WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: The damage ‘hurts the most,’ says Admiral Pub after burglary

| Crime | West Seattle news

The report and security-camera images were sent by Admiral Pub proprietor Alex Garcia:

It was bound to happen eventually. We had a break-in (today) around 5 am. We really have nothing worth stealing, it was more the 6k in damages that hurts the most. They stole alcohol, cash, and broke both the front doors and back door.

Luckily we have a temporary fix for both the front and back… but it will cost us 3k plus install for new front doors and the back door also is going to require a new door, frame + install etc.

Luckily we were still able to be open and will continue to be open.

As bar owners, we do our best to plan for these days, but they always come when you least expect them. If you would like to support us here are 2 ways you can support us: You can donate to our gofundme. Or you can come out next week to Wednesday Trivia (7 pm) or Thursday Music Bingo (7 pm). We will have drink specials and it will be a fundraiser for the new doors and lost liquor (that was stolen). Any kind of support would be greatly appreciated. We love you all!

We’ll add the SPD report number when we get it.

Rod March 1, 2024 (8:04 pm)

This may be a question that has been asked before when other establishments have been hit but does your business insurance not cover this? Seems like decent insurance would help when these things happen but maybe I am uninformed.

Seth March 1, 2024 (8:40 pm)

Insurance like car insurance will still have a deductible and usually for businesses 3k probably isn’t worth it.
- Admiral pub March 2, 2024 (12:55 am)
  
  Yeah that’s exactly it. It’s so expensive we’d only use it if we had like 20k+ of damage like a fire or flood. Something under 10k we’ll manage so our deductible doesn’t go up.
Mike March 2, 2024 (11:25 am)

If the loss is large enough, an insurance claim might make sense. Small retail business owners have deductibles, the likelihood their rates will be raised after a claim, and the possibility of being dropped altogether by their insurance carrier. I know this is not your intent, but it actually adds to the problem when people dismiss this sort of damage as an insurance claim issue. It’s incredibly hard to run a small business here in Seattle and the solution is not indemnification via insurance. It’s us demanding better behavior, and holding responsible parties accountable for their actions.

Brandon March 1, 2024 (8:23 pm)

“It was bound to happen” tells you how sad the state of affairs are.

Wseattleite March 1, 2024 (9:36 pm)

Exactly.
- WSDUDEMAN March 2, 2024 (1:24 am)
  
  This attitude is hard to digest. You aren’t ‘due for a break in’. You just need to demand better support from your local government as a retail establishment. You pay taxes. You can’t just think of this as ‘the cost of business in West Seattle.’.
  - Brian March 2, 2024 (4:11 pm)
    
    This is such a precious comment. Let me know how this approach works out for you.

Kyle March 1, 2024 (8:39 pm)

Honestly, driving around West Seattle over the past year the amount of plywood doors at various times has been astounding. Seems no business is safe.

1994 March 1, 2024 (10:21 pm)

This is an extra expense & probably needs property owner approval but how about installing some type of strong metal security doors whether roll downs or a something with bars? Something that can resist a crowbar which that guy appears to be holding? These break in guys are horrible people!

Admiral Pub March 2, 2024 (12:57 am)

We just talked about doing something like that. Surprisingly it’s not to expensive.

WSDUDEMAN March 2, 2024 (1:27 am)

Why do we always advance to the idea that people NEED to secure their business with roll-down doors or bars?!?!? Why can’t we just adequately prosecute criminals??

Not it, my dude March 2, 2024 (7:46 am)

For starters, your basic assumption is wrong. You think that prosecuting criminals will reduce crime. That is not the case–I am happy to be shown wrong on this, but the majority of studies indicate increasing prosecution does not reduce crime rates.

That said, I totally agree with the need to do SOMETHING!–I certainly don’t want to live in a neighborhood where we all need bars on our windows, and I agree that installing things like that must not be the solution. But prosecution won’t save us, so we have to figure something else out…
- WDubs March 2, 2024 (2:54 pm)
  
  Not it……https://cebcp.org/evidence-based-policing/what-works-in-policing/research-evidence-review/broken-windows-policing/
  - not it, my dude March 2, 2024 (5:00 pm)
    
    Hi, WDubs, I just read the opinion piece you linked and, yeah, I’m familiar with most of that research.
    
    The main point that article makes is that visible and common low-level crime leads to increases in more serious crime. That’s true. But it’s also not much to do with my point reminding (telling?) people that simply increasing punishment doesn’t reduce crime.
    
    Did you have a particular point you thought that article was making, especially vis-a-vis my argument?
Anne March 2, 2024 (7:48 am)

We can do both- but there are lots of criminals out there & they must be caught, prosecuted & punished. Protecting your business before you can’t afford to stay in business seems logical.
- Hammer in Hand March 2, 2024 (10:26 am)
  
  If I were caught back in the dayI would have feared my parents not the police although the police knew many kids in the hood and knew their parents would deal with whatever it wasso releasing to parents actual meant the sh&t was going to hit the fan. A number 12 boot in the backside was a lesson to learn from
  - Still not it, my dude March 2, 2024 (11:39 am)
    
    Hammer–your charming anecdote aside, you must know by now that physical punishments like that do not reduce crime or violence in a society. It’s not even up for debate–that debate has been settled for years, thanks to numerous studies and professionals who have devoted their lives to understanding what promotes or discourages crime. Again–that is not the answer–it really and truly is not a way to decrease crime. And if you doubt me (as you have every reason to!) please take some time to look up the research on your own–there’s tons of work on this topic out there.
    - Hammer in Hand March 2, 2024 (4:42 pm)
      
      Physical punishment was not needed. And was not used, but it was a deterrent. If you knew that the first DUI arrest you lost your driving privilege the 1st time no questions. 2nd time is 5years of incarnation no questions. You would make sure you did not drink and drive. Let’s punish and quit cuddling
    - Neighbor March 3, 2024 (10:00 pm)
      
      Seems harsh for a first offense. Would mean a lifetime of isolation and underemployment for one mistake. Nobody is perfect.
    - Byron James March 2, 2024 (4:57 pm)
      
      El Salvador begs to differ with you. (Among other countries)
    - not it, my dude March 2, 2024 (6:44 pm)
      
      Hi, Hammer–I don’t have much experience regards DWI/DUI law and behavior, but I do have enough to know that you are again fundamentally overvaluing the threat of punishment. Look: It would be GREAT if stricter punishments were more effective. It would be WONDERFUL if that was the case. It would make all of this so much easier. Too much of a particular type of crime? Easy: ramp of the penalties and we’re done! But no matter how much you want that to be the case, it’s just not. When it comes to crimes like these, increasing the penalties just doesn’t reduce the amount of crime. It just doesn’t work, and I don’t know what else to tell you…
    - Hammer in Hand March 3, 2024 (7:05 am)
      
      Sweden very low DUI. Why, strict enforcement of punishment. Do the crime, pay the time. Catch and enforce!
    - Not it, my dude March 3, 2024 (8:55 am)
      
      “Sweden very low DUI.”
      
      Ok.
      
      “Why, strict enforcement of punishment.”
      
      1) You don’t know that is why, nor do you provide any evidence that is why.
      
      2) You also conflate two very different things here–enforcement and punishment. Think of enforcement as being caught and punishment as what happens when you are caught. Crucially, enforcement IS important, but it also requires a LOT more cops/cameras/etc on the roads. Visible police are a good deterrent.
      
      But as for the punishment aspect? Surprisingly, doesn’t matter that much. I know, it’s counter-intuitive, and for some people that alone is enough to dismiss the findings. But your opinions and feelings don’t dictate how the world works–sorry to break it to you.
      
      Rather than swamp you all with tons of links, here’s just one article (that links to others) that talks about some of the evidence out there regarding how ineffective stricter punishments are (and sorry this has devolved into a talk about drunk driving–I know it’s not the original topic, but it does seem related (and Hammer is really pushing that angle, so…)):
      
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianahembree/2017/03/29/text-while-driving-pay-10000-why-draconian-punishments-dont-work/

Ryan Caple March 2, 2024 (6:09 am)

Oh man! I’m so sorry. I was right across the street at chevron at the exact time. You guys do a wonderful job creating such a fun space for people to gather and enjoy time together. This is a strong community and these thoughtless people won’t stop you or us from continuing living our best life!

RJB March 2, 2024 (6:48 am)

So sorry for the Admiral Pub…so if you can go help, that would be amazing! Going to donate a few dollars to help our neighbors out!!

Marcus March 2, 2024 (8:40 am)

All good comments, however why do we always punt without demanding greater police patrols, finding ways to hire more police, and filling the jails. It seems like we are indeed a society that has accepted this type of crime as part of life.

Neighbor March 3, 2024 (10:02 pm)

I’m not sure I follow. Are you suggesting we should try to fill jails?

Scarlett March 2, 2024 (9:46 am)

Of course these events are disturbing, and devastating for these business owners, but these are the “fruits” of predatory capitalism. There are no free lunches in life and ironically, its the “law and order” and “boostrap” crowd who can’t seem to grasp this reality – or refuse to – that we are witnessing the the most staggering and obscene financial “melt-up” in world history. We live in a modern day equivalent of economic feudalism.

Dr Wu March 2, 2024 (1:31 pm)

Scarlett, I agree but we’re also getting dumber as a Nation too. I have little faith our city, county and state leaders.

Scarlett March 2, 2024 (12:42 pm)

More law enforcement can’t fix a society that abdicated all responsibities to one another. You can place a cop on every corner and it will change nothing, because there will be another “criminal” to replace the one you locked up. How long can we operate in this endless if/then reiteration until we can’t afford any more prisons or cops?

Marcus March 2, 2024 (1:53 pm)

Deterrence verses acceptance. There are those who would rather blame society and accept. I would invite Scarlett to share her philosophy with the owner of the Admiral Pub in person.

Scarlett March 2, 2024 (10:48 pm)

I’d be perfectly willing to because the owner of the Admiral Pub can probably grasp that two things can be true at the same time – pain and loss at their personal level and a deteriorating society on a grand scale that contributes to it. I acknowledge the former, when are you and others going to acknowledge the latter?

22blades March 2, 2024 (2:06 pm)

“You can place a cop on every corner and it will change nothing, ” I have to disagree on that one. I’m not a “defund” proponent & I certainly have been on the recieving end as a victim of property crime. I’m not advocating a police state but a timely response is needed to be a deterrent. I understand the SPD’s staffing issues but waiting for an officer for a couple hours by your smashed up car is hardly reassuring. I grew up in Japan where they have a system of miniature police boxes called “Koban”. They’re staffed with officers who know the neighborhood. They know real well who belongs there… and who doesn’t.

not it, my dude March 2, 2024 (5:06 pm)

22, You’re correct that Scarlett got that one part wrong. People who have JUST seen a couple (like in the last block or two) are MUCH less likely to commit crimes. Having more police (on foot is best) absolutely deters crime, but only the immediate vicinity. The effect wears off even 5 blocks away. But yes, more cops can absolutely deter crime–but largely only to the extent that they are an immediate and visible presence. As such, it’s not a good long-term stable strategy at a city-wide level. We simply can’t afford to have a cop on every 5th block.
- Scarlett March 2, 2024 (11:08 pm)
  
  My point is that this economic system we live under will produce an infinite, so to speak, number of “criminals.” Instead of remedying the root cause – a economic system that really can’t even be called capitalism by the most generous definition – some are proposing a “cops on every corner” to suppress the inevitable product of this economic system. I say throw out all the textbooks, from Adam Smith to Marx, because I don’t think they tell us anything that we all don’t already know, deep down, that this is the wrong approach and not sustainable.
  - not it, my dude March 3, 2024 (6:39 pm)
    
    Yeah, I think we agree on this. The “cops on every corner” thing isn’t even remotely feasible, let alone what people actually want (one hopes), and besides just works to stem an inevitable tide. Fun times!
- K March 3, 2024 (5:51 pm)
  
  If cops nearby deterred crime, there would be no shoplifting at the Home Depot. Spoiler alert: there is a LOT of shoplifting at the Home Depot. I have seen cops walk right by people selling stolen goods on 3rd Avenue, and they do nothing. Cops’ pay doesn’t depend on them doing anything about crime. In fact, the worse crime gets, the more money people want to give the department. Not saying NO cop will ever deter crime, but most of them won’t deter or even interfere with it.
  - not it, my dude March 3, 2024 (6:45 pm)
    
    Sure, there are always going to be exceptions. And, yes, the studies I am familiar with do have as a basis the premise that police will, you know, do something. But in general the idea of more and more visible police (assuming they actually act!) works to deter crime in the immediate vicinity. As an aside, what really gets me going in WS is the sheer lack of traffic enforcement–expired vehicle tags, cars parked facing the wrong way, etc., etc. It seems like such low hanging fruit and the low level of ticketing in those areas seems like a canary in a coalmine type of warning (end rant).

Villagegreen March 2, 2024 (2:13 pm)

I was about to chime in, but Scarlett said it better than I could have. With extreme income inequality comes crime. No matter how many people you lock up.

James Samson March 2, 2024 (3:30 pm)

It’s a sad state of affairs when we have people recommending businesses place metal bars and/or garage doors on the front of businesses to protect them from burglaries! Another solution would be for all business owners to unite and band together and demand better of our elected officials. The failed police defund movement got us partially to where we are today, that along with judges who don’t feel dangerous criminals should be held accountable for breaking the law. When criminals now have more rights than the tax paying citizens & small business owners, we got a big problem on our hands and must do a complete 180 to get back on track to a functional and more importantly safe society with law and order at the forefront. Things won’t get better as long as criminals know they can do as they please and face zero consequences of breaking the laws. Crime isn’t a solution or excuse for those in poverty, that logic is horrible & anyone who thinks this way is essentially condoning crime vs an orderly society that’s safe for all of us.

CAM March 3, 2024 (12:21 am)

Please explain your theories to the 70s, 80s, and 90s when bars on windows and metal roll down doors at night were prominent at businesses and our need to lock people up for long periods of time was at its height. Because none of that stemmed the tide of property crime.

Scarlett March 3, 2024 (1:15 pm)

You will never get any acknowledgement from some that predatory capitalism is contributing to crime and deterioration of society. Why? We all know why – too many upper middle class are quietly profiting from that same predatory economic system in the way that a parasite attaches itself to big sharks and is nourished by bits of the prey that drift its way. Crude and harsh analogy, perhaps, but it is accurate to describe our financial system. Instead of examining their own complicity, they fabricate silly fictions about a defunding police movement, or blame politicians, or moan about the deline in personal responsibility and moral turpitude, or hold infantile beliefs that safe, crime-free neighborhoods, and fat 401K porfolio’s, and rising home values, and good schools, and pothole free roads – all those prized petit bourgeosie “values” – don’t come without a severe cost to other less fortunate segments of the population.

Marcus March 3, 2024 (4:39 pm)

Interesting, when I was young and everyone else around me had homes and cars and great sports equipment and travelled—I did not feel a need to smash and grab. But I did moan and feel left out nursing my ego wishing I had more. What I did was work hard for a few decades like everyone else who eventually gains picking and choosing better paths for myself. What I am hearing is the people who just complain are really not going anywhere. Soon they will be in their 30s and still complaining with next stop the 40s and 50s still complaining. The complainers need to grow up real quick.

West Marge March 5, 2024 (1:23 am)

Boomer much? Back in my day, when we could buy a car for 12 bucks and a house was 350 dollars, my wife could stay home and have the pot roast on the table by 6p. Little Johnny and his paper route got him thorough Stanford, and now he’s a doctor with a golf cart in Florida!

WSREZZO March 4, 2024 (11:45 am)

This is awful. we will definitely be coming to show support at trivia. @WSB/@Admiral Pub: did trivia change from the usual Tuesdays to Wednesdays moving forward? Thanks!