The beat from the streets of Seattle’s East Precinct, at the halfway point of summer, 2009:

Register to vote!
July 18 is the deadline for registering online
http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/registration.aspx
Or you can register up until Monday, August 3 in person at the King County
Elections Office. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/directions.aspx

Online registering is much easier than in person.

Notes: 1) Want to follow the links? Download the PDF version and paste them into your browser.

2) if you miss the School Board on the 20th, they will will be part of the Monday, July 27th Central Area and Capitol Hill Candidate Forum at Mt. Zion.

District 5 SPS School Board Candidate Forum

When: Monday, July 20 from 7 – 8:30pm
Where: Garfield Community Center
2323 East Cherry Street, corner of 23rd

Why: Of the 11 Central Cluster schools, seven experienced closure and/or program movement. Parents are concerned about the impact on their schools next year, as well as district-wide policies around a new student assignment plan, curriculum adoption and alignment, equitable program access, teacher effectiveness/quality teacher retention, and genuine communication and partnership with Seattle Public School families.

This is an opportunity for the community to ask the candidates in District 5 about how they intend to shape the policy decisions that will come before them if they are elected to the school board.

Who: The school board directors govern our district. It matters who gets elected! The board works with district administrators to set policy and make decisions, including the superintendent who reports to the board and carries out our board’s vision and direction.

The Candidates: Three candidates are challenging incumbent Mary Bass for the central cluster school board director seat:
Mary Bass – [email protected]
Joanna Cullen http://www.VoteForJoanna.com/
Andre Helmstetter http://AndreForSchools.org/
Kay Smith-Blum http://www.ElectKSB.org/

The Primary Election: We vote by school board district in the August 18 Primary. It’s a non-partisan race in which we will nominate two of the four candidates to move on to the General Election. We vote city-wide for all school board candidates in the November 3 General. Those elected serve four-year terms.

Don’t forget to register to vote!
July 18 is the deadline for registering online http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/registration.aspx
Or you can register up until Monday, August 3 in person at the King County Elections Office. http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/aboutus/directions.aspx

For most of us in the Central District we can only use the fabulous Broadstripe for our cable and broadband ISP service. I only have the basic cable service which they give me free with broadband service – no cable box (uses your digital QAM tuner on your digital TV).

Last night while surfing the upper channels I found that 80-1 and 80-2 are now full-on Porn channels. Channel 79 is TVLand and 80-3 is college football ESPN. Nice sandwich there huh? As of thus writing they are still Porn. If you have children and you have basic cable with a digital tv and no cablebox then it is time to make a phone call.

Matt

Was selling my old Iphone after I upgraded and met a couple at the Starbucks on 23rd and S Jackson street to show it to them around 7:30 PM tonight (July 14th).  While walking back to my house a few blocks away a man walking behind us was walking faster than us and I moved to the right to give him room – I am about half speed with the torn ligament and knee brace I was wearing from a basketball injury I recieved a week ago.

He was able to snatch the Iphone box out of my hand as he said “give me that” and run away while I watched.  I am not exactly angry but more shocked that someone would do that to someone who looks like I do.  Thirty seconds later I was on phone with police (7:47 PM) giving them a description but I doubt I will get the phone back.

He tailed us from the Walgreens entrance I believe as I noticed him behind us but I have felt no fear of any crime since I have lived here that I did not pay enough attention.  I doubt that he is much of a threat to most but as described to police:

Black male, close cropped hair, white t-shirt, blue jean shorts, 5′ 10″ tall, weighing 230 pounds.  No seen tattoos or distinguishing marks, 25 to 30 years old, no hat, no shoe description. 

Someone I could run down easily if I was not injured but I was an easy target with my brace and my slow gait.

I will be more aware of those around me from now on, even when I can move quickly.

Matt.

The farm is green and growing. There are veggies ready for harvest. Come on out, help with weeding, and take home some fruits of your labor. We plan to start selling veggies at New Hope Baptist Church soon, so this is your chance for a preview of what will be coming to the market.

To carpool, or follow someone out to the farm, meet us at New Hope Baptist Church on 21st & Fir at 9am on Saturday, July 18th. Or you can meet us on the farm. Check in before heading out to the farm. We’ll post a note on the Clean Greens site if the event is canceled. Let us know if you’d like to come out to the farm another time. Call 206-323-5958 to make arrangements.

Three years ago the old Wonderbread bakery was torn down to make way
for a massive new apartment building. But the iconic sign that used to
crown the bakery was saved and provisions were made to put it on top
of the new building.

Construction crews will hoist it up to its new home this Thursday at
1pm. Until then, it’s resting on a trailer on 18th, temporarily
closing that street between Main and Jackson.

Stay tuned for more coverage on Thursday.

Let’s recognize our East Precinct Officers for their work for our community. It seems like Officer Chin has had a particularly great crime-fighting streak recently, ranging from bike recovery to stopping suspects as they tried to run him down.
It would be great to have him return from his administrative leave to the accolades he deserves for his efforts in the CD. Please write a letter to Captain McDonagh with a copy to Chief John Diaz, (Interim Chief & Operational Chief), Assistant Chief Nick Metz (Patrol Operations Chief); Mayor Nickels and the council, encouraging him to recognize Officer Chin as Officer of the Quarter. Our boys in blue need to know we support them and their efforts to keep our neighborhoods safe.

The city is getting a lot better about releasing crime stats on a reliable schedule, and today we noticed that the May numbers are available. Overall there’s a seasonal rise in most categories of crime, usually attributable to nice weather and longer days, with total crimes up 7% year-over-year, and up 23% compared to April of this year.

Here’s the details:

• Assault: Up 47% year over year, 43% vs. April 2009
• Robbery: Up 10% vs. May 2008, down 15% vs. April 2009
• Burglary: Down 26% vs. May 2008, up 45% vs. April 2009
• Theft: Up 13% vs. May 2008, up 11% vs. April 2009
• Vehicle Theft: up 18% vs. May 2008, up 160% vs. April 2009

Police recommend being extra vigilant about property crimes during the summer months, and to take simple steps to protect yourself:

• Never leave valuables (or their various cords & accessories) in your vehicle
• Always lock the doors and windows of your home, even if you’re outside working in the garden, etc
• If you have an alarm system, use it
• Be aware of your surroundings when on the street, and don’t let ipod headphones distract you and/or make you a target

Here’s the detailed graphs for the various police sectors in the neighborhood: