Last month, 26 Othello-area neighbors sent impact statements to the City Attorney and Seattle Police Department complaining about huge, all-night, weekend dance parties being held at an Othello-area warehouse.
The statements cite numerous problems, including fights, loud music, vandalism, graffiti, underage drinking, drug dealing, public drunkenness, urination, defecation, vomiting and more that they say have been occurring on an all-too regular basis around The Citadel at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and South Othello Street in the Rainier Valley, since the so-called “raves” started last fall.
Indeed, last month, Seattle police conducted a massive drug bust in Snohomish County that they say was the result of an investigation that had begun two-weeks earlier with the arrests of several suspects selling ecstasy right outside a rave at The Citadel.
The following weekend, a man was stabbed in the parking lot when he tried to come to the aid of a woman after she was attacked by several gang members. According to SeattleCrime.com:
Police were called to the parking lot of a South Seattle dance hall, The Citadel, just before 3:15 am on March 26th, where they found the victim laying on the ground.
“Thirty Rave types” were standing around the victim when police arrived, a report says. The man had been stabbed in the upper back, and right arm.
The victim told police he had seen the suspects harassing the woman, and was attacked when he tried to intervene. Four or five suspects had punched him, kicked him, and stabbed him, before they fled eastbound on Othello. Read more.
Tonight, the neighbors plan to meet with Seattle City Councilman Tim Burgess, the City Attorney’s Office, Seattle Police Department, the Department of Planning and Development and the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council, to discuss what they say is an increasingly “out-of-control” situation. The meeting will take place at the SE Senior Center (4655 S. Holly St.) from 7 to 8:30 pm.
Last month, Seattle police conducted a massive drug bust in Snohomish County that they say was the result of an investigation that had begun two-weeks earlier with the arrests of several suspects selling ecstasy right outside a rave at The Citadel. According to SPD, the operation included the seizure of more than 8,400 pills of ecstasy with a street value of more than $40,000, a loaded handgun, two vehicles and almost $15,000 in cash, as well as the arrest of five adult suspects. Photo/SPD
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 18 comments }
Kudos to Othello neighbors being proactive and bringing these dangerous raves to the attention of city bureaucrats and the SPD.
South Seattle Cop Question:
Why was SPD involved in the large drug bust in Sno-County? This is not their jurisdiction. Sno-County has a large sheriffs dept. and the Feds could have been called in. My point is, there’s an infestation of drug houses in South Seattle that could use the help of SPD.
Interesting how we always get help from council members who don’t reside in the valley when the chips are down.
Last time I was at a meeting with Burgess in the Southend he basically talked about what they were doing downtown not the southend.
I wonder if there is a correlation between participation in all night raves and school performance?
Agree with Garlic Gulch regarding the infestation.
Brian
Since most of those kids are strays bouncing from crash pad to crash pad, and aren’t in school anyway, I’m guessing the answer could be, “Yes”.
Garlic Gulch
The short answer is: it was a Seattle case.
An SPD buy-bust operation netted the suspects and the initial evidence. The investigation from that evidence and those persons lead to the ability to write sworn affidavits in support of a search warrant application, to present to a judge. Sno-County did not arrest the individuals, seize the evidence, or conduct the interviews, so there is no way a Sno-County deputy could sign a sworn statement detailing all that he/she had observed during the case which would lend to cause to search a particular residence. If Sno-County had nabbed them on a bust in their county somewhere, it would have been them applying for and subsequently serving the warrant, including if the residence were in Seattle.
These particular individuals may have been running a meth/pills/guns operation out of a residence in Sno-County, but they were doing business right here in Seattle. Criminals today are highly mobile, networked, and sophisticated. If we as law enforcement officers and agencies allow lines drawn on maps to stop where we go to hunt down those damaging our communities, the resulting environment is a criminal’s paradise. And it is very common for outside agencies to work cases that lead them to Seattle, resulting in them serving search warrants and arrest warrants here in Seattle. Happens all the time.
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction in real life is not what it is made out to be on TV. A law enforcement officer in a Washington city or county, or a Trooper, has arrest powers and authority from Canada to Oregon, Idaho to the Pacific. In pursuit of a fleeing suspect it stretches even further. There are states in the US where this is not the case, and that is to the criminal’s advantage.
What jurisdiction more commonly has to do with is the laws themselves. Example: If I am traveling outside the city for some reason on duty and see a need to pull someone over on the road, if I cite them it will not be under the Seattle Municipal Code, because we are not in Seattle and you can’t violate the SMC without being in the city. I will not cite based on any county ordiances or laws, because I was not comissioned by those counties to enforce their laws. The cite will be a violation under the Revised Codes of Washington, because like all law enforcement officers in Washington, I am comissioned by the state to enforce those statues.
A WSP Troooper can pull you over on any street in Seattle for an observed violation. It did not have to occur on the freeway or an SR. If the Trooper issues a citation though, it will not be for violating the SMC (title 11) traffic statutes. It will be for a mirror violation under the RCW (title 46), as the Trooper had not been comissioned to enforce the SMC.
Clear as mud? I use traffic as an example because it’s usually the easiest way to illustrate the point.
Feds
What Federal agencies bring to the table is money. Bottom line.
This is what makes utilizing Task Forces attractive to local and state agencies. Feds can front money for expensive and long term surveillance, equipment & logistics, and money for buying things from criminals, on a level many local and state agencies simply can’t afford. The attraction to the Feds to the Task Force approach is that local law enforcement officers and agencies can help further an investigation with the power to enforce local laws and ordinances targets may be violating, a power the feds do not have. That is a valuable tool for the Feds to have access to in the furtherance of their cases. And on the flip side, an officer from a smaller agency assigned to a Task Force now has powers to investigate violations of federal laws that their targets may be committing, which helps further their cases. Feds also get moved around the country periodically, but local agencies and officers stay where they are, so they also bring their local area knowledge, expertise, and familiarity with the criminals and criminal activity in that area to the Task Force table, which the Feds don’t have.
However, to get a Task Force interested in a case, there has either got to be something at the end for the Feds to throw in a press release, or it has to be terrorism related. You can’t just “call in” the Feds. You have got to sell them on the idea that your case is sexy enough for them to bother with. Translation: how much PR mileage does it have?
While significant to us in Seattle, there was no way Feds were going to be interested in an operation of this size, much less a US Attorney (the next big challenge to getting a federal prosecution).
If an outside agency had done a similar bust, and then dumped the case on us because the house they wanted to hit was in Seattle, our response would be: you catch it, you clean it. (if you don’t fish, ask someone who does) We have a big enough caseload of our own we are trying to tackle without other agencies dumping their caseloads on us as well. And that’s how Sno-County likely would have responded if we’d gone to them and said, “Here’s our case, now it’s your problem…”, and then hoped they eventually ran with it when their own priorities are taken care of.
You catch it, you clean it.
And it is not like this case was doing someone else’s work for them. Yes, these guys were probably up to no good in Sno-County and probably other places as well, in addition to Seattle. But people here in Seattle are OD’ing on, fighting over, and being taken advantage of by use of their drugs, so it serves our interests to pursue the case to it’s logical conclusion once we have it.
Also, there is nothing to say that once more evidence and more information is located and more arrests made based off of this initial search warrant, that the operation won’t turn out to be something big enough and sexy enough for the Feds to want in on the deal. Perhaps that is in the works now. Who knows….
Drug houses in South Seattle
Yes there are, and when we can get enough evidence for them for a search warrant, we crash those doors too. Don’t hesitate to provide any information you might have, even if it’s only a little. Also be prepared to understand that we will not be keeping you up-to-date on ongoing investigations of those locations, as that serves to tip off targets, and make useless for prosecution later the information gathered during the investigations.
I can tell you that info passed to the department from citizens DOES make it down to patrol, detectives, CPT, and ACT units.
Somewhere in that long drawn out babbling monologue did I answer the question?
See you at midnight with a battering ram!
@SSC,
You reminded me of a really strange plane ride I had up from San Diego a couple of years back, sitting next to a guy who was clearly high on something, and who spent most of the trip explaining to me how he was trafficking drugs from TJ to Snohomish. When he wasn’t shooting off his mouth he was repeatedly heading back to the bathroom for more of whatever was fueling him.
I did some soul searching when I got off the plane, then called the Oly police station where I lived, told them the story, and gave them the flight info and the guy’s seat number. I always wondered what happened as a result, but it’s good to hear that you guys do pass info back and forth. On the one hand this guy didn’t look serious enough to be a very successful criminal, but on the other hand I have friends raising kids in Snohomish, and they don’t need this crap in their community.
So I guess yes, you did answer the question.
Next time someone gives me a hard time about something I’ve done I’ll laugh a little when I ask them if they want to make a federal case out of it
First off, a rave is an illegal party, these are scheduled and legal electronic dance music events.
Second off, Rainier valley isn’t exactly the gleaming beacon of civilization and safety of Seattle.
I’d be interested in knowing if there has even been an increase in violence in the area since the Citadel started hosting these events.
I wonder if these are the raves that used to be at Jumbo. It took a shooting in the parking lot for the city to finally crack down on those.
What is sad here is how everyone has blinders on to what that neighborhood is like. Its common knowledge in Seattle the area south by Ranier & MLK is a haven for crime. There are countless stabbings, shootings, robberies, car break ins, gang crime, vandalism and drugs common to that area. These issues were there LONG before any of the raves started & will be LONG after they are gone. These are NOT issues commonly related to these types of events & these issues are not a factor at many other venues that host these types of events. Week in & week out the security has been chasing gangs of black youths off the property, these LOCAL AREA KIDS are the ones are the ones responsible for 95% of the violent crime associated with these events. The stabbing mentioned occurred when some LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD kids starting harassing a girl & then assaulted her. The kids from the rave jumped in to HELP her, & chase off the NEIGHBORHOOD kids who instigated this incident when one got stabbed again by the NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS!
I will not deny that noise generated from these events could be a nuisance to area residents, and steps were made to mitigate these issues. We were informed by SPD that the noise laws were 65DB at 75ft C weighted, once this was brought to our attention we took reading with a decibel meter hourly to ensure our compliance with that law. On multiple occasions I walked the property with SPD officers using the decibel meter to ensure our compliance.
We have a zero tolerance drug/alcohol policy & search all guest before entry. ALL the drug busts occurred OUTSIDE the venue, we welcome and are happy to cooperate with SPD to enforce these laws.
As its stands the neighborhood has “won” & we are no longer being issues the permits we need to use this space with any frequency. Like them or not these events generate money for the city & employ people. We pay for permits, we pay taxes, and do everything required by law to legally throw these events. We had regular inspections by Seattle Police, King County Sherriff, Seattle Fire Department, Seattle tax & revenue inspector, Seattle electrical inspectors and other government agents, who found us to be compliant with all applicable laws. Otherwise we would not have been able to continue doing these events.
Jumbo stopped having parties due to shenanigans, yes, but no one got shot. Just some kid who hurt himself climbing the fence trying to sneak in. It was the venue that decided to stop throwing parties, not the city.
@Steve
Are you the owner? You sound like the owner.
@SCC, very good, thank you.
What’s up with the Citadel owner? You really think neighbors will feel safe going to your new public market, when at night this place is a drugfest? Once that inevitable shooting happens, that’s it.
I’d like to know where Steve and Marc live. Do you wake up in the middle of the night to the sound pounding “electronic dance music”, or the sound of police on loud speakers trying to maintain the crowd at 2:00 AM? I know Othello Partners have bills to pay, and many of us have offered to work with you to find a less disruptive way to accomplish that, but you’ve given us the cold shoulder. You have completely ignored us. You say “Rainier valley isn’t exactly the gleaming beacon of civilization and safety of Seattle.” Can you tell me what Seattle neighborhood is? Rainier Valley is underserved, not uncivilized.
I’ve been to numerous neighborhood meetings where the Rauf brothers have expressed their passion for Rainier Valley. Your commitment isn’t to the Rainier Valley, it’s to stabilizing your pocket book so you can maintain a home anywhere but uncivilized RV.
Bull. f’ing. S*$t. And good luck occupying your apartments at Othello Station.
@Dana
“Bull. f’ing. S*$t. And good luck occupying your apartments at Othello Station.”
I think I love you.
Safety starts when neighbors partner with neighbors and take back their community. We will change the negative in the area one step at a time,
step up and give a hand and not lip service! We ALL HAVE TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
MQ
Never underestimate Rainier Valley residents, we’re a resilient bunch and when push comes to shove, we will come together and stand up for our neighborhood.
I’d like to know where Steve and Marc live. Do you wake up in the middle of the night to the sound pounding “electronic dance music”, or the sound of police on loud speakers trying to maintain the crowd at 2:00 AM?
Someone should make sure to take a dump on Marc’s lawn, too.
I have recently purchased a home within a mile of the place because of the strides the Neighborhood has made to reclaim the community.
Anytime anything happens people immediately revert to membering the way it was. I heard more gunshots and sirens when I lived in Magnolia by Discovery Park. Mark says he is patting down inside, but obviously doesnt give a hoot what goes on outside. He may want to believe it is “neighborhood youth” but last week I witnessed hordes or kids getting off the light rail from “All Over Seattle” to attend the event. Just because they arent white, doesnt mean they are from the neighborhood. If fact, Columbia City and Rainer Beach as many if not Asian and Latino than Black. What do you expect, when the under 21 crowd has NO WHERE SAFE TO PARTY. Case in point, high end drugs were brought in all the way from Snohomish. We are all responsible for our private parties and house guests as well as bars, restaurants, and taverns. Organizers need to care and pride in their event by monitoring the parking lot during the event and crowd control afterward. Trouble has occurred all over King County after 2:oo am. Whether you are Elliott in Queen Anne, Renton Ave S, or University Ave, Or in SODO. There is more theft, prostitution, and drugs in the University District and Downtown Seattle at the Westlake Mall than Rainer Ave. That is why the police concentrate in those areas. Come visit Columbia City of or Othello on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, meet the hard working families that live and do business and maybe open your hearts and mind to the fact that all neighborhoods and neighbors deserve respect, regardless of a lower economic status or multi-ethnic population.
Love the diversity
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