South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

summary:

Burglaries can happen to anyone...even our Crime Prevention Coordinator...also Night Out Against Crime August 5.

South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

Anonymous (76.104.197.98) 1215622145|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

South Precinct Email Community Newsletter
July 7, 2008

Dear Community Friends,

Burglaries
I had been gone about four hours and when I returned home one day following an appointment. As I entered and looked at how my dining room table was out of place and the cabinet drawers were open, I thought, “I didn’t leave it like this, did I?” As I looked in my office area and found things off the shelves and on the floor, I thought, “How did this happen?” It wasn’t until I went in the bedroom and found that the jewelry boxes had been upended on the bed that I realized I had been burglarized. Forced entry through a locked rear door inside a locked fenced in yard. They stole jewelry, a laptop, my digital cable box, digital camera, cash, DVDs… and they took food out of my freezer.

It Can Happen To Anybody: Don’t Blame Yourself
I understand that queasy feeling that surfaces when you realize that your space has been violated, that someone came into your home, rifled through your dresser drawers and took your stuff. I know first hand the second-guessing, the questioning and the self-blaming. “If only I had done _.” “Why didn’t I __?” You have to admit, it is ironic that the crime prevention guy, the one that hammers you with home security tips, gets his place broken in to. It does go to show that; 1) it could happen to anyone, 2) If you have already taken precautions to improve home security, there may be some things you haven’t considered (the BB gun used to break the double-pane glass of the rear door was a new one for me; one that I’ve seen a few times since my burglary), and 3) further improvements could be made.

And since I know you’re wondering, I also waited 3 ½ hours for an officer to respond. The crime was not in progress, there were no witnesses, and there was no suspect information. With other things going on in the Precinct, my non-emergency call could wait.

What You Should Do: Lessons Learned And Reinforced From Me To You
1) Always lock doors and windows when away from the home.
2) Have a home security assessment to see what you can do to improve your home security. This is a free service. Learn from my professional and (recent) personal experience.
3) Take inventory of your valuable items. Make a list of the items, model number, serial number and approximate value. For items that can be engraved, put your driver’s license or state ID number.
4) For those items that cannot be engraved, take a picture of them and have a written description of the item. Do the same with jewelry and include appraisals of the items.
5) Communicate with neighbors. There had been recent burglaries in the neighborhood, so alerting neighbors when an incident occurs makes everyone aware so neighbors can be more watchful.

Night Out Against Crime 2008
Speaking of communicating with neighbors, we encourage you to participate in “Night Out Against Crime 2008” on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Night Out is a national crime prevention event designed to heighten neighborhood awareness, increase neighborhood anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities. It is a great chance to connect neighbors and share information with each other while learning more about crime prevention.

To register your block for Night Out Against Crime 2008 on line, please use the following link: http://www.seattle.gov/police/Nightout/default.htm.
The 2008 event theme is partnership with the Emergency Management Office to promote the SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) program: More information about SNAP can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/emergency/programs/snap/.

Until next time, Take Care and Stay Safe!
Mark Solomon, South Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator

Re: South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

Anonymous (146.129.94.113) 1216068043|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

FYI.

I had my ipod stolen out of my hand while riding the northbound 7 Express on the morning of June 24th as the bus was stopped at Orcas. I got off the bus to pursue the thief and call the police. The bus proceeded, and not one of the approximately 10 witnesses got off the bus to help with the identification. He came from behind me, so I was unable to identify him. There were a number of people sitting behind me who must have witnessed the crime.

Please remember; These individuals aren't just innocently robbing people of their ipods (extremely minor in the scheme of things, although I was assaulted in the process). They are most likely the same people breaking into homes/garages/cars/yards. If you see a crime committed, please participate in making sure these individuals are brought to justice. You might just save someone else from being victimized, maybe even yourself.

Re: South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

Anonymous (128.238.35.165) 1216142837|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

That's crappy. What can you do about it? Perhaps the only thing you can do is arm yourself with a concealed weapon (with a permit). Wounding someone over an ipod doesnt seem worth it at all though.

But what's up with this?

http://www.komonews.com/news/25447549.html

Where's racial tolerance? Diplomacy? Anger management? What are black parents teaching their kids about white people (not the whites in Washington DC)?

black & white

scottplan 1216185930|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

Where's racial tolerance? Diplomacy? Anger management? What are black parents teaching their kids about white people (not the whites in Washington DC)?

Mr. Paroline was the victim of an awful, adrenaline-addled crime.

It's the kind of event that makes us want to understand some bigger picture and relate it to this specific incident. And we wonder if we can do something to prevent this from happening again. But maybe this time we should simply let this particular act stand alone.

It's not for me to weave this crime into my own (imperfect) understanding of race relations in Rainier Beach or South Seattle. I don't think it's up to any of us to do that. It's especially misguided to imply the origin of this violence resides within some broader group.

The only black & white here should be the outrageousness of that punch and the misfortune that followed. To color the event with our race-based perceptions only muddles the picture.

Few people were there. None of us can know what's deep behind this guy's violence. So let's just look at this act for what it is. Brutal. Tragic. Senseless. Random. Local.

They'll prosecute and punish the crime objectively, let's hope. If investigators later demonstrate that race somehow motivated the attack, then let's have that discussion. Even then, I'd feel no motivation to find cause in some wider subset of our community. If we assign broader responsibility, our conclusions will necessarily be subjective, and they can only invite more mistrust and more tension.

If this crime inspires a unifying gesture in the community, I'd suggest south-side neighbors reach across their intersections to do what Mr. Paroline was doing in the first place — tending to the shared space between us.

last edited on 1216215127|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover by scottplan + show more

Re: black & white

Anonymous (24.19.16.39) 1216447681|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

It's not Black & White. It's just us.

Let's not make something bigger out of it just for kicks.
Or especially just to make the neighborhood more interesting.

Re: South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

MissJenn 1216097662|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

I'm so sorry to hear these stories, from both Mark Solomon and from citizen .113. I truly am. Thank you for being candid and sharing your experiences.

Re: South Precinct Email Newsletter for July 7, 2008.

Anonymous (146.129.94.113) 1216221813|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover

My ipod being stolen was a minor incident. I am not sure what you are implying when you suggest I 'arm' myself. I want us all to work as a community to look out for each other AND create an environment where young people aren't left to the streets to fend for themselves. I have no ill will for the thief. Instead, I feel sorry for him.

A month prior to this incident I was assaulted on the bus by a mentally ill woman. She was white. This isn't a racial incident. But racism, classism and lack of resources for people with chronic mental illness all result in dis-ease in our community.

In my opinion, the last thing we should be doing is arming ourselves.

Thanks for the space for this dialogue.

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