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PhinneyWood Forum » Open Forum

1. 

   insomniac
   Member

   The SPD website says it has posted police at crosswalks around the city, especially on Stone Way, to nab motorists who blow through them while a ped is waiting to cross. WTF??? We have drug dealers actually sitting in front of our house and conducting their "business" in front of my children. I call the cops and get a license plate number, but unless they are caught in the act by an actual cop (not a measly civilian like me), nothing is done. Meanwhile a whole bunch of police are out lying in wait to catch a crosswalk offender. (I totally understand that children and adults are killed trying to cross at a crosswalk, so I am not belittling their pain. But really, this is where my taxpayer's money is going!)

   Wake up PhinneyWood! Take back the streets!

   Posted 3 years ago #
2. 

   johnwalker
   Member

   traffic is a cash cow. drugs are a cash drain. the city needs money. there you have it.

   Posted 3 years ago #
3. 

   Christy
   Member

   That actually sounds to me like the kind of thing they started doing due to pressure from neighborhood groups. After all, you and I and your kids are a lot more likely to be hurt or killed by a driver blowing through a crosswalk, rather than a guy selling drugs out of his car.

   Posted 3 years ago #
4. 

   FRETX
   Member

   You're probably right about the crosswalk patrol being due to pressure from neighborhood groups. The cops have limited resources and I would much prefer their emphasis patrols to be on drug dealing in Greenwood. I completely agree with insomniac. We need to report EVERY incident of suspicious activity so the SPD starts realizing that drug dealing in Greenwood is getting to be a BIG problem. If we don't report it, they have no way of knowing about it. I suspect that the cops got complaints about crosswalk violations on Stoneway, hence the police response. Let's do the same thing for Greenwood; our problem is FAR more serious. How would you like it if your kid had picked up the syringe that I found in the street at 82nd and Dayton?

   Posted 3 years ago #
5. 

   acc10x
   Member

   I think along with reporting each incident to the police, a log of narcotics activity should also be forwarded to the city council, mayor's office, mayoral candidates, and chief or police on an *ongoing* basis; along with asking them what they're doing to deter crime in the neighborhood.

   It's going to be the political stick that gets the police stick in action on this (similar to the recent crosswalk emphasis patrols), and if we're not pressuring city leaders we're not going to see any tangible results. Seeing that it's almost election time, something might get done if people act soon (or it could just be wishful thinking on my part).

   As McGinn is a Greenwood resident, I'm particularly interested in what he plans on doing about rampant drug dealing in *his* neighborhood. Anyone else?

   Posted 3 years ago #
6. 

   burgin22
   Member

   Cars that blow through crosswalks kill people. Drug deals that involve passengers getting in and out of cars are an annoyance at best.

   Posted 3 years ago #
7. 

   insomniac
   Member

   Really, as a public health concern, I am much more concerned about drug dealers in our neighborhood. Drug deals are not "annoyance at best". Drug abusers are irrational, high and paranoid (often desperate) . Drug dealers often carry weapons. This is not a "dime bag" business here .... our neighbors are selling crack, meth and prescription drugs. Their houses look like crap. Their yards are overgrown. I am quite frankly sick of paying exorbitant taxes to live next to this crap. Oh, and my favorite, is the hooker who was dropped off in front of our house, instead of on Aurora, and then propositioned my husband (at 6:30 am)!

   Posted 3 years ago #
8. 

   acc10x
   Member

   What about drug dealers / users that blow through crosswalks?

   Joking aside, it's not a one or the other situation. Both should be addressed. Drug activity gives rise to other crime in the neighborhood besides just the dealing. Burglary being a big one.

   Posted 3 years ago #
9. 

   burgin22
   Member

   Yes, prostitutes, burglaries and overgrown yards suck but they don't kill people.

   Posted 3 years ago #
10. 

    acc10x
    Member

    My initial knee-jerk response is to say getting hit in a crosswalk might not kill you, either. But that's a crass thing to say. What I will say is you should ask the guy who got bricked upside the head outside the Yen Wor some months back and was left to die by some jerk who stole his wallet how he feels about crime. But hey, he didn't die -- just ended up in a coma for a few weeks, tens of thousands in hospital and rehab bills, and a lifetime of constant pain. Yeah, it sucks for sure.

    Posted 3 years ago #
11. 

    FRETX
    Member

    burgin22, you know what DOES kill people? Drugs. If you really think that drug activity is limited to "passengers getting in and out of cars," you are totally clueless. Or maybe you're just a forum troll trying to stir things up. Whatever. But are you aware that some of this drug activity is happening right next to St. John's elementary school? Do you really think that drug dealers politely restrict their sales to meth heads and ignore other opportunities to expand their clientele? Do you really think that meth heads just "get in and out of cars" and then go away? They are right here in our neighborhood committing crimes--both petty and major--to support their habit. Do you really think it's OK to have a drug house on 79th with convicts and registered sex offenders holding pit bull fights in their back yard for Saturday night entertainment? Do you really think that syringes lying in plain view on the street are not an attraction to curious kids? You have a really skewed view of what's dangerous if you are more concerned about crosswalk violators than drug dealers.

    Posted 3 years ago #
12. 

    artman51
    Member

    Where are the dealers doing business? Perhaps some photo evidence is needed.

    Posted 3 years ago #
13. 

    FRETX
    Member

    Check out the other thread on this forum entitled "Drug Dealing on Dayton (the Sequel)"

    Posted 3 years ago #
14. 

    acc10x
    Member

    Coincidentally enough, from today's PI:

    CDC: Drug deaths outpace crashes in Washington, 15 other states

    http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_us_med_drug_deaths.html

    Posted 3 years ago #
15. 

    artman51
    Member

    "We have drug dealers actually sitting in front of our house and conducting their "business" in front of my children."

    So, this is still about the 82nd and Dayton location?

    Posted 3 years ago #
16. 

    OneGuy
    Member

    I personally have seen a drug deal at 82nd and Dayton, but if you read the other thread you can see that there is a lot of activity both on Dayton and on Fremont, and it seems to extend both north and south. As for photo evidence, that would be nice, but I think it would be kind of dangerous unless you've got a camera with a long lens so it wouldn't be obvious.

    Posted 3 years ago #
17. 

    etta
    Member

    I believe the 82nd and Dayton activity is related to the activity in the alley adjacent to the Greenwood School.

    Posted 3 years ago #
18. 

    OneGuy
    Member

    Can you give a description of the guy who deals out of the alley adjacent to the Greenwood school?

    Posted 3 years ago #
19. 

    etta
    Member

    OneGuy: He is white, thin, about 5'7", and looks like he's in his 60's. Grey hair, slightly longish.

    Posted 3 years ago #
20. 

    artman51
    Member

    What kind of vehicle? What color? What is a good time to swing by with a camera? I have driven by Dayton in the late afternoon and it looked deserted.

    Posted 3 years ago #

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