$30M: Jury finds City of Seattle liable in shooting that killed teen and ended CHOP

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A memorial for Mays inside the CHOP camp in the days following his 2020 killing (Image: CHS)

A King County jury has found the City of Seattle negligent in the 2020 deadly shooting of a San Diego teenager during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest.

Antonio Mays Jr. was 16.

The case centering on the Seattle Police Department’s abandonment of the East Precinct and the failures in the police and Seattle Fire response to the 12th Ave shooting scene came to a swift conclusion Thursday with the jury’s decision after two weeks of deliberation.

The decision comes with a heavy price tag. The jury arrived at compensatory damages totaling more than $30 million for the teen’s father, Antonio Mays Sr., and family.

The deadly shooting — one of two killings of Black teens in the camp — came early on a Monday morning amid a night of drive-by shooting fears around the protest zone. Mays was shot inside a stolen Jeep Cherokee that had been reported driving at high speeds through the streets around the CHOP camp. The teen died as camp security and medic volunteers worked to save him whileSeattle Police and Seattle Fire refused to enter the protest area.

Mays’s 14-year-old companion in the vehicle survived but suffered a brain injury.

The shooting was a final straw as Seattle Police were ordered to storm the protest encampments and clear the area two days later. Continue reading →

Mayor and chief direct Seattle officers to ‘investigate, verify, and document’ reported ICE activity

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Wilson at a January rally in Cal Anderson Park against the ICE crackdown

Mayor Katie Wilson issued an executive order Thursday barring federal “civil immigration enforcement activities” on City of Seattle property as part of a set of actions she says are hoped to protect the city’s residents.

Included in the directives is a plan with Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes for the city’s officers “to investigate, verify, and document any reports of immigration enforcement activity.”

“Whoever you are, and wherever you come from: if Seattle is your home, then this is your city,” Wilson said in the announcement. “And it’s our responsibility as city leaders to move quickly and get organized so we can keep people safe. That is why I am taking immediate steps today to bar federal agents from using city property for federal civil immigration enforcement activity, update SPD protocols, and support trusted community partners to aid the community response, which is our most powerful tool.” Continue reading →

As Seattle’s chicken wars flare, Capitol Hill Bok a Bok hoping for a comeback after major kitchen repairs

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(Image: Bok a Bok)

This is not the time in the Seattle fried chicken wars to be sidelined but when your home is 110 years old with aging Pike/Pine auto row bones sometimes the best strategy is to shut down the fryers and dig in.

Capitol Hill’s Bok a Bok makes Korean-style fried chicken–  but creates extra crunchiness by double-frying it in canola oil. After a forced closure of its Capitol Hill location midway through October due to structural damage in the floors directly beneath the cook line, chef and owner Brian O’Connor told CHS that he’s aiming to host a grand reopening this spring.

“We have removed all of the concrete floors, plumbing drains, and some walls to remedy the situation,” O’Connor said. “Our goal is to get back open as soon as possible, but with the amount of structural damage we have had to fix, it is taking time to replace the beams to hold up our floor.” Continue reading →

Amazon Fresh’s end at 23rd and Jackson: $171M property deal, 92 Central District workers, Council member calls for Trader Joe’s

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(Image: Jackson Apartments)

Buried in the news that Amazon is closing its Amazon Fresh grocery store at 23rd and Jackson is one of the largest Central District real estate deals in recent history.

The six-year-old mixed-use development where the grocery is closing just sold for $171 million.

“As you know we just acquired Jackson Apartments on December 30th, so we don’t have any comments at this time,” a spokesperson for Seattle-based real estate development firm Timberlane Partners tells CHS.

It is unclear if Amazon’s exit was a known factor in the sale by project developer Vulcan Real Estate but the Amazon Fresh grocery was touted as “the marquee tenant” in the development in industry reporting on the deal.

“This is the first time Jackson has transferred ownership, and highlights Timberlane’s commitment to investing in communities that combine sustainability, connectivity and curated retail for residents and neighbors,” firm principal Dave Enslow said in a statement on the sale.

Vulcan, meanwhile, will continue to own the shopping center across the street where a similar redevelopment could someday take shape.

Despite providing information on its other recent area shutdowns including the E Pike Amazon Fresh shuttering in April 2024 that turned out to be a harbinger of things to come, Amazon has not responded to CHS’s questions about the 23rd and Jackson closure and whether locations like it in neighborhoods at risk of becoming “grocery deserts” are being considered for possible conversions to the company’s Whole Foods subsidiary. Continue reading →

Friday? ‘NO WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING.’ — But the rest of the weekend you should go out to eat at ‘To Minneapolis with love from Seattle’ venues on Capitol Hill

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UPDATE: CHS ‘SHUTS DOWN’ FRIDAY — We will be observing the general strike with a quiet day here on CHS.  If there is something we should know about, call or text (206) 399-5959 or say hey @jseattle here or here. Thanks for reading.

Things might be quiet around the neighborhood Friday as many across the country are planning a day of “NO WORK. NO SCHOOL. NO SHOPPING.” in a “national shutdown” against the ongoing ICE immigration crackdown as Congress battles over budget for Homeland Security.

Saturday will fill Seattle streets with demonstrators. Protest rallies are planned to begin around noon at Harborview and Swedish on First Hill before meeting up with other groups near Seattle Central for a rally organized by Seattle educators and endorsed by MLK Labor at Broadway and Pine.

Meanwhile, a group of Seattle food and drink venues are rallying around Capitol Hill-born Spice Waala for fundraisers across the city Thursday to support small businesses in Minneapolis. Continue reading →

Shikorina Bakeshop says Capitol Hill move hasn’t worked out

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Community support helped Hana Yohannes move her Shikorina Bakeshop and Cafe to Capitol Hill two years ago.

Now, she’s letting the community and Shikorina customers know E Pike isn’t working out.

“After two years of trying to make this new location work, I’ve made the decision to close Shikorina once we find someone to take over the space,” the announcement reads. “While we experienced incredible success and momentum in the Central District, this new location hasn’t unfolded in the same way.” Continue reading →

As city prepares to reopen a Capitol Hill park, report cites hope for community gardening, youth play, and increased effort to address homelessness and services

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Results of an online survey asking about preferred “potential uses” for Seven Hills Park

The fence has been up around Seven Hills Park since September (Image: CHS)

The city has set a date for the community meeting to reopen Capitol Hill’s Seven Hills Park and has released a report on what it has heard in community feedback about public safety upgrades officials say are necessary in a string of parks in the area.

The city highlights concerns around “long-term encampments” and the need for better integration of the parks system with “larger addiction, mental health, and/or housing initiatives” in its report.

Seattle Parks and Recreation announced it will hold the next Seven Hills Park meeting on February 10th. Officials started the year extending the closure of the fenced-off 16th Ave public space through the end of February. Seven Hills has been shuttered and fenced-off since September after “bouts of negative park activity” as parks officials said Broadway Hill Park and Tashkent Park have also been the source of frequent calls for the Seattle Police Department.

CHS reported here on a community meeting held by the city in November to gather feedback on Seven Hills and possible changes there and at the Broadway Hill Park and Tashkent Park spaces. Parks and recreation also posted an online survey to gather feedback.

In the city’s report on the meeting (PDF), officials highlighted an overall concern about encampments and camping in the parks and the need to better integrate the parks system into the city’s efforts around homelessness and addiction. The report also called for plans that “balance activation between recreation (movie nights) with human services (health clinics),” capturing community concerns around trying to mix in events and celebrations into parks where people are struggling with homelessness and addiction. Continue reading →

Saturday: Weigh in on ‘concept designs’ for $2M Miller Park playground renovation

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(Image: City of Seattle)

Seattle Parks and Recreation is holding its next meeting on planned upgrades to Capitol Hill’s Miller Park this weekend:

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites neighbors, families, kids and all community members to help shape the future of the Miller Playfield Play Area. Join us on Saturday, January 31st, 2026, from 11 AM – 2 pm at Miller Community Center (330 19th Ave E) to meet the project team and share your input on the play area concept designs.

Continue reading →

Seattle Council hears update on Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

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A Seattle City Council committee is hearing an update on the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Wednesday morning as officials try to strengthen the city’s response to the ongoing federal immigration crackdown.

The Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee chaired by North Seattle’s Maritza Rivera is holding the information session. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | A Cal Anderson memorial to those lost to ICE violence

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Organizers have vowed to sustain a nightly candlelight memorial in Cal Anderson Park this week for Alex Pretti, Renee Good, and others killed during federal immigration enforcement.

The 5:30 PM vigils are planned to continue through Saturday, one week following Pretti’s killing in Minneapolis by federal agents. Continue reading →