Some consider White Center an extension of West Seattle (and someday it officially might be), so we’re letting you know about a tragedy there early this morning: A veteran King County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed in WC overnight. Here’s some details from the P-I site; that story doesn’t mention the address but elsewhere it was reported as the 10000th block of 12th SW.
I am very sad to see a police officer lose his lef in the line of duty. I am so glad the gunman was killed. Swift justice for a cop killer.
Very disappointing and I agree with Jiggers. White Center needs to be cleaned up quite a bit more. I’ll be glad to turn the key on the first bulldozer.
sad comments from the House and Jiggers. I am sure this is the kind of attitude that Steve Cox would have decried. From all I have read about this hero he was against the bulldozer reaction and was more apt to organize community or work from within to make things better. Let him be a model for the rest of us schmucks who talk sh*t about our neighbors, but aren’t really ready to lift a hand to help them. It seems to me that Deputy Cox was all about extending his hand.
The House’s comment is the kind of knee-jerk reaction to White Center that only preserves an unfair stigma, one that Steve Cox fought against. I met him briefly during my nonprofit work in White Center. He was a true community activist who didn’t turn his nose up at White Center and invested his time and talent into an area that needs people like him.
Hmmm, I don’t recall saying anothing about Steve Cox but now I will. I wish I could have met Mr. Cox because he seemed like a very dedicated, intelligent and commited man. I am sadened that such a great man was killed by a piece of sh*t, but the other deputies gave him (the felon) what he deserved….instant death.
Now, as for NBP and Mona….you know nothing about what I have or have not done for my community. You may be a schmuck, but I do everything I can to make West Seattle a better place, including looking out for my fellow neighbors.
Reality check folks!!! Drive into downtown White Center at almost anytime of day and you can find crack whores, homeless, drug dealers and prostitues. This is not a generalization….it’s something I observe almost everytime I pass through. It needs a good cleansing unless you’re into that stuff. Why would you have tolerance for criminals? Mona, White Center has earned this stigma because of unfortunate incidents like this one. Again….BULLDOZE it.
nbp..
What, are you trying to imply that I am insensative? really….get a grip. It was swift and justified so the family of officer Cox won’t have to endure a lenghty tial at one that also would cost you and I and the tax-pyers millions of dollars. You are a shmuck.
House, have you just passed through or have you stopped into the nonprofits and checked out their efforts to combat this “stigma”? A drive-by, if you will, doesn’t show at all the community members who aren’t willing to let their neighborhood be a den for the “crack whores, homeless, drug dealers and prostitues” [sic]. Yes, there is an unfortunate reputation, but there are people dedicated (http://www.mcskc.org/) to rebuilding White Center. Can’t we acknowledge their efforts, as Steve Cox was one of those contributors, instead of shrugging off the whole neighborhood as a construction project?
And what happens when you bulldoze White Center? I don’t tolerate criminals, but I don’t think the solution is to completely erase everything south of Roxbury. Where will those people go? Would you welcome them in West Seattle?
jiggers,
yes, you are insensitive. 2 people died. Both of them had mothers, fathers, children, family, friends. no matter which way you look at it, this is a tragedy from all sides. I would rather spend my tax dollars on trials than have people killed in my neighborhood. When the law prevails we get justice. If you reread my first message you can see that I was addressing you and the house’s avocation of bulldozing a neighborhood. Which is ridiculous… and yes, you are a schmuck.
and the house. I could give a flying f*** what you have done for the neighborhood. Reality check, sir… you just condemned a neighborhood and all of its inhabitants based on the criminal acts of an individual. You are a schmuck.
Cheers,
nbp
Not to mention, it’s been pointed out that the person who killed the deputy didn’t live there. May not have lived in WC at all. Yeah, it’s got trouble spots, still, but so does almost any neighborhood. Somebody got shot dead on a Beach Drive bench. A meth lab turned up in a house a stone’s throw from the Morgan Junction Starbucks. Spend some time in White Center, really spend some time, even “just” in the business district. We went to Cafe Rozella a week ago to see what all that fuss was about; never did get around to posting about it, but it’s a cool place to hang out. So was the carnival in WC Park last summer, barely a block from where the shooting happened this weekend. WC is a neighborhood in transition, just like a lot of WS neighborhoods east of 35th used to be – Westwood in particular comes to mind.
Regadless of where the shooter actually lived, I think some of this commentary is spot-on. I am saddened by the death of an officer, but can’t say the same for teh piece of crap that killed him.
When are we finally going to get tough on criminals instead of making excuses for them? Ask yourself – would you pack a gun around? Would you pull it on someone? Would you kill a cop? No? Not a chance in hell, right? I just don’t get how we can continue to be soft on people that have no intention of following the law.
And, of course…. Man who killed sheriff’s deputy was convicted felon with long rapsheet
Time to get tough on people that refuse to live by some simple standards of a civilized society.
weird… something happend to the link… here it is: http://www.komotv.com/news/local/4818156.html
Thank you Eric! Our community is infatuated with “fixing” people who are the scum of the earth. Child molesters, rapists, murderers all “need” to be helped. It’s that thought process that will most likely award monetary damages to the family of the man killed by the police officer. My heart goes out to the police officer and officers who risk their life’s day in and day out. To the fecal matter scum that killed the police officer, rot in hell!
The thing that depresses me the most about House’s and Jigger’s comment is something that I experienced more than once in the US (I came over to live/ work here about 8 years ago). It’s that people prefer to attack the symptoms rather than solving the root cause of a problem.
If you “bulldoze White Center†(quite frankly, one of the dumbest comments I read on this board) than you will make things worse in the long run. The bad elements in this neighborhood will just shift somewhere else and become more severe than before in the process. Not to mention that a lot of good people would suffer very badly while you “bulldoze White Centerâ€Â. It sounds like some of the people commented here have personal relations to people in White Center. I do as well.
The officers who killed the assailant would tell you to also F## off. They wanted to kil that Motha and get revenge for their fallen trooper. I bet you not one of those officers at that moment would think twice about letting that sucka live. Grow some balls.
Those that attended West Seattle High school in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s–Steve Cox was the son of Ron Cox, longtime teacher at West Seattle.
My comment to bulldoze WC is not dumb, it is unrealistic. You know and I know that it will never happen. I stated in my orginal comment that WC needs to be cleaned up quite a bit (everyone missed it b/c I advocated bulldozing it). Andre, you made comments about what Jiggers and I wrote, but do not offer a solution. What do you suggest, attempting to rehab crack addicts, mulitple convited felons (like the one who was involved in this incident) and postitutes?
Let’s not get too engulfed in disagreeing. I know we all want WS and WC to be a better place! Rest in peace, Officer Cox. We’re all sorry that you had to pass the way you did.
House, I think one way to solve White Center’s problems is to do what Steve Cox did — talk AND listen to people from inside the community.
My personal involvement is via Big Brothers Big Sisters. I got matched up to a child living right smack in the middle of White Center about 2.5 years ago. Without going into any details — it has been an eye opening experience for me personally. Their web site is http://www.bigandlittles.org. There are a lot of children in White Center currently hoping to get matched up to a big. It’s an opportunity to have a positive long term impact on some of the people living in this neighborhood.
With regards to the people that prefer to continue to live outside the boundaries of our society (regardless of where they live) — hunt them down and put them to trial. I agree that putting people to trial is a much harder thing to do and, at times, does not result in justice, but it is the one thing that separates the people that live within the boundaries of society from the ones that do not.
Don’t think White Center’s problem CAN be solved… if it could, why hasn’t it already? Sure, you can point to areas east of 35th and say that problems can be solved… but they just moved – it’s called gentrification. That’s about the only way we’ll solve the problems of White Center and similar areas.
Another good place to start is with the parents… did you see the killer’s mom on TV? “My son is not a monster” “My son was just doing what he thought was right.” Want to find the root cause of the problem? Look right there.
Now we are finding out that Raymond Porter shot and killed himself. The never ending cycle. He already was arrested 17 times and he’s only 23 yikes! Good riddance!!
Sorry, comment time is over.
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