West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
(Photos by Ellen Hoke, courtesy The Great Pacific Race)
Another achievement for the West Seattle-residing ocean rower who holds world records including having become the first solo human-powered global circumnavigator: Erden Eruç and a rowing partner completed The Great Pacific Race, billed by its organizers as “the world’s ultimate endurance challenge.” Eruç and Louis Bird, as the Sons of the Pacific team, made the ~2,400-nautical-mile crossing from Monterey, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii in 54 days and 42 minutes, arriving last Thursday.
Eruç had joined the team days before departure, after Bird’s original partner had to drop out because of illness. The two connected after Bird met Eruç’s wife Nancy Board at a memorial service in San Francisco, and Eruç said he felt he had to fill in, “as an elder in the sport of ocean rowing.” (He celebrated his 55th birthday during the race.) Bird is the son of ocean-rowing legend Peter Bird, who set a record with 938 days of ocean rowing before being lost at sea when his son was just 4 – Eruç has come close to that with 933 days in all after this trip.
This was the second running of The Great Pacific Race; the first was in 2014, the next scheduled for 2018. This year, it had six teams of two or four rowers, all starting the journey on June 4th; Eruç and Bird were the fourth to finish (the first was a four-person crew) and the last finishers are due in Hawaii tomorrow.
(Thanks to Vlad Oustimovitch for the tip on this!)
In West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight:
SIGN ARSON: Within the past half-hour, somebody set a political sign on fire in Gunner‘s yard in Highland Park (7500 block 12th SW). It was a sign for 7th District Congressional candidate Brady Piñero Walkinshaw. A neighbor saw it on fire and knocked on the door to sound the alert; no suspect description. Police have been called. Gunner says another yard sign (for Vision Zero) was untouched.
SHOTS OR FIREWORKS? Several people have e-mailed today about hearing possible gunfire from south Admiral to south of The Junction to Morgan Junction early this morning. The latter appeared to be fireworks, around 4:20 am, according to one person who says she saw the flashes. No confirmed gunfire reports on the SPD log so far, and we can definitively say no shooting victim(s) turned up.
STOLEN BICYCLE WITH EXTRA SENTIMENTAL VALUE: Have you seen this old, but priceless, bike stolen from Justin?
It was stolen out of a secured parking area on California near Morgan Junction Friday night. It’s a green, men’s, mountain-bike style bicycle with no name label. It was built at home with a kit. It does have a Marin County bicycle sticker on it (pink on the sticker). It’s heavy and has toe-clips (not for clip-in shoes). The black handle bars have extensions (also black). It has 26-inch wheels currently with Ritchie slick tires. It has (had) a red Canondale pouch under the seat. Still in good condition, but it’s over 20 years old. My late uncle built it and I’d really like it back.
FOUND, LIKELY STOLEN, GOLF CLUBS: Jessica sent the photo and report:
(Saturday) evening I found a set of golf clubs that had been dumped in an alley between 34th and 35th SW. They were apparently stolen, because the pockets of the bag were strewn about. They are in a blue Wilson Staff bag and one of the clubs is engraved for Travis.
P.S. – NIGHT OUT: Having a Night Out block party on Tuesday? Let us know, so we can potentially stop by for a photo! We’ll also welcome your photos and party updates – editor@westseattleblog.com, texted to 206-293-6302, or tweeted/Instagrammed with a tag to us @westseattleblog – thanks!
One week after a delegation of city officials led by Mayor Ed Murray walked from the Longfellow Creek P-Patch to Roxhill Park – has the Find It, Fix It Walk changed anything? Will it? A followup discussion focused on grants related to the walk is one of two major agenda items for tomorrow night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting.
(WSB photo, July 25th Find It, Fix It Walk)
Lemmis Stephens, an AmeriCorps team worker on the Find It, Fix It team, at right in photo above, will be there. (The grant applications are here – deadline next Wednesday, August 3rd.) Monday’s 6:15 pm meeting upstairs at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson) also will include a “focus group” on crime/safety/policing issues for the area served by WWRHAH, with SW Precinct researcher Jennifer Burbridge. All welcome, whether you want to join in the discussion or sit in the corner and observe.
Thanks to Miranda for the tip: Another music shop is opening in West Seattle. Tomorrow is grand-opening day for David Goad Violins (at ActivSpace, 3400 Harbor SW). The shop handles “sales, rental, repair, and restoration of stringed instruments … violin, viola, cello, and bass as well as bows.”
Thanks to Andrea for the photo of Gwen and Muriel toward the start of their fourth annual Seattle Humane Society-benefiting bake sale – a tradition they started as fourth-graders! – now at the halfway point (scheduled to continue until 3 pm). Even if you’re not up for home-baked treats, you are also welcome to stop by and donate cat and/or dog food and/or toys, or $/checks for the Humane Society. Find them at 36th/Dakota (map).
5:44 PM UPDATE: From Andrea:
Huge thanks to the West Seattle community for their awesome support today! These dedicated young ladies raised $457 for the Seattle Humane Society through today’s bake sale!!
Remember the work at Talarico’s Pizza that briefly uncovered a decades-old Schuck’s sign back in May? Here’s a little more history from that block in The Junction:
Mariann Petersen shared the photo of her father, Alfred “Andy” Anderson, via e-mail: “I am sending a photo taken sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It is a photo of my father standing in front of his barber shop at the Junction. He was there before Schuck’s Auto Parts. He moved farther south on California Ave to make way for Schuck’s. You can see a reflection of a very old car in the window.”
Mr. Anderson retired in 1982 – figuring, according to a Seattle Times clip that his daughter shared, that he was the oldest active barber in the city. That was 14 years before he died in 1996 at age 90.
(Great Blue Heron grooming off Constellation Park, photographed in mid-July by Matt Olson)
Happy Sunday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for today/tonight:
LOW-LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: 9:30 am-12:30 pm, volunteer beach naturalists from Seattle Aquarium will be out at Constellation and Lincoln Parks to assist low-tide explorers. (Today’s low-low tide is -1.7 feet at 9:36 am.)
BENEFIT BAKE SALE: 10 am-3 pm, it’s the fourth year that Gwen and Muriel (now Madison Middle School students) are having a benefit bake sale for the Seattle Humane Society – cupcakes, cookies, brownies, more – cash, or checks made out to SHS, which will receive all proceeds. They also will have a SHS to collect cat/dog food (dry or wet), animal toys, and/or new scratching posts. (36th SW/SW Dakota)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Summer freshness continues, 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
PLAY GAMES! Noon-6:30 pm, see the right side of the Meeples Games (WSB sponsor) home page for the list of groups playing there today – or just drop in! (3727 California SW)
LAST LIGHTHOUSE TOUR FOR TWO WEEKS: No Alki Point Lighthouse tours on Seafair’s big weekend – next weekend – so today, 1-4 pm, is your last chance to visit until mid-August. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
UKULELE JAZZ, ROCK, LOUNGE, HAWAIIAN, REGGAE … that’s what you can expect to hear from Arden Fujiwara at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)
KOBE YMCA HANDBELL CHOIR: 6:30 pm at Fauntleroy UCC/YMCA, a benefit concert by this internationally renowned group of 15 ringers (six octaves!) – details in our calendar listing. (9140 California SW)
LOOK AHEAD INTO AUGUST … by visiting our complete calendar page.
(Hi-Yu float and Junior Court Princess Sara in last Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. Photo by Don Brubeck)
7:23 PM: Minutes from now, around 7:30 pm, the Seafair Torchlight Parade begins downtown, and the West Seattle Hi-Yu float will be rolling southbound on 4th with 100+ other floats, marching bands, drill teams, dignitaries, and other parade entries. Because of volunteer-powered Hi-Yu, West Seattle is the only neighborhood in the city that still has a traveling parade float. Even as our community changes, it’s a bridge between the past and the future – with the latter represented by the ambassador and royalty programs for kids of all ages, girls and boys, to build confidence through public appearances. Can you help this tradition continue? From Gloria Teves of Hi-Yu:
West Seattle Hi-Yu Invites You to Its August Meeting
If you enjoyed seeing the Teen Ambassadors at the start of the Float Dodger 5K, and Hi-Yu Royalty on the “Around West Seattle”-themed float last Saturday during the West Seattle Rotary-presented Grand Parade and thought “That’s so cool – how do I get involved?” – come join us at our general meeting on Monday, August 1 at 7:00 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, 4320 SW Hill Street (in the North Admiral neighborhood). Meetings generally last about an hour and half.
This is our 2nd to last meeting of the fiscal year (our last meeting will be September 12). The agenda includes planning for the last 2 parades we will be participating in (Lake City and Issaquah Salmon Days), then we’ll begin a discussion about the future of Hi-Yu. If you are interested in helping Hi-Yu continue on into the future, come and let us know your thoughts. Hi-Yu doesn’t exist without its volunteers and generous donors and we need both to keep it going. If you’re retired and have lots of time available to share or if you’re a busy family with few hours to spare, we welcome everyone!
If you can’t make it to the meeting, but would like more information or provide comments about the future of Hi-Yu, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/wshiyu or the website at westseattlehiyu.com.
Hi-Yu is in its ninth decade, founded in 1934.
ADDED 8:35 PM: Thanks to Mike Jensen for this photo of the Hi-Yu float in tonight’s parade – where he reports it’s won the Seafair Royalty Award!
4:57 PM: We have several West Seattle Crime Watch reports for this roundup, but first, something working right now:
JUNCTION SHOPLIFTER: Donna from City Mouse (4218 SW Alaska) in The Junction wants to warn of a shoplifter who just hit her store this past hour: “Hair in a bun with a flower garland headband. Light colored pants. Large white satchel. Tall. African American. Maybe 30?”
ADDED 5:04 PM – HIGHLAND PARK CAR/MAILBOX BREAK-INS ON CAMERA: From the 8th and Elmgrove area:
This happened while we were on vacation. It was at 12:28 am on Friday, July 22nd. We just got home. Two men in a black 4-door car broke into our car. Unfortunately it was unlocked, which we are still trying to figure out because we locked and armed both our vehicles before we left. They stole stereo equipment and a bunch of mechanic tools that were in the trunk. They were at our car for 6 minutes! Then when they were done cleaning out the car, they checked all the mail boxes and pried open our neighbors lock box. You can see two different men in the video. The first one’s face is not really clear, but the second one is. …
The car pulls into camera view at 12:28:46. The first man’s face is visible at 12:29:34. The second mans face is visible at 12:33:20. At the end of the video is where he breaks the lock box. … I am so done with stupid people getting away with stuff like this. We did file a police report. The police actually showed up 15 minutes after we called them!
BIKE STOLEN IN THE TRIANGLE: Nicole‘s new bicycle was stolen at her workplace on Thursday:
Around 6:45 pm 7/28/16 I was getting ready to close the shop, I’m a barista at Realfine Coffee, and while making a drink for a customer, this man in a newer white Infiniti came to use the bathroom. As he was leaving he jumped right on my bike – we have a garage door that was open where I keep it – and rode off as fast as he could while someone in the car drove off. My customer chased after him with all of his might for about 15 minutes but was unsuccessful.
I am really upset because I had worked so hard to buy that bike and have only had it for a week now. It is a vita sport disc. Matted black, it says Specialized in teal and has some pink as well, medium sized, and straight handlebars.
ADDED 5:19 PM – ANYONE MISSING THESE CD’S? From Sarah:
Crazy amount of thefts/car prowls happening in our neighborhood this month, west of Gatewood Elementary.
(A paper grocery) bag of CD’s with two cases, blue and purple, was found in front of the house next door. Perhaps they belong to someone in the neighborhood? They were most likely left by the same person(s) who got into our car and took two backpacks. We circulated the photos around to our neighbors, but no luck, perhaps you can post them on the blog and someone might be able to reclaim them? I have them at our house.
NORTH DELRIDGE CAR PROWL: From A – “Someone went through our truck and stole some tools – hammers, drill bits, etc – from one of the truck’s drawers on the 2800 block of SW Dakota St … sometime after 6 pm on 7/28 and (before) 7:30 am 7/29.”
ARBOR HEIGHTS PROWLER ON CAMERA: From John:
(Thursday) around 10 am, this person trespassed into our backyard (Arbor Heights – Marine View Dr SW) and was seen by our babysitter, who took the picture.
Nothing appeared out of place or missing. He was in our backyard for around poking and looking around for about 2 minutes. If you have any information regarding this person, please call the Seattle Police Department at 206-733-9800 and reference Incident #16-272005.
Volunteers at Peace Lutheran in Gatewood are building a tiny house for @LIHIhousing today. pic.twitter.com/2UihlsEb7n
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
Someone will have a roof over their head soon, thanks to volunteers and donors at Peace Lutheran Church, carrying out an idea from the church’s most recent confirmation class (14- and 15-year-olds). Today is the second of four days that they’re spending building a “tiny house” to be donated to the Low-Income Housing Institute.
One of the youth who came up with the idea, Katharine, told us that $2,200 was raised to buy the materials through a deal LIHI has with Home Depot. Now they have the kit and are assembling it right outside the church in Gatewood, also supported by a $250 grant from Thrivent that funded items like gloves, food for volunteers, and even the T-shirts they’re wearing.
Which of the city-sanctioned camps managed by LIHI will get it, that’s up to LIHI, the Peace Lutheran volunteers say; the nonprofit will pick it up once it’s ready to go sometime Monday.
(Photo courtesy CAPERS)
Happening now at CAPERS Home (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – Susan Goodwin‘s last jewelry trunk show of the season, with what she says are “oodles of new designs.” It’s not just a great chance to shop, but also a chance to do a good deed, as part of the proceeds will go to buy blankets for Mary’s Place, which “empowers homeless women, children, and families to reclaim their lives.” The show is on until 4 pm; CAPERS is at 4525 California SW.
We’re sharing the official poster for Delridge Day to remind you that the free, fun festival in the park outside Delridge Community Center, presented by VIEWS, is exactly two weeks away – 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday, August 13th. Plan to be there to be entertained, informed, and engaged … watch here for more details soon. (WSB is a Delridge Day sponsor again this year, so we’ll be there too.)
8:46 AM: If you’re headed toward the eastbound bridge right now – use Fauntleroy, a texter advises. It’s the annual parade-float backup. Apparently what happened last year on the morning of Seafair Torchlight Parade day is happening again right now, with floats stored at Terminal 5 heading out via lower Spokane. Seafair is again having a parade-participant showcase at Seattle Center in advance of tonight’s parade down 4th Avenue (7:30 pm start, but *no* pre-parade run this year).
8:56 AM: Just checked the SDOT live-video camera for the low bridge in time to see the tail end of the float motorcade (grainy screenshot added above), so you should be OK to use Admiral/Avalon again.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
Some of your options as this West Seattle weekend gets going:
ALKI BEACH RUN REGISTRATION PARTY: Now until noon, West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) offers raffles and more to entice you to come sign up for the August 28th Alki Beach Run benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing. (2743 California SW)
CAR-WASH FUNDRAISER: 10 am-2 pm, Chief Sealth International High School Cheer Team is raising money with a car wash at Les Schwab in The Triangle. $5 donation. (Fauntleroy Way SW/SW Alaska)
WEST AFRICAN DANCE & DRUM SHOWCASE: 11 am-noon at Southwest Library, teaching artists from Gansango African Drum and Music Co. will “demonstrate contemporary and traditional West African dances and music with help from the audience.” All ages welcome. (35th SW/SW Henderson)
ALKI LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Free tours of West Seattle’s historic lighthouse between 1-4 pm with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
SALSA ON ALKI: Lesson at 5, dancing at 5:45 pm, details (including cost) are here. (60th SW/Alki SW)
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: 7 pm at Camp Long, GreenStage performs “Cymbeline,” free – details, including where in the park, are in our calendar listing. (5200 35th SW)
‘FROM DOOR TO DOOR’: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, the Seattle Jewish Theater Company presents this “award-winning comedy about three generations of Jewish women and the American dream.” Ticket info is on the Kenyon Hall website. (7904 35th SW)
OUTDOOR MOVIE AT PARK WEST CARE CENTER: Park West Care Center (WSB sponsor) is opening its big patio in North Admiral for a free family-friendly community movie night. The movie is “Never-Ending Story,” 8:30 pm. Bring your own chair/blanket. (1703 California SW)
OUTDOOR MOVIE AT HOTWIRE COURTYARD: And it’s the third of six Saturday nights for West Seattle Outdoor Movies – “School of Rock” is on the courtyard screen, after the band Those Guys provides pre-show entertainment. Movie at dusk (9 pm-ish) but grab a spot in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard early. Free, but bring cash for nonprofit-supporting concessions and raffles if you can! (4410 California SW)
FIND EVEN MORE TO DO … on our calendar.
This one, we haven’t solved yet. Lots of texts – a few with photos, including the one above – wondering about this: A low-flying helicopter was off Alki for a while this evening, near a yacht at one point, near an Argosy Cruises boat at another point. Neither the boat nor the helicopter showed on trackers, so we haven’t figured out yet who/what/why – from some past stories, looked to us like a possible photo shoot. Any info, we’d love to hear it, in comments or via e-mail – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
7:58 PM: Getting some questions about the dark smoke to the south – thanks to Aaron for being the first person to point it out, visible from the Southwest Athletic Complex where we’re still covering Band Jam: It’s a residential fire in SeaTac, in the 20400 block of International Boulevard.
8:19 PM: Now a 2-alarm fire, per fire agencies in the area. Reported to be at a mobile-home park.
Junior All-City Band kicks off Band Jam at SW Athletic Complex. Free & fun! 7 bands schefuled. pic.twitter.com/aHaR6zRev5
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
6:46 PM: We’re at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, across from Chief Sealth International High School), where Band Jam 2016 is happening for at least the next hour and a half – more than half a dozen marching bands in a showcase originally organized in 2009 by All-City Band director (and new Denny International MS assistant principal) Marcus Pimpleton, meant as a tuneup for tomorrow night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade but having expanded into much more. As he said in opening remarks to the hundreds of spectators who are here for the free show, it’s also a chance for the participants to see other musicians, including adult bands like the Sounders’ Sound Wave, participating tonight. Above, the Junior All-City Band was the opening band; the 8- through 17-year-olds of Pacific Northwest Drumline are next:
Pacific NW Drumline up 2nd at Band Jam pic.twitter.com/yEZXDQE1L9
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
This drumline has become a regional parade favorite:
7:04 PM: Kennedy Catholic High School‘s Summer Marching Band, from just a few miles away in Burien, is on the field now:
Now on the field at Band Jam … @KennedyCathWA Summer Marching Band pic.twitter.com/xz5L2VaGSl
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
They won the band category at the West Seattle Grand Parade last Saturday.
Sumner High School‘s massive marching band is up next.
As announced, this band includes both middle- and high-school students.
8:07 PM: After Sumner, the All-Star Drumline from Poulsbo (Band Jam debut!):
And now Sounders FC‘s Sound Wave is rocking the stadium:
Now it's @SoundersFC Sound Wave at Band Jam! pic.twitter.com/zplz4URCc5
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
Show-stopper choreography as well as musicianship:
Up next: The hosts and stars of the show, All-City Band (who were the overall winners at the West Seattle Grand Parade last Saturday):
And of course … @AllCityBand as the Band Jam grand finale pic.twitter.com/9qvg0TDTAp
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
8:33 PM: ACB is still wowing the crowd.
ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: More photos and video added inline above – and bonus photos below: Read More
More road work you need to know about: Lower Spokane St., just east of the “low bridge,” is in for some major work starting soon. From the official project page.
Starting in early August, SDOT will repave and make other improvements along SW Spokane St from SW Klickitat St to East Marginal Way S. We expect the work will take approximately three months to complete.
Project Elements
Repave street surface
Add new pedestrian crossing (with pedestrian push button signal request) on the West Seattle Bridge Trail (west side of the intersection of SW Spokane St & Klickitat Ave SW/11th Ave SW)
Build new and upgraded curb bulbs and curb ramps
Replace 2 active railroad crossings
Remove an abandoned railroad crossing
Construct raised crosswalk on the north side of the 900 block of SW Spokane St, creating a speed bump to slow people driving as they cross the paths of people walking or biking on the West Seattle Bridge Trail
Repair sections of sidewalk and trail where tree roots have badly cracked the surface.
The project coordinator tells WSB that as of right now, this is scheduled to start on August 8th – one week from Monday.
The Seattle Preschool Program, funded by a levy voters approved two years ago, has room in West Seattle – 50 spots, to be precise. Outreach manager Rachel Schulkin e-mailed WSB to let us know, explaining, “The program is open to 3- and 4-year olds. There is no income limits on 4-year olds, ANYONE can apply for a 4-year old (And we do accept 3 year olds if they are under 300% [of the federal poverty level]. This is different from any other publicly funded preschool program in Seattle.)” Tuition is on a sliding scale – $1,070 a year if the student is from a family of 3 with $70,000 annual income; $3,096 for a student from a family of 5 with $125,000 annual income; no charge for a student from a family of 2 with $45,000 annual income. Citywide, the program will have 600 students this year, more than double what it served last year (though less than a third of its 2018 goal); the area locations with spaces are Arbor Heights, Boren, Concord, and Highland Park Elementary Schools. Apply via seattle.gov/education – ASAP.
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with a report from SPD Blotter:
HIGHLAND PARK ARRESTS: Police arrested two men, ages 23 and 24, and got a stolen van back late last night. The SPD Blotter report says it started with “a report of a white van driving up and down the street in the area of 7th Avenue SW and SW Elmgrove Street. The call stated that the two males inside the van were yelling at people as they drove by. Officers found the van in an alley in the 700 block of SW Kenyon Street and discovered both the van and its license plates had been reported stolen. As officers were examining the vehicle, a man approached them and asked them if they were looking for a vehicle driving up and down the street. This is the point at which officers became aware that the purportedly helpful man was, in fact, the driver of the stolen van. After witnesses confirmed the man’s connection to the stolen van, officers began searching for his accomplice. They soon found a second suspect hiding in some bushes in a neighboring driveway. Police discovered the second man had several warrants for his arrest, and officers also found approximately 4 grams of methamphetamine and a collection of 18 unidentified pills in the van.
CAR THEFT AND VANDALISM: Via e-mail, “(4200 block of) Beach Dr SW, stolen car and second car vandalized.” We’ll add information on the car’s make/model/plate when we get it.
CAR PROWL, WITH CLOTHING LEFT BEHIND: From N:
Just wanted to report a car prowl on the 3800 block of 33rd Ave SW sometime between 10 pm on 7/27 and 8:30 am on 7/28. Some women’s shoes were taken and middle console rifled through. This is the 2nd time in 8 months this has happened to my car. Although this time, they left this sweater behind.
Another development today in the saga of the encampment Camp Second Chance.
First, the backstory: Eleven days ago, after three months of being hosted by a church in Tukwila, the camp set up on what turned out to be private land next to the east side of the City of Seattle-owned Myers Way Parcels (WSB report, July 18th). The land’s owner asked them to leave, and they said they would.
That move last weekend took Camp Second Chance across the street (WSB report, July 24th) and just inside the Myers Way Parcels’ main gate on the west side of the street. This past Monday night, when the mayor and city department heads were in West Seattle for the Roxhill/Westwood Find It, Fix It Walk, we asked the city’s real-estate-handling department (Finance and Administrative Services) director Fred Podesta about the camp; he told us (WSB report, July 25th) it was unauthorized and would at some point be told to leave.
That point has already arrived. Polly Trout from Patacara Community Services, the nonprofit that has been working with the camp, just sent the photo atop this story, showing the eviction notice she says the city gave them yesterday, warning the area will be swept next Tuesday (August 2nd). From her e-mail:
On July 28, the City of Seattle gave official notice to Camp Second Chance that they must vacate the unused city lot that they are occupying by this coming Tuesday, August 2, or be swept. Please call Mayor Murray and ask him to give the camp three months on the site while they continue to look for a new host site.
Camp Second Chance is a sober and well managed homeless encampment. The camp is self-governing and receiving supportive services from my 501c3 nonprofit, Patacara Community Services. They have a code of conduct, 24 hour security, Honey Buckets, and trash removal. The community is clean, safe, and ethical.
Until July 18, the camp had a legal site at Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila. They were there for three months, as per their agreement with the church, and have been invited to move back there in January. However, they were unable to find another host site in time, and they wanted to honor their three month agreement with the church, so they have moved to a Seattle city owned lot that has been unused and vacant for several years. They are continuing to search for a new permitted site sponsored by a religious organization and plan to move as soon as they have located one.
The camp is home to 25 adults, one toddler, and two dogs. Most of the camp residents are working. I firmly believe that ALL people deserve a safe place to sleep, but believe me when I say: I know this community well and you will never meet a more decent and hardworking group of citizens and neighbors. Seattle has declared a state of emergency around homelessness; right now, there are probably 100 homeless encampments in Seattle. All of them are necessary, under the circumstances, because people have no place else to go.
The camp residents do more than just care for themselves and each other. They also give back to the neighborhood by doing voluntary outreach and resource referral to other homeless people in the area, and deter crime and illegal dumping on their block.
I urge you to contact Mayor Murray and ask him: With so much suffering in the city, why is the city spending tax dollars to sweep an encampment that is sober and well managed, on public land that would not otherwise be in use? Please urge him to stop ALL sweeps until everyone has a safe and legal place to be, but especially not to prioritize sweeping a camp that is doing such a stellar job of providing safety, compassion, dignity, and hope to its members. …
Trout asks anyone with a site to offer to contact her at polly@patacara.org and asks supporters to contact FAS director Podesta, and/or Mayor Murray and/or City Councilmembers. Just last night, by the way, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold – whose district includes the Myers Way Parcels – included information on the encampment situation in her latest update to constituents. You can read it in full here; this excerpt seems to run contrary to what is happening now:
… Over the months that I have been on the City Council there has been much discussion of how the City should work with people living in encampments. We are a City with very long lines for shelter and years’ long waiting lists for affordable housing and rent assistance. Whether caused by a lack of access to housing or a reluctance to accept help when available, sometime it takes time for outreach workers to help campers. As part of these discussions I have urged the Executive not only to have its work guided by established public health and safety prioritization criteria, but I’ve asked whether outreach workers have the ability to ask for more time if – in their estimation – more time would help get campers access to services. I have been assured that the Executive’s administrative protocols do allow for a “go slow” approach in these instances. As it relates specifically to the Myers Way properties, I have told the Executive that:
I understand that complaints have been made about the encampment and that this obligates the City to accept those complaints;
As it relates to acting on these complaints, I believe health and safety prioritization criteria should be used in determining when to schedule action on this encampment;
I want a report on the outreach and services being provided to the campers with assurances that should outreach workers find that more time will result in better outcomes for the campers that more time will be given;
and I’d like the City, in the interim, to provide garbage services for the campers, consistent with the encampment garbage removal project I proposed in March.
We’ll be checking with her this afternoon during her local office hours as to what she knows about the planned sweep at the site. (Added 3:25 pm: We talked with Councilmember Herbold at SWNSC a short time ago. She said she is aware of the sweep plan but has yet to hear back on the requests she made prior to writing her update, which in turn was before word that the camp had received notice to clear out.)
(back to original report) Meantime, Polly Trout’s e-mail ended with this:
This crisis does not go away when we turn our heads. If we work together and act now, we can fix this. Please join me in doing everything we can to make sure every person has a safe place to sleep tonight. I don’t want to live in a county where this kind of suffering is normalized. I don’t want my kids to grow up thinking that when women are beaten to death under bridges because nobody cares enough to give them a safe place to sleep we just ignore it, because there is nothing we can do about it. This is NOT inevitable and we CAN end this. But not by chasing homeless people around and destroying their survival gear while public land goes unused behind locked gates. That is not working. If the camp needs to move, let’s all work together to find them a better and legal place to be and then move them there.
Thanks to Melissa for the beautiful photo from Alki this morning. She says she was out swimming this morning when she spotted porpoises shortly after 6:30 am. Too far to be seen from the photo – but she wanted to share this view of our area’s glorious beauty anyway. (Photos always welcome – editor@westseattleblog.com is the best way to send, but texting to 206-293-6302 also works, especially if it’s breaking news.)
Now, highlights for the rest of today/tonight:
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD’S OFFICE HOURS: Noon-7 pm, you’ll find this area’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold keeping office hours at Southwest Neighborhood Service Center. You’re welcome to drop in, she says, as long as you arrive by 6:30. (2801 SW Thistle)
BAND JAM: Gates open 5:30 pm, music starting around 6:30 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex for this marching-band extravaganza, held annually on the night before the Seafair Torchlight Parade, hosted by the All-City Band, which is among the performers (updated list is in our preview from earlier this week). Free but bring $ for fundraising concessions. (2801 SW Thistle)
DINNER WITH ELVIS: 5:30 pm happy hour, 6:30 pm show (Bret Wiggins as The King) at the Senior Center of West Seattle – check to see if there’s room left; info’s in our calendar listing! (California SW/SW Oregon)
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS’ CASINO NIGHT: 6 pm at Duos Lounge – this area’s largest political organization is having a Casino Night instead of a Garden Party this year. Details in our calendar listing, including how to check if tickets are still available. (2940 SW Avalon Way)
SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: 7 pm at Camp Long, it’s the next free Shakespeare in the Park production by GreenStage – “Merry Wives of Windsor.” Full details in our calendar listing. (5400 35th SW)
/MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: Jan Mandryk plays original music and classic rock at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
MOVIE IN THE PARK: Another movie night in the “park” next to West Seattle Church of the Nazarene, showing “Iron Giant” tonight around 9 pm. Free hot dogs, soda, popcorn. (42nd SW/SW Juneau)
LOTS MORE on our calendar – see it all here!
(Photos courtesy Dr. Bryan Wiebe)
Starting next week, you’ll find longtime WSB sponsor Dr. Bryan Wiebe and his Fauntleroy Chiropractic team in a brand-new location. Here’s the announcement:
After 18 years on Fauntleroy Way, Fauntleroy Chiropractic (Dr. Bryan Wiebe and team) is moving to 4154 California Ave SW as of August 1st!
Fauntleroy Chiropractic was established in the early ’80s by Dr. Greg Tindal (now passed) and taken over by Dr. Wiebe in 1998. In that time, thousands of patients have seen Dr. Wiebe and his team of massage therapists.
This move will continue to allow us to serve the West Seattle community, in a space that is contemporary and congruent. The space was originally a dental office, and recently remodeled by the last tenant, an online advertising company.
The interior has been entirely updated with a remodel that nods to its mid-century history. The original atrium/light bays allow natural light in while maintaining privacy.
“It’s a special place,” says Dr. Wiebe, “with a good degree of WOW factor. Besides stable and classy, it really feels like a healthy space.”
As of August 1st, Dr. Wiebe will be seeing patients at the new location on the regular Monday to Friday schedule. Massage is available daily, including weekends.
Phone number’s the same – 206.932.6605. The new location is on the north edge of The Junction – here’s a map.
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