Seattle police are searching for suspects in the cases of two men who were brutally beaten in separate incidents in the Rainier Valley last Saturday night.
According to Casey McNerthney at the PI, the first attack occurred at about 8:45 pm when two men walking near Othello Playfield were followed by three other men to a gas station in the 7500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way South where the assailants, who are suspected gang members, beat the crap out of the 22-year-old victim before fleeing into a home in the 7300 block of 43rd Avenue South.
Police found the victim curled in the fetal position near the entrance to Jim’s Gas Station where he was bleeding profusely from what the responding officer called a “significant” injury. He was treated at the scene before being transported to Harborview Medical Center. There were no arrests. Read more here.
Three hours later, shortly after midnight, a man in his 50s or early 60s was brutally beaten in the 8100 block of 48th Avenue South near Kenyon in Rainier Beach. According to Casey, officers responding to a 911-call found the victim lying in the street, unconscious with blunt trauma to his mouth, face and the back of his head:
There was a large pool of blood where the man had been lying, and blood splatter extended west across 48th Avenue South from his body, according to police.
A pair of eyeglasses were found a few feet away.
There were no arrests. Read more here.
Photo/Will Austin Photography
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{ 31 comments }
F@*k!
Yup.
Is this initiation crap?
I am seething!!!
Guess this doesn’t just happen on the Gold Coast? Seriously, WTF? SPD Leadership really needs to address the staffing ratios in South Seattle as well as the programs they have implemented.
Maybe it’s time to bring some of the officers downtown out of their administrative roles and put them on the street as compared to paper pushing. Once again I didn’t see this in the paper. Time to cancel the Seattle Times! I spend more time reading RVP now anyway.
“Maybe it’s time to bring some of the officers downtown out of their administrative roles and put them on the street”
Great idea, and we should start with half of the Media Response Office since they suck at actually responding to the media. Start with Mark Jameison, who is totally useless and busy sucking up OUR tax dollars NOT doing his job while the south end suffers from not enough police presence.
Hmmm, what’s wrong with this picture?
Throw the bums out!
Call Alex Fryer – he is the spokesman for the Mayor’s Office and I saw him quoted in the paper today speaking on issues around crime……I bet you’ll get a faster response.
SSSL
Come on, editor that’s not fair.
SPD isn’t in the business of media, so they can’t excel at that stuff! (yeesh, lower the bar)
But on the more serious side of mentioned point, SPD is in the business of f*&%*^%^*%*(& policing a community!!!!!
Othello Playground has been a hotspot of crime for years. And Jim’s gas station has been in the news a lot as a scene of crime. Time to get some perm-presence on this triangle area.
This is adjacent to the light rail station, and a new policing program is due for this area.
“SPD is in the business of f*&%*^%^*%*(& policing a community”
Not in this community they’re not. When was the last time you heard about a violent crime in the south precinct that was accompanied by an arrest? It seems that law abiding citizens aren’t the only ones aware of the ridiculously low police presence and slow response times down here…
yeah, and that last comment of mine was facetious to say the least.
They should be excelling at this stuff since it is their business. Or have we entered an era where the good faith has been lost on all fronts? Do our leaders even know what the hell they’ve been talking about?
Should our de facto leaders be entrusted to operate solvent banks? Go to war after the right country? Clean up after a tragic hurricane? Run a company correctly? And on a local level should the de facto leaders, maintain the City during a snow storm? Lower crime and quell violence?
The answer? No.
Election year this guys. Let’s do something about it.
I called the mayor’s office yesterday and the lady basically said “There there, everything’s going to be all right” I told her to quit trying to make me feel better and make sure someone down the line got my message that we in the South end do not feel like the city is doing a good job regarding street crime.
mimi is a “pick up the phone” kinda gal, I LIKE IT!
I think the RVP should orchestrate a “call in” day. Everyone reading call, keep calling till you get through. When you get through, we have a clear and consistent message: “Lower Crime, Address our Needs, NOW!”
Let’s deluge them with an irritating barrage of citizen complaints. ‘Cause you know when that lady on the phone gets unhappy, mrmayor gonna hear about it.
I have the utmost respect for those ladies who answer the phone. They are like a body guard. Their job is to protect their boss. They’ll take a bullet if they have to, but you know they’re gonna bitch about it…
Love it. What say you, readers?
BTW, did anyone else see the headline about SPD investigating gang graffiti up north? We’ve been crying about Surreno 13 taking over the south end for months now, yet their calling cards continue to pop up ALL over the South Precinct – we’ve got pictures and addresses galore – and NOTHING from SPD… We even offered to help them by providing that info on a regular basis and still, a big, fat, noisy NOTHING from Seattle’s finest.
I think the call in campaign is a great idea. However, just venting our (just) rage, or telling the City they need to fix it lets them off too easy (after all, they already have a Youth Violence Prevention Initiative in place that’s gonna fix it).
We need to demand a couple of very specific things with numbers and time lines attached to them. I recommend that the SSCPC offers language for this campaign (South Precinct/gang unit staffing, foot patrol in RB?).
John, A SCRIPT! BRILLIANT!!!
This is a genuine epiphenomenon.
I just might call twice…
FOOT PATROLS. YES. That’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time. I would love to see officers on the street actually interacting with people and working at proactive policing rather than simply running from crime to crime and rarely making arrests.
I’ll bet folks like the I’m-an-overpaid-gov’t-worker-therefore-not-accountable-to-anyone Mark Jameison would experience a serious attitude adjustment if forced to step out the office for a spell, earn his keep and actually make himself useful to a community in need.
Can you imagine…?
No I can’t. Imagine that, I mean. Therefore I must SEE IT FOR MYSELF!!
My thoughts: There is something in the “Art of War” about preparation. So…
MIMI- You are our recon scout here. You already called in. Report. Where did you call (phone #?). What did they say, ask you for? Did you have to navigate a litany of sub-assistants to get to the couch-shrink “lady”?
Also there is a Seattle Times article from last summer, stating that the foot patrol officers have been “sooooooo successful”, that they are merely relegated to giving tourists directions, these days. how quaint. Wonder where those resources could be redirected now that we have a working model for success?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008196760_pikepine23m0.html
As to the Editor’s last (well deserved) tirade, lest we are to be anointed with the obligatory SPD sock puppet response…
I just have one question for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch…
Please address:
March 24-”Thief Steals Neighbor’s Computer Right From Her Hands” any arrests, have you updated the RVP with the status of the investigation, somehow I think if you had we’d know about it…
March 24 – “Hate Crime Charges Filed in Rainier Beach Attack”
March 12 – “Home Invasion Robbery” any arrests yet, hmmm?
March 5 – “Shots Fired” any progress on investigating those promises to “take care of it himself”?
March 1 – “Shots Fired”
Feb 28 – “Mt Baker Assaulted in Mid Day Home Invasion” no arrests made yet, huh…
Feb 26 – “Bicyclist Assaulted” granted, you did hold a “workshop”. But those of us who LIVE here couldn’t help but come away with a sneaking suspicion that’s because- those the bike here rarely actually live here… Gotta keep up appearances for the future light rail riders…
Feb 26 – “Chicken Abduction”, okay had to throw that in just for grins…
Feb 26 – “Gang related Robbery”
and before I risk losing some of you to this litany, I’ll summarize to the beginning of February:
5 more ARMED incidents including robbery, shots fired and shootings. All the way back to the feather in the cap of any anarchist:
“Mom Shot in her Living Room”, Feb 6. To anyone who has made it this far in my rant, please read that post. It was not a Mom who got in a fight and got shot. It was a Mom, like many you know, probably laughing at the auditions round of American Idol. Sitting on her couch, minding her own stuff. Got Shot.
Back to the Funky Bunch. I have more than once seen the Editor’s pleas to the readers of the RVP to contact SPD and demand a response because you aren’t returning her calls.
I won’t even begin the usual “would this be tolerated anywhere else in the city” argument because it always ends up with the same conclusion. Those that don’t live here figure we have it coming to us, we moved here after all. So let’s just reboot that conversation, shall we? HOW ABOUT, WE DON’T TOLERATE THIS? WE CHOOSE TO MAKE A STINK.
Let’s use this light rail thing to our advantage. Obviously the city is trying like hell to avoid gathering attention to these issues because our little gang/violence war has an unhappy and inconvenient effect of making people second guess stepping foot on the light rail.
Don’t forget that 7 driver that was dealing crack, nice.. I wonder if they’ll have “meth service” on the light rail…
Let’s do something folks!
There never are any arrests, so why should I be surprised.
I live in New Holly and live very close to the house that was involved in a drive-by shooting a couple of months ago (19 rounds fired into the house and the resident shot in the hip). Numerous witnesses gave detailed descriptions of the vehicle involved and no progress has been made in that case. I’ve reported suspicious cars driving around the house, cars that do not belong to any residents in this neighborhood. The detective in charge of the case (Det. Mudd, Homicide) basically told me to quit calling. By the time he jumped-in his car (from downtown), there wouldn’t be anything for his to follow-up on. If he called another officer, he said by doing that they’re pulling an officer away from another important call. The detective was very clear the SPD is a huge, dysfunctional bureaucracy. Nice, huh? He also said, the south precinct receives the most calls about violent crime, and has the most documented cases of violent crimes, but is severely understaffed.
Sam,
They told you to “QUIT CALLING”. hmm? Well, I guess that is basically the perfect follow up to my rant…
Thank you for yet another example of what has been bothering me ever since I moved here. The feeling that we’re basically, on our own…
You want foot patrols? You’re not going to get foot patrols unless you stand up and demand it. Below is a letter sent to Councilmember Burgess in February after a shooting incident in West Seattle. To date, there has been no response to the letter.
“Dear Councilmember Burgess,
At last night’s meeting of the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council (SSCPC) the room was nearly standing-room-only. New faces in the audience talked about the increasing home burglaries in their neighborhoods. Others expressed concern about the increasing visibility of gangs which makes our streets appear less safe.
I asked Lt. Sano about a news report I saw on the shooting in the Junction neighborhood of West Seattle. Two gunmen approached a man and shot him multiple times outside of a business. The Junction merchants were alarmed as this is unusual for that neighborhood. One merchant remarked, “We need to look into increasing the foot beat in the Junction”. Foot beat? I asked how it was possible that officers are deployed to walk a foot beat in West Seattle? Visible officer presence is desperately needed in southeast Seattle. Officer interaction with residents helps to dispel fear of the police. We haven’t seen a foot beat in Columbia City in about ten years. I pressed Sano for a response and he said it was up to officers to allocate their time where needed when they are not responding to 911 calls. In southeast Seattle our officers race back and forth between 911 calls for their entire shift, or so we are told.
Is this a top-down resource allocation issue? Why, in the neighborhood with the highest crime, do we not have adequate resources so that officers have the time to interact, to be seen, and to walk a foot beat in Columbia City, Hillman City, or Rainier Beach, or Othello? Surely there must be something wrong with current resource allocation? No foot beat, no bike patrols in SE? Perhaps resources were misallocated when the precinct boundaries where altered? There must be some breakdown in reporting of crime, allocation of human resources between precincts, management of officers time, or..?
It’s unacceptable for the high crime community to be deprived of police resources such as a foot beat. Perhaps with greater officer visibility we wouldn’t BE the high crime community? I believe there is a correlation between officer visibility and our higher crime rate. Will you look into this issue?
Thanks for your time.”
Tonight, April 1st, is the monthly meeting of the Southeast Seattle Crime Prevention Council (SSCPC). The group is made up of an all-volunteer community Board and everyone is welcome to attend and participate. The meeting begins at 7 PM at the Senior Center at Rainier S. & S. Holly. Please attend and tell the SPD how you feel.
ahow, yes. We are on our own.
This is how the phone call went:
I first called 911 to report a suspicious car driving back and forth in front of the gang-house in New Holly.
911 transferred me to non-emergency, and non-emergency to this guy:
Det. Mudd, “while I appreciate your calls, I really can’t do anything about them because I sit behind a desk here in downtown Seattle.”
Me: “who should I call when I see suspicious activity around the gang-house?”
Det. Mudd: “911 or the non-emergency #.”
Me: “I did call both. 911 transferred me to the non-emergency #, and the non-emergency # said by the time the paperwork/report was filed, it wouldn’t reach your (Det. Mudd’s) desk until Monday, because I was calling @ 4:30 p.m. on a Friday. The dispatcher gave me your number so I could call you directly.”
Det. Mudd: “Well, the mother involved in the shooting is not cooperating, anyway. Your best bet would just be to call 911 and not me, directly, if you see anything suspicious. You know, we’re just like any other bureaucracy (and he kept using that term).”
and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
It’s pathetic, really. So, I’ve just quit calling to report anything suspicious. I’m tired of being transferred from one gumshoe to another when I mention an incident in New Holly.
I’m not so good with telephone calls, but I sent this letter to the mayor and The Seattle Times:
Dear sir,
Just after dark this past Saturday, two neighbors of mine, in separate incidents, were beaten within an inch of their lives just for walking down the sidewalk near the Othello Light Rail Station. Beyond the bloody details, all I know is this: This would not have happened in your West Seattle neighborhood.
With the light rail opening in less than 90 days, I want you, my mayor, to tell us what you are going to do to ensure this does not happen again.
Here are my suggestions for you, since you appear uninformed and incapable of real action on your stated city goal of Neighborhood Policing and Public Safety. These are from the well respected South Seattle Crime Prevention Council, whose funding you unwisely decided to cut.
1. Hire new officers immediately.
2. Assign any new officers to the gang unit.
3. Give Rainier Beach, Othello Station, New Holly, Columbia City and Mt Baker SPD foot patrols comparable to those walking the beat in West Seattle Junction or the Pike/Pine Corridor. These foot patrols have been widely praised for reducing crime (see Seattle Times 9/23/08 “Beefed-up police presence credited for drop in downtown crime”).
4. Get someone in the SPD media relations unit to learn how to return a phone call.
My neighbors of all ages are already getting beaten, robbed, shot at, and killed, whether they’re walking down the sidewalk, riding the bus, or just sitting in their living room. What more do you require? Step up man, we need you.
(sound of sizzling bacon frying) Geez, “tlp” my monitor is smokin’! Now that’s what I call a LETTER! I hope others will take inspiration from your letter. Residents of southeast Seattle are justified in their outrage and it’s time to demonstrate how we feel to those who have the power and the ability to make changes here.
Thank you.
I’m sorry Anon, I like you and all that, but I don’t hear when people tell me that I am not going to get something. There are already, at least once in awhile foot patrols, but of course some think they are only needed in the neighborhoods that they would choose (yes you know who you are)choice. I will inquire to HCBA about sending a letter too and I don’t think there will be any objection.
Have you seen the youth violence initiative summary report? I think it’s fairly recent… you might want to check it out… And how about that basketball game between the southend and cd — the one they told the kids they can’t have… ? http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/issues/youthInitiative/docs/SYVPI_Investment_Summary_Report_March_2009.pdf
Sam – Keep calling 9-1-1 whenever you see something suspicious and don’t give up! Every call is one tiny, tiny step toward better police staffing for SE under this failed new policing plan. Thank you for trying and caring!
Anon, I was reading too fast, I see now you have established an option for getting something….. oops.
Great post from Anonymous.
One has to ask – does SE Seattle ever stand a chance of being pedestrian friendly? We’ve increased density and our crime rates have risen…so “feet on the street” (as in pedestrian feet) isn’t the answer. The 2008 to 2012 Policing Plan took the precinct which was most under-staffed (that’s our precinct folks) and added 30% land mass to our territory (added South Park and Greater Duwamish) BUT left the officers that had been patrolling those sectors in West Seattle’s precinct. No wonder they get foot patrols and we get 4 hour wait times before we see a patrol car.
I can’t think of a greater example of social injustice. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably have to say it again: City Hall doesn’t care about low income people of color. Let’s hope a new mayor will usher in much needed change because ALL people who live in Seattle should be of equal concern to our elected officials.
So, there are some great ideas we’ve all talked about and that the Crime Council has been pushing steadily, but let’s start with what we can do as a community:
1.) Let’s go with the call and complain to the city day…..Editor, lead the effort and the community will respond. We should probably pick two numbers to call. One of them should be the CSB 684-city so the complaint is registered and the other should be someone in the Mayor’s office. Let us know the dates.
2.) Contact the media person above rather than working with SPD media (Alex Fryer). He is quoted frequently as the Mayor’s media person/spokesperson.
3.) Keep supporting the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council and attend more meetings – they are pushing for the Mayor to stick to his hiring commitments, encouraging the city to increase foot patrols and for police officers to get to know their neighborhoods (can’t be done without more resources though), more gang unit cops, and other interesting proactive approaches to crime prevention.
4.) We need more people to join the PTA. Getting involved with the schools will make a difference – maybe not at first but eventually it will make an impact on the community.
One of the NPAC (neighborhood planning advisory committee) members is on the (staff?)/committee for the ‘Master Pedestrian Plan’ which is a City committee (by resolution?). We should have her speak about the plan and what input it depends on and positions it takes on design, land use and zoning issues. Would be great to integrate it into our Neighborhood Planning workshop (ahem, Beacon Hill, Mt. Baker & Othello people).
I very much advocate a summit workshop where major speeches/panels that would benefit the neighborhoods simultaneously going through neighborhood planning, could be a resource and opportunity of education for the community. Write to
At the crime council meeting tonight, SPD reported that there were a couple big arrests in regards to the high rate of burglaries in the following neighborhoods: New Holly, Rainier/Genessee, and Mt. Baker. They were 3 different groups responsible in the range of 30-40 burglaries in the community each.
They targeted Asian households because they were familiar with the culture of keeping cash in the house, they targeted small electronics and came knocking on doors, esp. w/ packbacks (for carrying sm. electronics) and you should be on the lookout for groups who work in teams.
Some one-on-one time with an SPD lieutenant offered sage advice to follow your “spidey-sense”. Especially in the case of the Cafe Vita laptop snag where the victim had an obvious case of “spidey-sense”, but didn’t listen to it.
Ok, that’s pretty obvious.
More details on the Othello assaults are pending.
No chance of getting a foot patrol. However if we make a fuss, we might get some of the time from the Seward Park bike patrol in the summer! *say please*
Did anyone catch Q13 Fox news last night? They had a 15 second story about Seattle neighborhoods with the worst crime rates. The data was taken from Seattle Metropolitan Magazine (which made me smirk). Anyway, here are the results from the magazines website. I find some of these statistics truly laughable.
http://www.seattlemet.com/real-estate/articles/neighborhoods-by-the-numbers/
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