Toplines from Admiral Neighborhood Association’s first 2023 meeting

One last community-meeting report from this past week: The Admiral Neighborhood Association met Tuesday night at Admiral Church. ANA’s new president Joanie Jacobs led the meeting. Parks and police were two major topics. For the former, Hiawatha’s status tops the list – both for general community interest, and because the ANA’s long-running summer concert series happens there. Parks didn’t send a rep to the meeting, but ANA leadership has been in contact. As reported here last month, the community center’s long-planned upgrade project isnn’t expected to start construction before May, and that would keep Hiawatha closed until early 2024. ANA’s Dan Jacobs, who’s been communicating with Parks, says the play-area move and playfield turf-replacement projects are other complicating factors. The play area, like the community center, has gone into another round of delays, he was told, and plans are currently in “revisions.” Concert-series coordinator Stephanie Jordan is looking for help scouting for alternate locations and planning. The concerts might be in a different format if they do happen – possibly even a one-day music festival.

(ANA president Joanie Jacobs and Southwest Precinct Lt. Nathan Shopay)

Seattle Police did have a representative at the meeting, Southwest Precinct night-shift commander Lt. Nathan Shopay. He noted that Admiral overall remains one of the quietest areas in Seattle’s safest neighborhood. As has been the case at other neighborhood meetings, he was asked about staffing – still a challenge – and also talked about a new version of the four-day schedule that’s being implemented for officers. No updates on specific incidents, but regarding emphasis patrols, he said he’s still placing some officers in the Don Armeni Boat Ramp area on Friday and Saturday nights to try to deter street racers and other stunt drivers.

Other notes: The ANA Adopt-a-Street cleanups will be revived – can you pitch in? Message ANA to volunteer … West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW) is collecting sock donations through the end of the month – drop off packages of new socks for Operation Nightwatch’s work with unsheltered people … The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is continuing to open the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) one day a week, noon-4 pm Saturdays, for visitors. … Watch connecttoadmiral.org for neighborhood updates between meetings.

Odd son January 15, 2023 (11:34 pm)

Did Lt Shopay address the driver(s) driving aggressively and pointing handguns at citizens from Admiral to Gatewood a few weeks ago? Blog comments at the time were just that they were being followed by SPD at several times during the afternoon.

22blades January 16, 2023 (7:12 am)

I wish the association can work with SDOT to add directional parking on Admiral: Parking on the Westbound curb in the mornings & Eastbound curb in the afternoons.

JN January 16, 2023 (8:44 am)

I attended this meeting with my friend Sean who was one of the victims of the two stolen cars convoy of speeding, reckless driving, running lights, crashing into cars and pulling up to point a gun at at least two pedestrians.
Sean had turned to look at the wild driving as both cars passed him on 42nd Ave SW.
They both u-turned and drove stopping outside the Bartell’s to threaten Sean with the gun. He ran into Bartell’s where he was able to call 911.
SPD responded and apparently “acquired” the suspects and followed them speeding down the middle lane of California Ave SW.
Apparently the gun threats, from stolen cars and fleeing the scene do not rise to the threat of SPD allowing a pursuit.
I was told, the SPD officers who “acquired” the suspects called in twice to supervisor(s) requesting permission to pull the dangerous miscreants over.
The requests were twice denied.
SPD apparently sent an unmarked car to “follow” the two cars, but was unable to “reacquire” the speeding vehicles.
Apparently, the two stolen cars crossed into White Center where they were free of SPD.

I had asked Lt. Shopay at the meeting, “what happened AFTER the criminals departed SPD jurisdiction?
Had SPD radioed ahead and passed off to King County Sheriffs?”
Lt. Shopay had no answers.
Over the next couple days, I contacted the West Seattle Crime officers including SPD’s Marjory Kim to little affect.
I attended the second crime meeting at the WS Precinct, requested and was doled out a bit more info.
After my pursuit of facts with more questions, I was told the two stolen cars were found two days later in Tacoma.
No information was available as to what if anything happened to the suspects, if they were being sought or even if another police agency had taken evidence or fingerprints from the recovered cars.

It would be interesting to stay on the trail of this, with new questions rising out of each explanation by the authorities, but the bureaucracy is too powerful of seekers of facts.
But what is clear is law enforcement is no longer that.
Law enforcement is now a separate part of our government that is at odds with “what the people want,” according to Shopay.
Citizens and crime victims are left to fend for themselves as the politicians and the police pursue different goals.

Odd son January 16, 2023 (11:25 am)

Thanks JN. That’s what I suspected regarding all of your points. I’m sorry this happened to your friend.
sean mccarthy January 16, 2023 (1:16 pm)

the other officer present at the meeting offered to follow up on the incident report from my 911 call and my phone interview with seattle PD. he did so and called me back the next morning and told me that to his knowledge officers kept an eye on the vehicles until they left the city and the case had been turned over to homicide. and, that they would contact me if and when they needed to speak with me. this turned out to be not true based on what john found out. regardless, i am baffled and maybe naively, shocked that the situation did not rise to the threat level necessary to pull these guys over. the officers “non-pursuing” the vehicles asked for permission twice. it was denied. instead they let the suspects mosey on down through white center and burien and back to tacoma where they have seemingly disappeared. what would it have taken to authorize pursuing and stopping the vehicles?
- Odd Son January 16, 2023 (6:41 pm)
  
  I was surprised the behavior described by you (and others in the original post) didn’t meet the threshold of being stop worthy.

Bill January 17, 2023 (2:27 pm)

Regarding Hiawatha, Make darn certain that Parks has the money to start and finish the project in a timely manner. They started a project on the south playground at Lincoln Park more that five years ago. They have NOT been back since and now we have no playground. Parks DOES NOT finish what they start when they say they will.

Moderate January 18, 2023 (8:14 am)

“The so-called “police pursuit” law, passed in 2021 as part of a bundle of police reform legislation, said police can’t give chase to suspects in cars unless they have probable cause of a violent crime or sex crime. The idea was to limit the number of deaths that happen during police pursuits.”This is the result of anti-police lawmakers making laws with with consequences they don’t understand. Seems reasonable until the gun turns out to be a BB gun.

Sorry, comment time is over.