Tag Archives: eastpac

A call for more — and more community-aware — cops following Capitol Hill shooting

Posted on by

Seattle Police want people on Capitol Hill concerned about Sunday’s shooting at 13th and Olive to know that the department’s investigation of gun violence can be methodical but that the issues are known, the crime problems are being addressed, and detectives are working to make sure there is eventual justice.

SPD spokesperson Sergeant Sean Whitcomb said the department’s detectives are “actively tracking this investigation” and that gang units are “aware of recent incidents in the city” including a recent string of shootings across Capitol Hill and the Central District. According to the latest SPD statistical report on city crime for November, gunfire incidents continue to plague East Precinct and South Precinct despite a continued drop in overall crime across the city.

seastat_2016nov9_shots Continue reading →

Notes from an EastPAC community discussion on pot

Posted on by

Plead the Spliff

The East Precinct learns about weed

Last week, East Precinct community members heard from and asked questions of a panel of city and state officials regarding the condition of Washington’s developing legal recreational marijuana market.

From the community conversation with the East Precinct Advisory Council-convened panel of experts, there is still a fair amount of confusion and regulatory kinks to be worked out in the recreational marijuana system established by Initiative 502 back in 2012.

“With liquor, we’d been doing this for 70 years with a lot of [legal] changes so it’s not an overnight fix,”said Justin Nordhorn, enforcement chief with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB). “We hope people will bear with us as this progresses.”

Nordhorn said that the WSLCB has licensed 800 producers and processors across the state, and has around 500 slots for licensed recreational marijuana retail stores across the state. So far, 250 are licensed with 209 currently in business. Seattle, as of right now, has 45 licensed retail stores, though only a fraction of those are currently making sales. Continue reading →

Talk of gun violence and race at East Precinct community meeting

Posted on by

Residents concerned by the recent uptick in violence crowded EastPAC’s August meeting Thursday night. “I have heard more shots this summer than I have in eight years,” one man said at the meeting, which was attended by officials from the Seattle Police Department and a representative from the City Attorney’s office.

East Precinct neighborhoods have seen a 13% increase in violent crime and a 23% increase in reports of shots fired this year. This bullet-fueled crime wave has brought murder to the Central District and Capitol Hill including the slaying of 23-year-old Ramon Mitchell outside the Baltic Room.

At Thursday’s meeting, residents demanded to know what SPD was doing to combat the crime that had made them feel unsafe in their homes and neighborhoods. “There is no higher priority in the city for the chief than dealing with the gun violence that’s going on,” said Capt. Paul McDonagh, commander of the East Precinct since April.

McDonagh said SPD has noticed an increased willingness among some area youth to “use firearms at will” and the department was struggling to solve crimes because of what he said is a “no snitching” culture on the streets. He said the department was trying to steer youth away from crime by supporting initiatives such as the Seattle Youth Summer Employment Program while also building relationships with federal anti-crime agencies such as the ATF to enhance its crime fighting abilities.

“We have to talk about race,” said Pamela Banks, Urban League CEO and current District 3 candidate. “That’s the conversation we have to have around this. We also have to talk about gentrification, and the impact it has on this community.” Continue reading →