West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(WSB photo, February rally/march)
12:46 PM: Seattle Police have announced an arrest in the February murder of a 16-year-old boy in South Park. This was the deadly shooting that brought more than 100 people to a rally/march for peace days later. While the suspect is not yet charged in the murder, he is also jailed in connection with a $250,000 warrant in a case where charges have been filed, so we are publishing his name: 27-year-old Juan J. Macias. In the other case, he was charged in June with choking his girlfriend unconscious. We are checking with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to see if he is due for a bail hearing today; police say they arrested him in South Park on Saturday.
6:30 PM: Macias did have a bail hearing this afternoon. We don’t have documents yet but the jail register shows his bail now upped to $2,250,000.
11:21 PM: The State Patrol and other agencies are dealing with a deadly one-vehicle crash at the Cloverdale overpass where 509/99 meet – avoid the area. The crash brought down a big sign – see the WSP-tweeted photo above – and Trooper Rick Johnson says that’ll mean a long closure on the NB side. More as we get it.
11:39 PM: Thanks to the reader who texted this wider view:
A nearby resident says the driver hit the pole at high speed. [map]
12:49 AM: Still closed.
7:30 AM: As noted elsewhere, NB is still closed as crews deal with the sign. SB reopened overnight. Meantime, WSP’s media update says the driver was a 17-year-old Seattle resident.
UPDATE: The 99/509 crash scene has reopened as of 8:33 am.
2:26 PM: Seattle Public Schools has confirmed what was first reported in comments below – that the victim was a West Seattle High School student. Here’s the letter WSHS principal Brian Vance has just sent to families:
Dear West Seattle High School families,
It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that one of our students, Jonathan Teso-Rueda was killed in a car accident on Thursday night. Jonathan was a bright, talented and well-liked student at West Seattle High School. His sense of humor and big, caring heart will be missed. As a community, I know we will come together to not only support Jonathan’s family, but one another.
We will have counselors available at West Seattle High School on Monday, July 9 from 9 am-12 pm for students needing support or wanting to be with their friends on campus.
When someone dies, particularly suddenly, it’s normal for children and teens to have different kinds of feelings and reactions. Parents and guardians have important roles in helping students understand about death.
Here are some suggestions for how to help students
• Stick to facts. Answer questions factually.
• Remain calm and reassuring. Students take their cues from their parents and adults.
• Be a good listener and observer. Pay attention to changes in behavior.
• Be especially loving and supportive; children and teens need you even more at this time.We recognize that even if your student may not have known or been close to Jonathan, or his family, he/she may still feel a strong reaction. We also realize this may be your student’s first experience with death or it may trigger feelings about other deaths your child may have experienced. This is an opportunity for students and families to acknowledge their grief and express their feelings about a sudden loss for which they have no control over.
Please take care and we will share information about any events to support students, staff and families if and/or when they become available.
Brian Vance
Principal
West Seattle High School
Running a small business? And/or launching one? The Seattle Public Library has free consultation appointments open starting soon for its Library to Business program. Librarian Nancy Slote, who’s part of the L2B team, explains, “We help research business questions, particularly with market research. The library has great subscription databases, available in the branches and remotely, with a library card, which can provide consumer buying data and identify competitors and market trends. We meet with entrepreneurs in all stages of business development, from people with an idea, to those writing business plans, to those operating businesses.” They have appointments at the Delridge, High Point, and South Park branches – this flyer shows the day/time windows, and the number(s) to call to get yourself set up to go in for help (or, Nancy says, you can schedule via e-mail at L2B@spl.org).
(WSB photo, February)
Three months after she joined the peace vigil/march in South Park, the mayor returns to SP tomorrow afternoon.
As part of her ongoing effort to bring City Hall to all Seattle communities, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan will host a roundtable with South Park community leaders to discuss ongoing and new City initiatives in South Park. Mayor Durkan will be joined by representatives of the Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Office of Sustainability and the Environment, and Seattle Police Department, who will be able to answer questions and provide resources to the community.
“South Park is a diverse and vibrant home to many young people, families, and small businesses, but it also demonstrates our City’s need for equitable investment in economic empowerment, public safety, and better basic services,” said Mayor Durkan. “Through collaboration with community leaders, we are going to tackle the tough challenges facing South Park and create more opportunity for our young people.”
She’s scheduled to be at the South Park Community Center (8319 8th Ave. S.) at 3 pm Thursday.
(Smoke from 2nd South Park fire, seen from West Seattle, tweeted by @WestSeaWX)
3:50 AM: You might be hearing the sirens, especially from southeast West Seattle: Seattle Fire is at the scene of a fully involved house fire in the 9300 block of 7th Avenue South, less than two hours after another South Park house fire, in the 1200 block of S. Cloverdale (less than a mile apart).
4:03 AM: Per monitored radio communication, SFD has just called the 7th Avenue S. fire “defensive” – too dangerous to be inside the structure.
ADDED: Here’s the SFD wrapup about both fires.
If you notice police activity just southwest of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, in the area between West Seattle and South Park, here’s what it’s about, according to scanner traffic: Police are looking for a suspect who is reported to have run away after crashing a vehicle near Highland Park Way SW/2nd SW. (added) A K-9 team has joined the search in the brushy areas alongside the highway.
Thanks to Sarah Blum for the report and photos from one of the events spotlighted here on Saturday:
Saturday night, April 7th was the seventh annual Duwamish Rowing Club FUNdraiser and not only was it a fun event that drew in a crowd of supporters, but it offered many prizes.
From a day on the King Gustav yacht owned by head coach Mike Merta and his wife Sherry Toy, to an Island Escape on Bainbridge Island that included a two-hour sail and dinner + a basket of wine and other goodies, and many other prizes in the raffle and silent auction.
Thanks to Sherry for the amazing chili and cornbread, Flying Fish for the great beers, and the youth team for the scrumptious desserts.
One of the highlights of the night was the interview done by Marcie Sillman of KUOW with Bill Tytus, from his rowing and coaching days to designing rowing shells to his ownership of Pocock Racing Shells. One memorable moment was his focus on finding the magical “swing” while rowing.
As advertised, it was a fun event that raised much needed monies to support the club’s growing youth and learn-to-row programs. Contact the club through duwamishrowingclub.org
DRC is based on the Duwamish River in South Park; the Saturday night event was held just up the hill at Highland Park Improvement Club.
Concord International (Elementary) School is in South Park, but is part of Seattle Public Schools‘ southwest cluster, and has West Seattle kids in attendance. It’s also a school where three in four kids qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. The Concord PTA is hoping people all around our area will support their upcoming fundraising auction, now less than two weeks away – Saturday, March 24th:
We have some very cool auction items to bid on – a week in Mexico, 3 month gym membership, a signed Sounders jersey, a private dinner by famous chef Young Cho. Your ticket purchase of $25 includes dinner as well as 2 drink tickets, which is a really good deal.
The event is set for 6-9 pm March 24th at South Park Community Center (8201 10th Ave. S.) and you can buy tickets right here, right now.
Now that this is less than a week away – in case you haven’t already heard, the city library system has a one-day closure coming up next Wednesday:
All locations of The Seattle Public Library and the book drops at Central Library will be closed Wednesday, March 7 for a staff in-service day. Regular operating hours will resume Thursday, March 8.
West Seattle has four library branches, and South Park’s library is just a bit to the east. The map and list of all SPL locations citywide is here.
Tonight’s March for Peace in South Park was not a march to protest, complain, or oppose, organizers stressed as more than 100 people gathered outside the SP Library before it began. It was to envision what neighbors want South Park to be, to have.
The catalyzing event was what neighbors want South Park to NOT have … violence. Two nights ago, a 16-year-old boy was critically injured by a shooter who has yet to be caught. That was one week after a shooting that injured two men. The two incidents are unrelated, police told us, yet both left people in South Park determined not to go back to the way things were long ago. With that determination, hope, and love, “this is the new South Park,” organizers declared.
With bicycle officers riding alongside, and police at every cross-street, marchers walked on eastbound Cloverdale and southbound 14th.
The march turns onto South Park's main business street, 14th Ave.S. pic.twitter.com/JehlFRrSnF
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 10, 2018
They carried signs, some made outside the library minutes before the march began.
And when their silence was finally broken, as the march ended at the service station near the scene of Wednesday’s shooting at 14th/Trenton, first it was by music, some softly singing along to “Lean on Me”:
At the gas station near Wed's shooting scene. Bill Withers' classic 'Lean on Me' is being played; some softly sing along: 'We all need … somebody to lean on …' pic.twitter.com/7QKEF1fzCy
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) February 10, 2018
Then, there were words of support, urging the youth in the crowd to know everyone was there to support them – and there were many young participants there to hear the message:
Also there, dignitaries who took care not to hold the spotlight for long, if at all. Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best had a few words before the march began.
City Councilmember Lisa Herbold did not take the microphone
Nor did Councilmember Lorena González:
Both councilmembers have worked to advocate for increased safety resources for South Park; Herbold wrote about it again in her weekly online update hours before the march. But first – a young man remains in the hospital, and before the gathering ended, organizers requested prayers and thoughts for his recovery.
No new official information tonight on last night’s shooting in South Park that left a 16-year-old boy in critical condition. No arrest reported in that case or the double shooting a week earlier. But we do know that neighbors in South Park are hoping that West Seattleites and others from around the city will join them in this quiet plea. The invitation, in English and Spanish:
In wake of the recent shootings in our neighborhood, please join your neighbors in a silent march for peace. We will meet at 7:30 pm Friday at the library [8604 8th Ave. S.] and proceed to the Chevron gas station on 14th. Bring flashlights or candles. Let’s bring the city’s attention to our neighborhood. We need additional resources. We need community engagement. We need Peace. ☮️
A raíz de los recientes tiroteos en nuestro vecindario, únase a sus vecinos en una marcha silenciosa por la paz. Nos reuniremos a las 7:30 en la biblioteca y nos dirigiremos a la estación de servicio de Chevron en la 14 avenida. Trae linternas o velas. Es importante llamar la atención de la ciudad a nuestro vecindario. Necesitamos recursos adicionales. Necesitamos trabajar como comunidad. Necesitamos LA PAZ!
12:40 PM: Big police search under way in an industrial area in the south end of South Park right now after two people were shot in the 9200 block of 10th Avenue S. [map] According to radio communications, a suspect is believed to have fled in what’s described as a dark-colored Toyota Camry. Traffic is being blocked on some roads around the scene. Updates when we get them.
12:47 PM: According to radio communications, both victims are men, one in his 40s, one in his 20s, and both are being rushed to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medic units.
2:01 PM: We just talked with police at the scene. They believe one person shot both men, whose injuries are described as non-life-threatening. They don’t yet have a good description of the shooter but do hope to at least have more of a description of the getaway vehicle soon. No word on a motive, either; this is an industrial area in southwest South Park.
ADDED: Above is video of the briefing we covered at the scene, with SPD spokesperson Det. Patrick Michaud.
A year ago, we reported on the South Park commercial buildings bought and being renovated by West Seattleite John Bennett and business partners. One of the renovated spaces – South Park Hall – was leased and opened by West Seattle entrepreneurs. And today is opening day for another new business with West Seattle proprietors. It’s Uncle Eddie’s, and Michael Goldsmith tells us about it:
Uncle Eddie’s is an all-ages public house located in South Park at the corner of 14th Ave South and Cloverdale. It’s an independent, local family-owned business. My partner Keasa and I live in Highland Park. Keasa is a full-time architect here in Seattle (she did the plans and design) and I have worked for Elliott Bay Brewing Company for the past 17 years, most recently as their Operations Manager.
Uncle Eddie’s isn’t just about beverages – its website notes, “We have partnered up with the uber-talented Chef Jed Lutge to create an excellent menu of drool-worthy appetizers, hearty grilled sandwiches, house-made soups, and salads available for lunch and dinner.” Hours at 8601 14th Ave. S. are 11 am-midnight Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-1 am Friday/Saturday, kitchen open until 10 pm.
If you have, or know, kids/youth at risk of hunger, Seattle Public Library wants to remind you about Kids’ Café – free afterschool meals at High Point (3411 SW Raymond) and South Park (8604 8th Ave. S.) branches every weekday during the school year:
The Seattle Public Library has partnered with Food Lifeline, Boeing and the USDA to bring healthy and kid-friendly foods to three Library locations. Free after school meals will be available for all youth ages 18 and under for the remainder of the school year, through June 22, 2018.
All kids are welcome — no proof of income, address or citizenship is ever required. Kids Café meals are specifically selected to appeal to kids’ notoriously picky palates and to meet their special nutritional guidelines.
Library programs are free and everyone is welcome. Free parking is available at all three locations. No meals during the Library’s holiday closures.
Visit the High Point branch 2:45-3:30 pm weekdays, the South Park branch 3:45-4:15 pm weekdays.
If you went to Camp Second Chance‘s community party on Saturday afternoon (one of the events on our daily-highlights list), and had a slice of pie – here’s who to thank: The South Park Senior Center. Diane Radischat, a member of the center’s board of directors, shared the photo and explained:
South Park Senior Center donated and delivered 36 pies for (the camp’s) holiday party today, enough pie for 300 people. We wanted to give back to a community we knew was deserving of a treat at this special time of the year.
Diane is second from right in the photo, with, from left, a camp resident, SPSC executive director Patricia Barker, and, also from the center’s board, Sharon Schaffer. CSC is the city-sanctioned encampment on Myers Way, home to more than 45 people as of the report given to its community advisory committee earlier this month.
Dance for education! A tango charity gala is in the works for programs including the Concord International Elementary PTA and the Heritage Spanish program at Kennedy CHS, “A Milonga for a Cause,” with live music featuring the Chicharra Tango Orchestra, a pre-milonga lesson, dance performances, a DJ, and more. It’s set for 8:30 pm Friday, December 15th, at Eden Seattle Event Place and Nightclub (1950 1st Ave. S.) Tickets are $40 in advance – buy yours now – and after advance sales cut off (or at the door), $50. Tickets include two drinks and a bite.
Just in from Councilmembers Lorena González and Lisa Herbold, after word of an incident at 14th/Cloverdale in South Park today:
As residents of West Seattle, we are heartened by the power of the South Park community in action reported to us earlier today. This morning, U.S. I.C.E. agents were said to have requested access to a residential building to serve a warrant. The owner of this building rightly turned to a trusted advocate in the neighborhood for assistance about responding first. As luck would have it, this advocate was meeting with a City of Seattle employee, and Seattle as a welcoming city took swift action.
The three individuals – armed with knowledge from a Know Your Rights training – checked for key things that make a warrant legal and actionable. The administrative warrant held by the I.C.E. agents did not meet the legal threshold that would allow them to legally enter the building. Denied entry, the I.C.E. agents stated they would wait in their cars. The three were soon joined by members of the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network’s Rapid Response Team, who helped monitor the situation and photographed the agents’ unmarked cars. The agents soon dispersed. To the knowledge of those on the scene, no one was detained by agents at or near the apartment building today.
What happened this morning is a terrifying reminder that knowing your rights also means knowing what to do if I.C.E. shows up. Knowing what to look for or whom to turn to in the moment is vital to ensuring that legal processes are followed and, thus, preventing a catastrophic outcome.
Unequivocally verifying that an enforcement action is taking place before posting it on social media, is crucial to preventing the unnecessary spreading of fear or panic within our immigrant neighbors and communities. If you believe you are seeing an enforcement action taking place, report it to the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network hotline at 844-RAID-REP (844-724-3737). Resources, in multiple languages, to Know Your Rights can be found at: OneAmerica, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, or with civil-rights organizations like ACLU.
The instinct and care to look out for one another and your neighbors is what makes Seattle a welcoming city. We applaud the bravery and quick thinking of our three community members and Rapid Responders from Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network to help at least one family stay together today.
“We ARE the opportunity gap,” Robin Schwartz from the Concord International Elementary School PTA told the Seattle School Board at its meeting this past week. (When you click “play” on the video clip below, it should advance to her remarks.)
We first reported three weeks ago on the concerns of Schwartz and other parents at Concord, which is in South Park but also draws some West Seattle families, especially because of its dual-language program, the subject of some of the changes they’re worried about.
They organized a forum to bring some of those concerns to school and district officials (WSB coverage here), and have another one planned.
And now they’re gathering signatures of support after circulating this letter:
In her remarks to the school board last Wednesday, a comment period that has strict time limits, Schwartz focused on the kindergarten class size, adding that besides being a non-optimal experience for students, “Our teachers are overwhelmed and overburdened.”
At the forum earlier this month, the district promised a committee would look at the parents’ concerns. A November 9th followup meeting is planned to see what progress has been made. But the PTA doesn’t want to just wait for that, so is seeking signatures of support – if you would like to add yours, here’s where to sign on (scroll to the end of the document after the summary of concerns and requests).
(Before and after photos of South Park Hall, courtesy of its new proprietors)
Back in January, we told you about West Seattleite John Bennett‘s purchase, with business partners, of neglected commercial spaces in the heart of South Park. Perhaps the crown jewel of those spaces was the 1920s-era South Park Hall, a large second-floor space including a stage, a kitchen, and lots of room. Bennett told us at the time that they hoped to keep it an event venue – and that’s exactly what transpired. We heard this week from the two other West Seattle entrepreneurs who have made that happen, Heidi Herr and Corina Luckenbach, who you might know from Admiral Bird – and now, as proprietors of South Park Hall. They are offering a $100/hour introductory rental rate through November; the space holds 175 people and has A/V capability as well as the aforementioned kitchen and small stage, plus a bar and renovated restrooms. Luckenbach says, “We are super proud of what we were able to do and to keep it looking as original as possible.” The newly renovated venue (1253 S. Cloverdale) has a website with lots of info at southparkhall.com.
(Concord International School PTA members at meeting they organized regarding dual-language-program concerns)
Story and photos by Marika Lee
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
One parent said he didn’t learn of changes at his son’s school, Concord International Elementary, from the school or the district, but by asking his son what he did at school in Spanish that day. His son’s reply: “Nothing.”
That was just one of the experiences shared at Tuesday night’s community meeting in South Park to voice concerns about the changes to the Spanish/English dual-language program at Concord.
Another Concord parent, Paulina Lopez, said at the meeting organized by the Concord PTA, “I have always been very strong on bilingualism. That is why I chose Concord. It came to my surprise that there were changes. One reason was because I wasn’t aware of the changes when the year started.”
As reported here last Friday, with the changes, reading and writing are being taught primarily in English.
The rain stopped in time for the welcoming ceremony and performances at Duwamish Waterway Park (7900 10th Ave. S.) in South Park, where you have until 9 tonight to see the Seattle debut of Lelavision‘s kinetic/musical sculpture Interspecies Communication, also seen at Black Rock City (aka the annual “Burning Man” festival in Nevada – video here).
The performance continues at Duwamish Waterway Park, where other flight sounds have since interrupted (jets) pic.twitter.com/YfqMkfxLxz
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 30, 2017
The welcoming featured Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen
Then those gathered at the park saw Vashon-based Lelavision‘s duo ascend the sculpture, and then descend to continue the event.
Participatory “human murmuration” was to follow, and then what Leah Mann promised would be a big dance party. We’re not sure what’ll be happening if you head over when you see this, but the sculpture itself is a sight to see. According to the Kickstarter page with which money was raised for the project, Lelavision hopes it will eventually find a permanent public home.
P.S. Thanks to Tom, who tipped us off to this!
We took that photo in the parking lot on the southwest corner of 17th and Roxbury at midday today after tips about a big law-enforcement presence – primarily Seattle PD, though the lot is south of the city/county line. Police at the scene told us they were arresting at least one suspect for whom they had a warrant. Now, the details are in via SPD Blotter:
Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men at a gang member’s funeral in White Center on Wednesday as part of an ongoing anti-violence emphasis effort in the Southwest Precinct.
Police and deputies were on hand at the funeral Wednesday following a shooting one night earlier outside a home on 12th Avenue and Donovan Street in South Park.
On Tuesday, associates of the deceased gang member had gathered at a home near 12th Avenue and Donovan Street for a viewing.
During the event, several attendees were targeted in a shooting outside the home, leaving a 20-year-old man with serious gunshot injuries.
In an effort to prevent any further violence, SPD officers and King County Sheriff’s Deputies maintained a presence outside the funeral in White Center on Wednesday. Following the services, officers recognized one man, who had a warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm and a department of corrections violation.
Deputies also arrested a second man, a convicted felon, who was found in possession of a pistol.
Detectives continue to investigate Tuesday’s shooting, and patrol officers are conducting emphasis patrols in the area.
9:50 PM: We’ve received a few questions about all the sirens audible to the east a short time ago (we heard them from here, too). Per scanner, a man has been shot in South Park (in the 1000 block of S. Donovan), which as you probably know, is part of the Southwest Precinct too, so many officers rushed to SP from West Seattle. We don’t know anything more about the circumstances or the victim – who’s being taken to Harborview – but police are looking for suspects, possibly in a black car.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: SPD reports that the 20-year-old victim is recovering, and has a few details in this post just published on SPD Blotter.
| 2 COMMENTS