On the 24th & Yesler rape from earlier in the year, the sketch is out there, but no arrests have been made
• There was a good presentation from a member of SPD’s Crisis Intervention Team which is trained to handle and defuse incidents that involve mental illness. The big takeaway: if you’ve got an issue with someone who needs mental health assistance, make that clear when you’re calling 911 or otherwise engaging police, and they can request a CIT trained officer to help out
• Drug activity is up around 21st & Union, after having gone away for a while thanks to the Drug Market Initiative
• Nickelsville is viewed by a resident as a positive addition to 25th & King, as they’re going out on regular patrols for trash and helping to keep eyes on the street. Other neighbors are encouraged to stop by and get to know them better.
• We’re still sharing Crime Prevention Coordinators from 3 other precincts. They can help you set up blockwatches or meet with residents about how to prevent crime. See the East Precinct website for contact information

In a conversation with CDNews, Reverend Jeffrey, pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, re-iterated his invitation for neighbors and other community members to get directly involved with his project to provide transitional housing for felons in a home in the 100 block of 22nd. But while he invited cooperation, he also made it clear that he intends to go forward with it even if some neighbors continue to object.

Jeffrey talks passionately about the need for the house. State budget cuts are increasing the number of people who will be released from prison this year, at a time when existing halfway houses and other transition facilities are already short of beds. Without a place to stay, some will be kept behind bars past their early release date. Others could be released anyway, left to fend for themselves in situations where they lack a support structure.

The program got its start from Jeffrey’s talks with Revered Jimmie James, who runs Interactive Transition, an established transitional residential facility at 16th and Spring. He has many files of prisoners who have been qualified for transitional housing, but all of his beds are full and he doesn’t have any place to put them. According to James, these facilities are in the best interest of the community, saying “it’s better for someone to have a place to stay than to be on the street. These programs increase community safety.  When you have a centralized community, when you know where people are, those people are far less likely to commit a crime.”

Reverend Jeffrey cites the participation of James’ IT House as a big plus for the project, as they will be directly involved in helping to select participants and provide the knowledge and a management structure to implement it.

But further questions continue to be raised about the project. We also spoke with Jim Tharpe, who runs a similar facility in Leschi that houses about six men at any one time. He said that there’s a lot of challenges to running these types of programs, such as managing a slow rate of churn among residents and making sure you have strong management and leadership within the house. And he says that recent decisions in the state legislature are not helping, as a proposal to change the landlord/tenant laws did not make it through to become law this year. That means that it could be very difficult for the proposed project to be managed, as misbehaving participants couldn’t be kicked out without going through the standard eviction process. “In the landlord tenant act, it says you can not go on the property if the tenants say they don’t want you there. If they choose not to be mentored or monitored, there’s nothing you can do.”

And while the overall effect on the community may be positive, it’s hard for neighbors right next to the project to see a benefit for them personally. Worries expressed at the meeting last week ranged from safety to the impact on property values. We asked Reverend Jeffrey if he would have similar concerns if someone set up a similar facility next to his home. He said he’s thought about that a lot, and decided that he would “go ask what can I do to make this better. How can I work with you to make this work?” And he said that anyone is welcome to come be a part of the project and join in the steering committee that will select which felons are invited to stay at the residence.

Jeffrey also made it clear that he was upset at the tone expressed at the previous meeting and in negative comments left on our news story about it. “We have to stop yelling a each other. The only reason there’s fear is because people don’t know what’s really going on in their neighborhood. People need to know what the facts are. But we’re not going to be intimidated by anyone. We’re going to serve our mission.”

The next meeting on the topic is this coming Monday at 7pm. As was agreed in the last meeting, Reverend Jeffrey gave us the documents that outline the management structure of the house, and those are linked above in this story.

We’re also told that Department of Corrections staff will be on hand at tonight’s East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition to provide more information on this topic.

Shep/Rot mix (my best guess), maybe a little pit. Orange-brown coat. Older male. No collar. Not neutered. Slower/older with a walk that looked achy….

I tried to get him to come to me but he postured a little and ambled away, so I didn’t force the issue.. Headed east towards Frink Park.

It’s already the last Thursday in February. Here’s the scoop from Seattle’s East Precinct:

Via an email forwarded from our deep-throat source inside Seattle U:

At approximately 3 AM, Thursday, February 25th a student reported to SU Department of Public Safety a simple assault incident, in which a suspect was arrested by SPD officers.  The student reported he had parked his vehicle on the east side of 12th avenue, mid-block between E. Spring and E. Marion around 11:25 PM. The student described three males, in their early 20’s, walking south bound, were yelling among themselves. The three males then approached the student and one suddenly struck him on the head and all three ran away. Seattle Police responded and searched the area. A suspect was identified and taken into custody at 14th & E. Jefferson. SU Department of Public Safety is reporting this information in order to inform members of our community of concerns that may impact the safety and well-being of our campus. 

A good lesson here: the quicker you call 911 after witnessing or being victim of a crime, the better chance that the perp will be picked up.

Hello Neighbors,

My name is Brian Jones and I wanted to say an official “hello” to the rest of my neighbors whom I haven’t met yet. I am the new President of Garfield Community and with the help from Marcia Scheckler (the newly elected Secretary, and former President) we have set up an ambitious agenda for this year, which is continuing to be refined.

The first thing I would like to do is call a meeting of all the Block Watch Captains to assess our block watch situation. In the recent months of criminal activity this must be a priority. We need to establish a way of communicating and strengthening our structure, so that we can create a crime free neighborhood. It truly takes the participation of the whole neighborhood on some level to maintain safety.

The meeting will take place two weeks from today at 6pm on March 10th. The address is 119 24th Avenue, Brook Stanford’s. Please contact me with any questions/concerns/comments at [email protected].

Thank you all for your time and cannot wait to meet you and get to work! Take care.

Brian

Hidmo Community Empowerment Project, Reclaim the Media and the Northwest Media Action Grassroots Network present Let’s Get Connected: Internet and Social Justice in Central and South Seattle, a community forum on winning better, faster, and more affordable Internet access in the historically underserved neighborhoods of the Central District and Beacon Hill. The event takes place Weds. March 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Garfield Community Center on 2323 E. Cherry Street, Seattle.

Mayor Mike McGinn was elected in part based on his proposal to connect all Seattle homes and businesses with next-generation fiber-optic Internet service–providing affordability, customer choice, and speeds many times faster than what is currently available to many in Seattle’s underserved neighborhoods of the Central District and Beacon Hill. Between the FCC’s recent call for gigabit-speed Internet, Google’s announcement of fiber-broadband test projects, and Federal broadband stimulus funds, it appears that 2010 could be a big year for Internet access in the US. How will the changes be felt in Seattle?

Participants in the March 3 “Let’s Get Connected” event will be invited to share their own experiences with local Internet access, while community media producers document their stories on audio and video. Featured guest speakers will discuss the history of telecommunications access in central and South Seattle, present-day challenges for fair, affordable access, and ways the City can respond to public outcry for digital justice.

“The neighborhoods of Central and South Seattle have been sidelined in technology access for too long,” said Reclaim the Media director Jonathan Lawson. “Achieving real digital justice means that everyone, regardless of income or zip code, should have equal opportunities to connect, create and innovate, through networks that provide affordability, universal access and gigabit speed.”

Let’s Get Connected is the sixth in a series of community forums sponsored by the Hidmo Community Empowerment Project; it is also the first in a series of public forums on broadband Reclaim the Media plans as part of its Seattle Digital Justice campaign. The forum intends to bring together a variety of community members and civic leaders for productive discussions on an issue of present importance.

Child care and refreshments will be available (please make childcare reservations by Feb 25).

This event is sponsored by the Hidmo Community Empowerment Project, Reclaim the Media, the Seattle Digital Justice Coalition and the NW Media Action Grassroots Network (MAG-Net), with support from the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and Seattle Parks and Recreation. More info: [email protected] or 206.328.7088.

Rey Alberto Davis-Bell was found guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder for the 2008 murder of Degene “Safie” Dashasa at the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Shop at 23rd and Union. The decision came just two days of deliberations.

He now faces a sentence of at least one hundred years in prison. This was not a capital murder case, so the death penalty is not an option. Sentencing will come in a separate hearing in a few weeks.

Dashasa’s cousin told us after the verdict that she was glad justice was done, and that she hoped he would have many years to sit in jail and consider his actions.

Davis-Bell’s attorney, Peter Geisness, said he disagreed with the jury but respected their decision. In particular, he thought that they didn’t properly consider defense evidence of video footage and witness estimates that showed an average-height suspect, ruling out Davis-Bell based on his short stature.

Davis-Bell’s Grandmother and Aunt were present in the courtroom as the verdict was read, and left the courtroom in tears after their relative was led out to the hallway in handcuffs.

Update: More from our friends at The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011177595_c

On Thursday, February 25th, at 7:00 P.M.,  at 824 12th Avenue there will be an opportunity to hear from and talk to Ethan Melone of the Seattle Department of Transportation about the First Hill Streetcar which will connect the Capitol Hill light rail station and the Union Station (5th/Jackson) light rail station.  Many have advocated for a route that includes 12th Avenue and early studies published by SDOT indicate a couplet (northbound on Broadway and southbound on 12th Ave.) is comparable in cost and ridership potential to another possible route — two-way on Broadway.

Some have questioned the impact on potential ridership numbers if two of the streetcar route’s northbound and southbound stops are separated by as much as three blocks — the distance between 12th and Broadway.  It’s feared that casual users will be discouraged from becoming riders by the separation.  Also, there is concern that those whose destination or place of origin is one of the two separated stops (these would be the stops on Broadway or12th at about Alder and Marion) would be discouraged from using the streetcar by the additional time that would be required if their travel goal is in the opposite direction from the direction of the streetcar on their street.  (That is, for example, if you were at Broadway and Marion and wanted to go to the Internation District on the streetcar, a couplet would require you to either take the streetcar northbound and stay on while it reversed its route southbound on 12th, or to walk to the stop at 12th and Marion.)  Come to the meeting and talk more about the pros and cons of the different streetcar route alternatives.

Also, Capitol Hill Community Council will present its impressive vision and plan for a “complete” street on Broadway north of E. Union Street to accommodate the streetcar.

And, there will be discussions about a proposed woonerf for E.James Ct. next to the park to be developed at James Ct. and 12th Ave.

Finally, the Parks Department will soon be looking for land to buy for another new park to serve the neighborhood.  Where should they look?  Which parts of the neighborhood are most in need of a park, or where are the best opportunities for acquisition?  Some possible ideas will be discussed, and your ideas are needed.

We got an email tip from reader EB who let us know that Mountain Flow Yoga is preparing to move from their current Madison Valley location to a new spot on Spring Street in Madrona, just up the block from Verite Coffee.

They plan to be all moved in by March 1st. Check out their class schedule to see if it fits in to your Madrona-based fitness life.