Monthly Archives: May 2020

‘Thousands’ march across Capitol Hill blocked from downtown in third night of Seattle protests — UPDATE: Rally in Westlake

Posted on by
A Black Lives Matter protester on Sunday's third day of demonstrations

A Black Lives Matter protester on Sunday’s third day of demonstrations

(Image: Alex Garland for CHS)

Two large groups marched across Capitol Hill and “several thousand” were reported gathering around the East Precinct at 12th and Pine in a third day of protest in Seattle against police brutality and racism sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

CHS tracked the marchers as one large group headed up the Hill through Cal Anderson, up to 15th Ave, and back down for a march on Broadway to E Olive Way where it tried to outmaneuver and overpower the large police presence in place blocking access to I-5 and downtown. Some residents cheered from apartment windows and balconies while others posed for mask-covered selfies along the route as police blocked lines of cars to keep traffic clear of the marchers. Continue reading →

Flames, tear gas, and gunfire as crowds and police clash in second day of George Floyd protests in Seattle — UPDATE: CURFEW

Posted on by

UPDATE 5/31/2020 6:45 PM — ‘Thousands’ march across Capitol Hill blocked from downtown in third night of Seattle protests

UPDATE 5/31/2020 7:20 AM — Capitol Hill and the Central District suffered multiple break-ins and thefts overnight with the city under curfew after a day of protests against police, downtown clashes, and outbreaks of vandalism and looting. Booms and pops could be heard through the night echoing up from the downtown core where police continued to use crowd control tactics to clear people from streets and break-ins at commercial buildings.

Sounds like the Ponder burglary was at least partly thwarted by a strong security gate. Thanks to reader Alex for the picture.

Saturday night and into Sunday morning, there were multiple unconfirmed reports of commercial break-ins across Capitol Hill and the CD starting around 8 PM with a report of broken glass and looting from the Scotch and Soda fashion store at Pine and Melrose. UPDATE: Turns out, someone busted the glass at the neighboring Rapha store — not Scotch and Soda — and it did not appear anybody was able to enter the building.

Just before 10 PM, police responded to a report of people stealing inside the QFC at Broadway and Pike in the Harvard Market which would be the center of another police response an hour later with a break-in and looting reported at the shopping center’s Bartell Drugs. Later in the morning, police were called to 24th and Union where a smash and grab break-in was reported, one of multiple pot shop burglaries reportedly attempted in the city overnight. The Green Door pot shop on Rainier was also reportedly hit. Meanwhile, police were called to multiple other addresses through the night after security alarms were tripped or suspicious activity was reported.

A house fire in a derelict building Saturday around 9 PM does not appear to be related to the day’s violence. Seattle Fire says its crews were able to quickly extinguish the small fire in a boarded-up house slated for demolition on 13th Ave E just south of Volunteer Park.

CHS is aware of at least four people taken into custody in the overnight looting including one juvenile.

In a statement issued just before 1 AM, SPD Chief Carmen Best described the overnight policing efforts. “Currently, we are still addressing a number of groups of offenders who continue to assault officers and loot the downtown core, indiscriminately,” she wrote. “The National Guard is assisting in controlling the situation downtown.”

“We will continue to respond swiftly to all acts of violence and destruction,” the statement reads.

Seattle will again be under a 5 PM to 5 AM curfew overnight Sunday under Mayor Jenny Durkan’s emergency orders in the wake of Saturday’s clashes.

ORIGINAL REPORT 5/30/2020 —

(Image: Alex Garland for CHS)

Protests, vandalism, and police and rioter clashes flared again Saturday across downtown Seattle in a battle over police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Large crowds numbering between 300 to 500 people formed across the area as a rally and protest in Westlake Center carried on with songs and speeches. Continue reading →

Morning crash sends driver to hospital, smashes multiple vehicles on Melrose

Posted on by
Thanks to a CHS reader for pictures from the crash scene

Thanks to a CHS reader for pictures from the crash scene

A driver in his 20s was taken to Harborview and multiple cars were damaged in an apparent high speed crash along Melrose early Saturday morning at the base of Capitol Hill.

Seattle Police and Seattle Fire were called to the scene in the 1600 block of Melrose near E Olive Way where a silver BMW sat crumpled, a Jeep was pushed and smashed against a nearby building, and other cars parked along the street were damaged in the just before 6:30 AM crash. Continue reading →

Seattle ‘Defiant Walk of Resistance’ protest planned over George Floyd killing — UPDATE: Friday night protest: Smashed glass at Amazon grocery and Ferrari dealership, seven arrests

Posted on by

(Image: @paulstorms)

UPDATE 5/30/20 5:00 PM: :Flames, tear gas, and gunfire as crowds and police clash in second day of George Floyd protests in Seattle: Protests, vandalism, and police and rioter clashes flared again Saturday across downtown Seattle in a battle over police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis — Updates here

UPDATE 5/30/20 2:50 AM: A night of rioting and clashes with police carried into the early hours of Saturday after a larger crowd splintered into smaller groups and protesters were reported smashing glass and damaging buildings across the International District and onto Capitol Hill. Police in riot gear and deploying crowd control devices and tactics formed a strong, sometimes aggressively defended perimeter for blocks around the East Precinct at 12th and Pine and there were multiple clashes between officers and crowds. Continue reading →

‘Good news’ — Inslee transitions COVID-19 phases to ‘county by county’ decisions putting King County within striking distance for loosened restrictions — UPDATE

Posted on by


King County is still struggling to meet some of the benchmarks introduced Friday for loosening statewide COVID-19 restrictions — but Washington’s most populous county is now within striking distance.

Governor Jay Inslee said he had “good news” for Washington Friday in an update on the state’s lockdown as 26 counties here have already advanced to “Phase 2” restrictions.

“We have new effective ways to fight this scourge,” Inslee said Friday. “Because we have these ways, we can begin to open up more businesses and industries.”

Friday, Inslee said he will extend Washington’s “stay home” order that is set to expire June 1st but with a new framework that will allow a higher infection rate and will put the phased transitions more firmly into the remaining individual counties still in the first phase of recovery.

“This does not mean — obviously — that we are returning to normal,” Inslee said.

UPDATE: Following quickly on the announcement, Executive Dow Constantine released a plan for a limited expansion of Phase 1 activities allowed in King County including outdoor sit-down dining at restaurants, in-store retail, and outdoor gatherings of “5 or fewer people” —

Continue reading →

Seattle Parks tests ‘Phase 2’ distancing circles in Cal Anderson

Posted on by
Cal Anderson's water mountain is dry (Images: CHS)

Cal Anderson’s water mountain is dry (Images: CHS)

Like a few of us, Cal Anderson hasn’t been clipped in a while and its new buzz cut is drawing attention.

Seattle Parks is trying out some mowed-in social distancing circles in Capitol Hill’s central park, a spokesperson tells the Stranger:

“Similar to New York City parks and San Francisco parks we are exploring the use of small circles distanced 6 feet apart to help folks enjoy the park and keep social distance. At this time we are just exploring this method, and are still asking folks to Keep It Moving when at the park (running, walking, and biking).”

Apparently, the department isn’t quite ready for all the attention. A representative provided a decidedly more clipped response when CHS inquired about the project and asked about guidelines for use. “They aren’t ‘open’ yet, we’re just testing out some strategies to get ready for phase 2,” the representative replied. Further inquiries needed to be directed to the city’s Joint Information Center Activated for COVID-19 Response, we were told. Continue reading →

Burglaries and car prowls continue to plague locked-down Capitol Hill and East Precinct, according to SPD stats

Posted on by
SPD bike officers respond to a report of a man down on the sidewalk Thursday in front of the Broadway Market (Image: CHS)

SPD bike officers respond to a report of a man down on the sidewalk Thursday in front of the Broadway Market (Image: CHS)

Total Reported Crime East Precinct

Total Reported Crime Seattle

Property crimes involving break-ins and automobiles got worse in April, Seattle Police statistics for the second month under the city’s COVID-19 restrictions show.

In March, CHS reported totals showing a big jump in burglaries in the East Precinct covering Capitol HIll and the Central District as many shuttered businesses made tempting targets.

The trend continued in April with 148 reported break-ins at commercial and residential locations, a 6% jump from March and more than twice as many burglaries reported in April 2019.

Across Seattle, the property crime trends are part of a transition in overall crime with break-ins and rip-offs filling in where violent crimes like assaults and street robberies have dropped off.

Continue reading →

A demolition on Millionaire’s Row

Posted on by

Face masks helped filter the smell of dust and mildew as a crew set about the unusual task Thursday of tearing down an original house of Seattle’s Millionaire’s Row, the 14th Ave E entryway to Volunteer Park.

Also unusual for a Capitol Hill demolition: The house will be replaced by another single-family home — not apartments, not townhomes. Continue reading →

Signs of Capitol Hill normalcy: Longtime Broadway Indian joint Mirch Masala has new owners

Posted on by
(Image: Mirch Masala)

(Image: Mirch Masala)

Broadway northern Indian restaurant Mirch Masala has new owners and the new proprietors have plans for a remodel and a new bar even as they find themselves dealing with the economic fallout of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

For the first time restaurant owners, the decision to buy Mirch Masala came down to the first and simplest factor. “The location is pretty good, very busy.” Karanbir Singh tells CHS. “It will be nice to have a bar in the Capitol Hill area so we can get more business.” Continue reading →

‘One Year, One Neighborhood’ — Business Week will follow Pike/Pine through COVID-19 and, hopefully, recovery

Posted on by

(Image: CHS)

Business Week has selected the Pike/Pine neighborhood for a “One Year, One Neighborhood” special report that hopes to track “one commercial district in Seattle, the first coronavirus hot spot in the U.S.” to “tell us about the future of cities” as the COVID-19 crisis carries on:

Why Pike and Pine streets? On some level, the area is a model of what city living is all about: a vibrant-at-all-hours place to shop, eat, drink, and experience the arts. A neighborhood where it’s more convenient to Uber than own a car, where people are constantly interacting in creative and profitable ways, where density—before we were all required to stand at least 6 feet apart—was a selling point.

Continue reading →