Tag Archives: hate crimes

‘A Man in a Porsche with a Trump Flag Hit Him with a Baseball Bat’ — More on SPD’s investigation of the possible Capitol Hill Election Night hate crime The Stranger dug up

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While several reports of disturbances involving Trump supporters on Election Night on Capitol Hill involved individuals or groups yelling from passing vehicles, details of an incident reported to have started with hateful harassment that escalated into an assault with a baseball bat on a gay man on 12th Ave have finally been made public.

The Seattle Police Department is looking for the suspects involved in the Election Night assault on Capitol Hill and investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

The Stranger was first to report the assault investigation Friday reporting “a man in a Porsche with a Trump flag hit him with a baseball bat” and questioning SPD why the department did not go public with the investigation or seek assistance in the case. A spokesperson told the outlet that detectives “may not publicize a case to prevent suspects from destroying evidence, or drawing others who may copy the crime.” Continue reading →

Reported racially motivated hate crimes nearly doubled last year in Seattle

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Where racially motivated hate crimes were reported in the city in 2020 (Source: SPD Bias Crimes Dashboard)

A terrible aspect of the COVID-19 crisis seen early here in Seattle has only gotten worse during the pandemic. Bias crimes and race-based hate crime jumped in 2020 and prosecutors say the trend appears to be continuing this year.

The national issue has raised issues in International Districts around the country on policing and how best to respond to the bias crisis.

Here, Seattle Police Department records show a 93% jump in reports of racially motivated hate crimes in 2020 with 405 incidents reported through September, the most recent month available for public reporting. Overall, reported hate crimes were up 72% in the city. Continue reading →

Hate crime charge in Pike/Pine shattered glass stabbing attack

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A 35-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime in the Sunday, July 22nd stabbing attack on two men during an altercation at 12th and Pine.

CHS previously reported on the attack here. The King County Prosecutor’s office has charged Caster Kwak with one count of malicious harassment.

According to police, the suspect stabbed one of his victims with broken glass as they wrestled in a fight started when Kwak saw the man and another man holding hands while crossing the street at 12th and Pine and started calling the men faggots. Continue reading →

City Council considering changes to how Seattle prosecutes hate crimes

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The Seattle City Council will begin the legislative process Tuesday afternoon to change the way hate crimes are prosecuted in the city.

CB 119288 would remove Seattle’sĀ malicious harassment crime, the city’s current hate crime statute, and replace it with a “special allegation of hate crime motivation,” giving the City Attorney’s office greater range in prosecuting crimes targeting protected classes and the ability to ask for greater penalties on more serious cases:

This ordinance authorizes the City Attorney to allege that a criminal incident of assault, harassment or property destruction was motivated by the defendantā€™s perception of the victimā€™s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, mental handicap, physical handicap, sensory handicap, homelessness, marital status, political ideology, age, or parental status.

Replacing the crime of malicious harassment with the new special allegation of hate crime motivation will have three major impacts, according to a city council staff memo on the legislation. Continue reading →

A blast from the past: Q Patrol resurfaces on Capitol Hill

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Long ago, a group roamed Capitol Hillā€™s streets at night to protect their community alongside police. Now, a new Q Patrol takes shape, readying its members to de-escalate and assist those facing discrimination, violence, and hate crimes — without the Seattle Police Department.

ā€œA core focus is empowering other queers and other marginalized groups of people,ā€ said Emma, a Q Patrol member. For this story, CHS agreed to not use the full names of members for their safety and security. ā€œWe think police are the problem. Weā€™re not trying to antagonize them per se.ā€

Despite the Q Patrol name, this group is not a vigilante group. They say they donā€™t want to punish anyone. The Q Patrol is about harm reduction. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Council holding benefit for Bellevue mosque damaged in fire

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screen-shot-2017-02-16-at-8-12-45-pmNext week, the Capitol Hill Community Council is expanding its neighborhood borders to help the Islamic Center of the Eastside in Bellevue, which is raising money to rebuild after a January arson attack.

ā€œWe wanted to really dedicate our time and basically give our space to other folks in our community that are hurting or being targeted,ā€ said CHCC president Zachary DeWolf.

While the ICOE may not be located on Capitol Hill or inĀ Seattle, DeWolf said aĀ benefit hosted by CHCC on February 23 is a way to stand in solidarity with not only the ICOEĀ but also the Muslim community in the neighborhood.

While attacks on the Muslim community have been seen nationwide, so has support for Muslims, said Arsalan Bukhari, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Seattle. Continue reading →

Police investigating hate crime after gun threat at IHOP

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Police areĀ searching for suspects after a Jewish man said he had a gun pulled on him because he was speaking HebrewĀ inside the E Madison IHOP.

In the incident reported just before midnight Wednesday, police were called to a location nearby the restaurant where the victim said he had fled two male suspects who made the threat. TheĀ victim told police the suspects showed a pistol and told him to leave.

UPDATE: Here is a portion of the SPD report detailing the threats:

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The victim told police that he and his friends are from Israel and were talking at their table. As they got up to leave IHOP, they noticed a man sitting in an adjacent booth wearing a “Free Palestine” sweatshirt. According to the police report, the man told officers he thought the sweatshirt was offensive but said he did not say anything to the man as he and his friends left the restaurant before being confronted outside.

Police searched the restaurant and bars in the area but could not locate anybody matching the suspect description but were able to get surveillance video showing the two men.

One suspect was described as an Asian male in his 20s wearing a pink colored jacket. The suspect carrying the gun was described asĀ anĀ unknown race male with black hair, olive complexion, and heavyset. Images show he was wearing a “Free Palestine” sweatshirt, according to police.

There were no reported injuries.

Police are investigating the threats as a hate crime. If you have information that might help the investigation, call 911.

This post has been updated with information from the SPD’s report on the incident.

Jayapal, Inslee, Constantine, and Murray declare Washington a hate-free state

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Since Donald Trumpā€™s election to the presidency, hate crimes have been reported throughout the nation, including in Washington state, where a sign at a mosque in Redmond has been vandalized twice in a month. Incidents against LGBTQ and Jewish communities have also been reported.

In an effort to combat discrimination, vandalism, and violence, officials designated Washington State a hate-free zone at a Tuesday press conference, just as elected leaders did following 9/11.

ā€œWe stand ready to take on any federal actions that undermine this state as a sanctuary and refuge for all people. Just as we did fifteen years ago, we reaffirm our promise to each other and declare our state, the state of Washington, a hate-free state,ā€ said Congresswoman-elect Pramila Jayapal. Continue reading →

22 things CHS heard during the #disarmhate panel at Gay City

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IMG_6632Attendees of a panel discussion on curbing gun violence and hate crimes didn’t have to look far beyond the walls of Capitol Hill’sĀ Gay City auditoriumĀ to find reasons for the event.

Four shootings on Capitol Hill recently took place in the span of four weeks. A black woman was shot to deathĀ in Madison Valley. Days before Capitol Hillā€™s trans pride event, a transgender person was physically attacked.

ā€œItā€™s striking that all theses incidents are happening in spaces that are supposed to be safe environments,ā€ said Seattle Urban League CEO Pamela Banks, who moderated the event.

Panelists representing diverse populations around Seattle gathered Thursday to discuss gun violence in their communities. It was perhapsĀ the typeĀ of wide ranging, ā€œreal conversationā€ that many politicians often plead for around issues of guns and hate crimes but so rarely happen. Continue reading →

Anti-LGBTQ violence prompts self-defense classes in Volunteer Park

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9U0A5911AroundĀ 20 people gathered in Volunteer Park on Sunday for the first in a series of self-defense classes being offered in the park this summer.Ā The outdoor seminar isĀ free and open to all, but specifically geared towards the LGBTQ community and people of color. With theĀ recentĀ assault of a transĀ person onĀ CapitolĀ HillĀ duringĀ PrideĀ weighing heavily on the minds of attendees, organizers said the need toĀ prepare for suchĀ attacksĀ is an unfortunate reality.

ā€œIt really breaks my heart to see violence in this community and Iā€™m just so tired of it,ā€ said instructor Brendan Ng, who organized the class along with two other martial arts practitioners.Ā The fist class was primarily attended by women.

One attendee, who gave her name asĀ Sterling,Ā said that while she has never felt ā€œsuper, super unsafeā€ on Capitol Hill, she has been in some dangerous situations and heard about gruesome attacks, such as theĀ anti-trans beating in June, that prompted her to attend the seminar.Ā ā€œI realized, ā€˜Oh, that could be me,ā€™ and I thought I should learn how to defend myself,ā€ sheĀ said. Continue reading →