26 responses so far ↓

• 1 Stefanie // Nov 9, 2009 at 1:41 pm

  Wouldn’t you imagine that an arsonist might be reading this blog and decide to avoid the times that are publicly posted here?

• 2 K // Nov 9, 2009 at 1:46 pm

  This is a great idea - but wouldn’t they be more likely to see suspicion in the middle of the night?

• 3 SunsetSu // Nov 9, 2009 at 1:47 pm

  I agree. Early evening walks are not likely to be very useful.

• 4 HL // Nov 9, 2009 at 1:54 pm

  This will make some people feel good for getting involved, and may even deter some petty crime, but these are not the time frames that the fires have been taking place. Are there plans for a 12am-6am patrol, perhaps done by folks who aren’t working the next morning?

• 5 Marty // Nov 9, 2009 at 1:58 pm

  As much as I hate getting up in the morning, I’d be willing to take a shift during a 12am-6am patrol. I think there’s lots of folks who would.

• 6 fitz // Nov 9, 2009 at 2:03 pm

  @1: I was just penning (more or less) the same note. And what’s more, what’s to stop the perp from joining one of these patrols? He/she might even find that exciting (who knows??). As big a fan as I am of online communities (and I am), it seems to me that what we need is to actually get to know each other as neighbors–which is one reason I’ll be at the meeting tomorrow. As for patrols, I suspect that several groups operating somewhat independently (and by and large offline) probably stand a better chance of actually catching this jerk in action.

• 7 hinto // Nov 9, 2009 at 2:22 pm

  This is getting out of hand. We need to wait until tomorrow night and explain to the police what we are planning and have them be a part of this. We need to coordinate this with the precinct.

  I also have to note that this seems like a cycle that’s feeding on itself. The more coverage we have, the more fires there have been.

  I strongly believe that the perpetrator(s) of these crimes are feeding off this.

• 8 nettieboop // Nov 9, 2009 at 4:16 pm

  Everybody on watch should get a whistle!

• 9 jlw // Nov 9, 2009 at 4:52 pm

  we need people out between 12-5am, i acutally called police when i took my dog out in the alley i live at 3am. i asked the woman if she was an arson partol and she didnt’ talk to me. i called police and they said that unless the person was comitting a crime they would not respond. that same night an arson happened. seattle PD needs to step up their game. they caught their buddy’s killer now it’s time for greenwood to get some help!!!!

• 10 garrett // Nov 9, 2009 at 5:14 pm

  @jlw…
  what did she look like?

• 11 sad-greenwood // Nov 9, 2009 at 6:02 pm

  I’ve been trying to think of an eloquent way to state this, but plain and simple: THIS SUCKS. Why are we left to feel powerless in our own neighborhood? All day, I’ve been listening to sirens around the neighborhood and just bracing myself for the next round of bad news. McGinn, our minutes old mayor, sits there and brags about how he worked with community leaders to put sidewalks in Greenwood to make it a safer community. There are sidewalks on maybe 5 residential streets in Greenwood, he worked that out for HIS STREET. Where are those leaders to help get this crime out of our backyard now? Who is looking out for our family run businesses that make Greenwood one of the last great neighborhoods of Seattle? I think it’s great that the community will pull together and start meeting one another, it’s a start.

  I’m thankful for the arson patrol now, and I hope this jerk is stupid and arrogant enough to get caught. Thanks to those officers (and pups) who were able to stop the recent fires before they got out of hand, keep up the good work.

• 12 Patrick // Nov 9, 2009 at 6:19 pm

  I hate to say it but this sounds like having a bake sale to fight the arsonist. If this has a prayer of being effective, we should have organization *now* to patrol in the middle of the night. Not a walk this Friday at 7:30PM. I’m going to send this same message to the GAIN alias.

• 13 anotherneighbor // Nov 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm

  agreed. I’m considering getting a pair of night-vision goggles (or heat vision?) and staking out a spot on a roof somewhere, phone, mace, and camera in hand.

• 14 Toby // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:01 pm

  Hi all….

  I am Toby the one that has been doing the GAIN walks since 2005. I’ll be brief.

  The intent of the walks is to not try to catch someone in the act- its to get people out and together and to interact, and to share ideas, experiences, etc.

  We did a few late night walks back in 2006 during the Aurora drug and prostitution phase and we had 5-6 people on each one.

  I would encourage everyone to let this be the seed the sprouts into more and more of us a neighbors doing what we need to do to ensure our safety and well being.

  If there is enough interest in say a 4am walk- then lets do one.

  I chose the dates outlined to at least get things started.

  See you tomorrow night!

• 15 sad-greenwood // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:07 pm

  Hi Toby,

  Thank you for pulling this together, I think your approach is appropriate and the right thing to do - as you said, get things started. I wanted to reiterate that my comment of this “sucking” (my English teacher is tsk tsking me somewhere) was not directed at your organization, but purely at the situation.

  Thank you again for getting things started, my husband and I will be participating.

• 16 TheGreenhood // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:16 pm

  I agree with Toby in that you have to start somewhere. The first step is actually getting neighbors organized and able to meet each other face to face so further walks can be established. Every little bit helps and I hope this meeting tomarrow will be productive.

  If neighbors get together for a walk one early evening and get to know each other, the chances of those same neighbors getting together for a midnight walk is much more likely. It’s like the ultimate blockwatch, simply talking to each other via a local blog is not as good as talking face to face. I hope Tuesday night’s meeting is a jumping off point. I will be there!

• 17 TheGreenhood // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:18 pm

  P.S. I would love it of our new mayor would attend, this concerns him on a personal level as well if he really is a Greenwoody at heart.

• 18 Patrick // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:44 pm

  What others have said - thanks, Toby. I backpedal on my comparison to a bakesale. With the SPD/SFD meeting tomorrow, Friday may not really be that far away, anyway. Cheers.

• 19 Dave // Nov 9, 2009 at 8:18 pm

  I think there are several of us who would be willing to take a late-night or early-morning shift to help catch this person. (I personally would prefer to do this in tandem with someone sane, however, who is not playing G.I. Joe. A couple of the comments I’ve seen on this blog seem a bit creepy.)

  I am glad there will be a meeting Tuesday night. Something that crosses my mind though is I hope that during the meeting, someone will be watching out for the arsonist. If he/she knows everyone’s in a meeting, it seems like a likely time for another attempt.

• 20 anotherneighbor // Nov 9, 2009 at 11:05 pm

  Aw Dave, I’m not creepy! I said night vision goggles, (so I can see further in the dark), a phone to call in, mace to protect myself (or maybe mace the guy) and a camera to take pics of him in the act.. Nothing creepy about that! I wasn’t saying I’d be anywhere with a rifle or anything!!

  I’m simply not the type to be able to really defend myself in any hand to hand stuff. I just want to watch from somewhere up high enough to see better, and call in anything weird.

• 21 Dave // Nov 10, 2009 at 3:40 am

  “anotherneighbor”~

  I never said I was referring to you. :-)~

  But hey… I get it. We’re all on edge and dealing with this in the way we think is best. The last thing we need to do is turn on each other. What worries me, among other things, is someone other than you going out there with more than just mace and hurting the wrong guy. (i.e. another person out looking for the arsonist.)

  In other news… If anyone does try to photograph suspicious activity from a safe distance, keep in mind that a flash is only effective for short distances. Turn your flash off and shoot with a high ISO setting instead.

• 22 Dream On // Nov 10, 2009 at 3:49 am

  I suggest removing the 4-foot high and 6-foot+ pile of wet rotting debris stuck in the little dead-end brick wall parking lot behind Yen Won restaurant. Frankly they should tear down the wall in any case. Hey, they did it in Berlin.

  But seriously, if Greenwood solves it’s debris problem, it would be pleasing and also potentially less likely to be used in fires.

• 23 Dream On // Nov 10, 2009 at 3:52 am

  Also, am I the only one who remembers when the 4 trees on Greenwood Avenue next to the Walgreens were torched early this year or late last year?

• 24 R // Nov 10, 2009 at 8:27 am

  Maybe, I have no info on a tree fire near walgreens. Please supply info if available:
  DateTBD - ~8701 _ Greenwood Ave N - Trees - CauseTBD.

• 25 wheels // Nov 10, 2009 at 10:33 am

  I agree with someone else who said that the arsonist might be reading this site. That said, all information about walks etc. should only be discussed in those meetings. I am beginning to feel uncomfortable here.

• 26 Gabriel // Nov 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm

  Hey all. As a small business-owner in this neighborhood, this ridiculousness has seriously pissed me off. I’m done with it. It needs to stop NOW and the only way it’s going to is if we all come together on the unpublicized late-night/early-morning patrols. We should exchange information tonite at the meeting and discuss patrols in person or on the phone.

  I, for one, usually work late, often after midnight so I am certainly up for the time periods we need to patrol. If the organization of patrols falls through, then by the gods I’ll do it my damn self.

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