West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(WSB photo from Monday night, looking southeast from the encampment’s main gate)
Less than a week remains until September 1st, the date the city has proclaimed and posted for closing the site where the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” has been for more than two years. Again tonight, the Westside Interfaith Network brought volunteers to keep vigil outside the encampment, near the busy intersection of West Marginal Way SW and Highland Park Way SW:
Organizer Mary Anne deVry says her understanding is that people are continuing to arrive at Nickelsville, rather than clearing out as the deadline nears; we had heard the same thing in our conversation with a manager from Union Gospel Mission, brought in by the city to spend at least some of the allocated $500,000 to find housing and other services for campers. But again, this week’s nightly vigils by WIN (6-9 pm each evening through Saturday) – a primarily faith-based coalition of churches/organizations in the West Seattle/White Center vicinity – are meant to shine a light on the plight of homeless people, not necessarily to oppose the closure of the encampment, although deVry and other volunteers continue to wonder where the estimated 150 or so there will go.
They shouldn’t have been allowed to put down roots there in the first place, contends Highland Park Action Committee co-chair Carolyn Stauffer, whose community council is headquartered just up the Highland Park Way hill.
With less than a week and a half until Seattle Public Schools students are due to return to school, the district and its teachers have yet to reach agreement on a replacement for the contract that expires Saturday (August 31st). Members of the union representing teachers and some other employee groups, the Seattle Education Association, voted “nearly unanimously” against the latest proposal this afternoon, according to an update on the union’s Facebook page. It should be noted, that was NOT a strike vote – the union says they voted “to return to bargaining.” The district listed details of its offer on its website three days ago; tonight, in a statement acknowledging the union’s rejection vote, Superintendent José Banda said, “While we are disappointed that members of the Seattle Education Association did not approve our proposal, we are hopeful that we will reach an agreement that is in the best interests of students prior to the start of school.”
6:54 PM: We’re cross-posting this from the WSB Lost/Found Pets page since an injured dog might still be out there somewhere. Ashleigh e-mailed to say:
A black and white Boston Terrier was hit by a car in front of Gatewood Elementary, on Myrtle St at 5 pm. I live right across the street. There were several witnesses to him getting hit, none of whom i was able to get info from. The driver, however, stopped her car, and with a witness tried to find him. After being stuck, he ran south down the alley across the street from the east side of the school campus. I looked for him for almost an hour and a half with no luck. I keep saying “he,” but i am actually not sure of the sex.
If you find the dog, please take it to a vet, Ashleigh requests; if it’s your dog and you want to ask her more about the circumstances – you can reach her at ashleigh_spring@hotmail.com.
8:24 PM: Just heard from Ashleigh: “I found the owner of Louis the Boston Terrier. He is alive, though he does have a broken pelvis. I will report more of his condition when I find out. Thanks, West Seattle!”
The three men arrested last Wednesday night after allegedly holding up a woman in Arbor Heights and trying to rob a man in Fauntleroy have just been charged. 
22-year-old Hassan I. Abdirizak, 19-year-old Abdulkamir A. Ahmed, and 21-year-old Najib A. Aden are each charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted first-degree robbery. Though investigators say they are suspected in other robberies – the documents say “additional charges are likely” – the charges filed today are for the Arbor Heights and Fauntleroy incidents and a robbery earlier that same night on Beacon Hill. The documents do not mention any other West Seattle incidents; Ahmed is alleged to have claimed the three, and others, were involved in 7 holdups on Capitol Hill. The documents do confirm what we found in research last week – no known criminal history for Abdirizak and Ahmed, but Aden was arrested in June for theft and harassment. Accordng to police, the car in which the three were found in Arbor Heights (WSB photo above) belongs to Aden’s aunt. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked that bail remain set at $250,000 each (8:12 pm update: that’s where it stayed); the three, none of whom lists a West Seattle address, are scheduled to be arraigned on September 9th.
(Photo courtesy Cori Roed)
It’s an annual tradition – AFTER Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club closes its pool for the year, its teams will raise money by inviting dogs over to swim again this year! The pool at 11003 31st Avenue SW plans five 2-hour sessions:
Tuesday, Sept. 17th 5-7 pm
Wednesday, Sept. 18th 5-7 pm
Thursday, Sept. 19th 5-7pm
Friday, Sept. 20th 5-7 pm
Saturday, Sept. 21st 10 am-12 pm
There are a few prerequisites – see them, along with other details, on the official flyer. No people in the pool (again, this is AFTER the human swims end for the season) but dog owners will have to stay at the club while their pets are in the pool. $10/donation per dog or $25 for a pass for the entire five-day run.
The newest Twitter service launched by the Seattle Police Department is aimed at getting stolen/lost bicycles back to their owners. It’s @getyourbikeback – but instead of tweeting info on stolen bikes as @getyourcarback does for stolen vehicles, it will include info on bikes that SPD has recovered but not been able to return. In many cases, according to this explanation on SPD Blotter, that’s because the bikes weren’t reported as stolen. So if your bike does get stolen – be sure to report it to police; let us know too, so we can include it in a West Seattle Crime Watch report; and keep an eye on @getyourbikeback.
Aida Fraser-Hammer is one of six new Seattle Public Schools principals in West Seattle for the school year that starts a week from Wednesday – in charge of our area’s most populous school, Chief Sealth International High School. Her leadership team includes two new assistant principals, joining Andra Maughan, who moved to Sealth from West Seattle High School last year: Clint Sallee from Baltimore and Cheryl Sullivan comes to us from Arizona. Fraser-Hammer previously worked in the Kent School District, as noted when her appointment was announced almost two months ago. Her “get ready for school” message for families, with dates and details, can be seen here; you’re also welcome to stop by and meet her and her team – students welcome too! – at the school today, until 6 pm.
Thanks to Christine for the tip – she e-mailed with news of a “cool twin-masted sailboat” passing by; MarineTraffic.com revealed it was Lady Washington, the tall ship that’s been featured in movies and music videos (including Macklemore‘s “Can’t Hold Us,” a winner at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards), so we headed down to the shore to grab a photo. According to its website, the Lady Washington is en route from Tacoma to Kirkland, where it’ll be based with another tall ship, Hawaiian Chieftain, through Labor Day. P.S. Macklemore has even made a PSA video urging people to support the nonprofit-owned-and-operated Lady Washington – see it here.
(Photo by Mark Wangerin)
Short list of highlights today, so we’re bookending it with two beautiful photos of Anna’s hummingbirds, each credited beneath – thanks again to everyone who shares wondrous West Seattle imagery with the community via WSB. Now, from the calendar:
CHIEF SEALTH PRINCIPAL’S MEET-AND-GREET: As announced last week, the new principal of Chief Sealth International High School, Aida Fraser-Hammer, says the doors are open today for a meet-and-greet with her and other school administrators – just stop by 10 am-6 pm. (2600 SW Thistle)
SUMMER READING PROGRAM: Last week to get in on the Seattle Public Library‘s summer-reading program – as explained here – just go to your nearest branch during regular hours!
VIGIL OUTSIDE ‘NICKELSVILLE’: Tonight is the second night of the Westside Interfaith Network‘s week of vigils outside the encampment, in hope of raising awareness about homelessness. Here’s our coverage of the first one on Sunday night, and our archived coverage about the encampment, which the city says will be closed after next weekend. (7116 W. Marginal Way SW)
DELRIDGE GROCERY: Volunteer help is sought by the nonprofit group working to launch a co-op grocery store next summer in the under-construction DESC building on Delridge. Their next public meeting, as previewed here, is at 6:30 tonight, Delridge Branch Library. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
(Photo by Patrick McCaffrey)
See the calendar for recurring events (and please let us know if you see errors!).
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
No scheduled road work announced for West Seattle this week – aside from the ongoing Delridge repaving – so the only heads-up we have for you, so far, is another ramp closure next weekend for expansion-joint replacement, longer than the just-concluded closure – 7 pm Friday (August 30th) until 3 pm Monday (Labor Day, September 2nd). More info here.
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