Tag Archives: central district

SPD locks down schools during search for teens who made MLK Grocery Outlet gun threat

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Police locked down the area searching for a group of teens after a hold-up at the MLK Grocery Outlet Tuesday afternoon.

Police say they were called to the MLK at Union grocery around 12:30 PM to a report of three teens who attempted to steal around $50 worth of items but were stopped by employees. Police say store security engaged in a “brief struggle” and recovered the stolen items before the teens threatened that they had a firearm and were able to flee the store.

SPD says a K-9 team conducted a track of the suspects, “leading back to the entrance of Garfield High School where the track ended.” Continue reading →

Man shot overnight in E Madison Safeway parking lot

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Police were searching for a reported female assailant after a man was shot in the shoulder overnight in the Safeway parking lot near 22nd and Madison.

Multiple 911 callers reported gunfire and a wounded man fleeing the area near the grocery store on the edge of Capitol Hill and the Central District just before 4 AM.

Arriving officers reported a man with a gunshot wound to the upper body at the scene. Seattle Fire arrived to treat the victim and transport him to Harborview in stable condition.

Police were looking for a group including the reported female shooter and a possible four-door sedan suspect vehicle leaving the scene.

The Seattle Police Department posted a brief on the incident and reported witnesses said the shooting appeared to stem from an altercation in the parking lot. The victim was reported as a 44-year-old man. Anyone with information can call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

 

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Nearby gunfire sends Nova, Garfield campuses into ‘shelter-in-place’

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Nova and Garfield High Schools were placed into “shelter-in-place” status following a bout of gunfire reported blocks north of the schools just before 1:30 PM.

According to East Precinct radio updates, multiple 911 callers reported around 10 shots fired in the area around 1:27 PM.

Nearby Nova and Garfield activated campus security procedures while the Seattle Police Department investigated the situation. Both campuses were released from the secure status as police cleared the area and found no active incident.

Multiple shell casings were collected near 25th and Columbia but officers found nobody injured and no property damage at the shooting scene. Continue reading →

Black Coffee Northwest: How Seattle City Hall, Vulcan Real Estate, and the goodwill of creating ‘a vibrant core for Black businesses’ in the Central District could not open a coffee shop at 23rd and Jackson

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A design rendering of signage for Black Coffee Northwest at 23rd and Jackson

Depending on who you ask — and if they are willing to speak on the record — there are lots of failures to blame at 23rd and Jackson. But the bottom line is this: Despite years of work from the city’s Office of Economic Development and one of its leading developers in Vulcan Real Estate, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth, and the goodwill of rebuilding Black ownership in this key core of the Central District, it seems unlikely Black Coffee Northwest will ever open at the corner.

“We have a staff trained and ready to go. My grand opening was planned,” owner DarNesha Bowman told CHS earlier this month.

Bowman went public this year with what she says has been a lack of support from Vulcan and the city falling short on promises to help the small business entrepreneur usher in what many hoped would be the start of a new era at 23rd and Jackson with her Black Coffee Northwest taking over a space being left behind by global coffee giant Starbucks over public safety concerns in the area. Continue reading →

Chuck’s Hop Shop CD has lots a beer, a new ‘crappy food’ menu, and still room for food trucks — including Jackson’s Catfish Corner

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(Image: Chuck’s CD)


 

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Chuck’s Hop Shop CD is mostly about beers on tap and refrigerated cases of brews from across the region and nation. After 11 years on E Union, it is ready to move beyond the glizzy when it comes to the food it serves to help soak up all those hops. It is upgrading its pretzels, too.

“We’re thrilled to announce that we’re leaving behind our outdated crappy food and bringing you some exciting changes!,” the Chuck’s CD announcement reads.

The new Chuck’s CD menu now includes a French Dip Sandwich with “Mama Lil’s Peppers, Boar’s Head roast beef, havarti, creamy horseradish, and a side of hot au jus” and two versions of the classic Reuben Sandwich. “For those who love meat, we have a corned beef version, while our veggie-friendly option features a pickled beet Reuben,” Chuck’s says. Continue reading →

12-year-old victim in deadly Washington Middle School crash — Arsema Barekew remembered

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A funeral service for Arsema Barekew was held Sunday at Tukwila’s Riverton Crest Cemetery.

The parents of the 12-year-old who was hit and killed by a runaway SUV outside the Central District’s Washington Middle School in early March are seeking answers.

The Seattle Times spoke with the Yesler Terrace couple Berihun Mekonnen and Tigist Yitna — and their lawyer.

“The way (Seattle police) approached them, explained things, was like, ‘Move on. This is an accident. Accidents happen,’” attorney Daniel Ajema told the Times. “But for me, there’s criminal negligence. There’s recklessness.”

No lawsuit has been filed. Continue reading →

Community raises funds for family of student killed by runaway SUV as officials look at street safety around Washington Middle School

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The community around Washington Middle School is raising funds to support the family of the student who was hit and killed by a reported runaway SUV last week at the Central District school.

Meanwhile, questions about safety around the school and nearby streets remain amid new details from the investigation into Thursday’s deadly incident.

“The Washington Middle School community experienced an indescribable loss on March 6, 2025. A 12-year-old girl lost her life when an unoccupied car rolled down the hill suddenly. This tragic accident has left the whole community shaken,” the Washington Parent Teacher Student Association said in the fundraiser. “To support her grieving family during this difficult time, we are asking for donations big and small to support them through this horrible loss.”

More than $15,000 had been pledged as of Saturday morning. You can give here.

Washington students took part in a memorial walk Friday to remember the 12-year-old.

“Students came together to comfort each other and share heartfelt remarks,” a statement from the school district reads.

The student has not yet been publicly identified.

Police say the driver of the SUV was not arrested and did not show signs of impairment. She was evaluated for driving under the influence at the scene. Continue reading →

Child struck and killed at Washington Middle School — UPDATE

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A 12-year-old was reported struck and killed in a crash Thursday afternoon at the Central District’s Washington Middle School.

Police and emergency crews were called to the campus at 21st and Jackson just after 12:30 PM to the collision.

The child was reported dead at the scene.

The Seattle Police Department is investigating. According to East Precinct radio updates, the driver remained at the scene.

UPDATE: Police radio updates and witnesses described a terrible incident as a SUV parked outside the school and reportedly unattended began rolling downhill where the child was struck near S Weller.

Police say the student was on the sidewalk outside the school when she was struck and killed.

UPDATE 3/7/2025: CHS is following up with Seattle Public Schools and the Seattle Department of Transportation about the incident and any street safety and “Safe Routes to Schools” efforts in the area as well as more information about why the student was near the street and parking lot area.

The area of 20th Place and Weller is an unusual and often crowded area where the WMS parking lot meets the city streets and the typically semi-truck filled area outside the neighboring Franz Bakery factory.

 

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Police recover airgun as assault involving possibly armed teens sends Garfield High School into ‘shelter in place’

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A reported assault and teens with possible handguns sent Garfield High School into a half hour “shelter in place” Monday.

According to Seattle Police radio updates, the incident began just after noon on the field near the 23rd Ave campus and involved at least one student victim and two teen suspects reported as possibly armed who fled the scene. Arriving officers recovered a weapon at the scene reported to be an airgun.

Garfield and nearby Nova High School reported going into shelter in place status beginning at 12:35 PM while many students were at lunch and stretching to just after 1 PM.

A possible teen suspect was taken into custody near Garfield’s campus just before 12:30 PM but police said the teen could not be identified as the perpetrator.

According to radio updates, one of the teens is also a suspect in a recent area armed robbery.

There were no reported serious injuries.

The school year at Garfield began with new efforts around gun concerns at the 23rd Ave campus and across the city as Seattle officials led by Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a $14.5 million plan focused on intervention, mental health, and increased use of “school-based safety specialist” private security guards following the deadly lunchtime shooting of teen Amarr Murphy-Paine last June in the Garfield campus parking lot.

 

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‘Inclusivity, equity, and accessibility’ — Seattle Parks working with Central District partners to plan $2.3M Judkins Park renovation

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Judkins Park (Image: Seattle Parks)

The Seattle Parks department and community partners including the Africatown Community Land Trust are gathering community feedback on a planned $2.3 million overhaul of the Central District’s Judkins Park.

Seattle Parks says it is working with Africatown Community Land Trust, No More Under, A Personal Point of View LLC, and Inclusion Matters, to renovate Judkins Park “to advance inclusivity, equity, and accessibility.”

“By leveraging public-private partnerships, the project aims to maximize benefits to the community,” the Seattle Parks announcement of the project reads. “The Judkins Park neighborhood’s history of redlining, displacement, and gentrification underscores the need for intentional efforts toward inclusivity and addressing disparities in access.”

A meeting will be held Thursday night to kick off community engagement around the project but you can also add your thoughts online via this survey with questions about features and programming you would like to see added to the six-acre park and playfield including ideas for shaping new spray park, inclusive playground, a nature sensory area, and an area for hillside play features. Continue reading →