Click to see Ballard coupons and discounts

• angrignon
  I wonder if its that gang (5-6 people) of 20-somethings who hang out near 7/11 on Market & 17th and also frequent in front of Mr. Spots. I've seen them circle around people late at night and aggressively ask for money.
• ding
  that makes me want to come shop ballard.
• fauveress
  We need to be mindful of each other. If you hear or see something suspicious outside your window, call the police. Ballard can fight these kinds of incidents back.
• Your Robot Master
  Call the police and break out the 12ga pump..
• pinkponiesOfBallard
  Definitely take your 2nd amendment rights seriously and consider taking a course and getting a concealed permit. The times are only gonna get worse. Of course, if you have the mind to do it, in Washington open carrying of firearms is not prohibited by law though the men in blue might give ya a hard time.
• boardbrown
  I still think Ballard is a safe place to live. But times are tough, and they'll get worse before they get better.
  
  Now is a good time to invest in a little self-defense training. I mean, how many of you out there would know how to best react to a situation like this? Think about it.
• silence.kit
  Whatever you do, don't listen to pinkponiesofballard.
• jm
  Is there a better description of the suspects coming? Thanks for the alert and we'll avoid that area by the 7-11.
• jules
  ...just curious: i live at 80th & 19th streets and last night i saw about 4 teenagers on bikes leaving somewhere very fast and looking behind their backs as they sped off?...i am wondering if it had anything to do with this occurence?
  
  i will keep my eyes and ears open and try to do my part in reporting what i see.
  
  i love ballard and have been here for years and intend to stay.
• Roy Hobbs
  @silence.kit "Whatever you do, don’t listen to pinkponiesofballard."
  
  Then perhaps you'll listen to me. When you look at it, police cannot be everywhere at once in order to stop an attack like this in progress. If they were, I'm sure we'd be yammering about this being a police state.
  
  You and you alone are responsible for your own safety, and must make the decision about what steps to take to ensure that safety.
  
  Put another way - why do I carry a gun? Because police officers are too damn heavy.
• BlackSheep
  Does anyone know how the victim is doing?
  
  Scary stuff.
• Alonzo Neighbor
  20th and 73rd sounds like Salmon Bay park which is quite a distance from the 7-11 on Market. If this is the same group, they are covering a large area.
  
  That park is one I like to walk through, although not at night. There aren't many places in the city I feel safe walking alone at night.
• T-REX
  That is very upsetting. I like to walk in the neighborhood after work and this time of year that means walking in the dark. I'm not going to carry a weapon but I AM going to keep on the alert (probably a good idea in "any" neighborhood ANYtime of year). Hope the victim is okay.
• jules
  it was right by Salmon Bay Park area, Alonzo. Please, do, keep an eye out bc now that I am reading this, i wish i would have called the cops last night bc several teen boys on bikes rapidly speeding away around or after 11pm probably isn't good but i don't want to be too over anxious, either.
  
  I will continue to walk at night but feel very safe with my 2 big dogs right beside me as they have been for 8 plus years now. Woof! Woof!
  
  I am also hoping the victim is doing well and hope that we all can help each other out by policing our neighborhoods and helping folks who appear to be in need.
  
  And getting others out of it who have no business here but harm and bad doings.
  Peace
• mickey
  Jules - Please do call the North Precinct to report what you saw. They bike riders be connected to the crime that occurred, in which case, the information will be helpful in catching them.
  
  And if anyone witnesses suspicious or obviously illegal behavior, call the cops...
  Those of us in Loyal Heights have been dealing with the illegal late-night activities for some time.
• mickey
  Correection: "The bike riders may be connected..."
  
  Upset about last night's attack, typing too fast.
• MIB
  If I'm choosing between a potentially lethal shot to a teenager, or watching myself or a loved one take a baseball bat to the head for no apparent reason- the kid is going down. I'm not trying to sound cavalier, but if these punks thought for a second that they could get shot by doing what they do, they just might not do it! Don't piss all over someone's rights to defend themselves because you are scared of a gun.
• kim
  trained people that legally carry guns don't scare me.
• Kay
  My husband and his friend were attacked by a group of teenagers at 67th and Division about six years ago. They jumped out of a car and just came at them. My husband had his skateboard and blocked a hit from one kid before running one block home.
• Looney
  Time to flush the trash out of Ballard.
• chops
  kid comes up behind you and hits you with a bat. kid takes your wallet and, oh, your gun.
  
  next week kid comes up behind you with a gun...
  
  more guns on the street is just more guns on the street.
• Looney
  thug comes up behind your with baseball bat, you turn and shoot the SOB. You keep wallet and your gun. Next week kid gets buried in a box and parents talk about how he was 'just turning his life around'.
  
  Same number of guns of the streets no matter what.
• theboywil
  It makes me sad that people are getting robbed in Ballard.
  
  But it makes me even more sad that some people who live in Ballard think that guns are a solution to this...
  
  The idea that if they "thought for a second that they could get shot by doing what they do, they just might not do it!" doesn't have to stretch very far to translate into if they 'thought for a second that they could get shot by doing what they do, they might just threaten/shoot first'
• boardbrown
  Guns, guns, guns! I like guns, but carrying one to defend yourself against a baseball bat is a bad idea...for the reason chops mentioned.
  
  Let's get real people, this is Ballard, not Compton. Nobody needs an f-ing gun around here. In their homes maybe, but not for walking around. You'd be better off learning some good 'ol fashioned fighting techniques.
• fauveress
  Have any of y'all ever seen Demolition Man with Stallone? Hate to admit it but that left a very bad taste in my mouth regarding gun control. I'm not a gun owner (although I do have relatives who are members of the NRA) but I always appreciate my right to become one should I ever want to.
  
  Anyways...gun-owners, non-gun-owners, BB-gun-owners...let's watch each others' back!!!
• WhyNot
  Why not start an armed neighborhood watch? Google [ armed "neighborhood watch" ], and you'll see that it is being done in a few other places.
  
  I don't forsee sudden changes in how Seattle's government polices the city or deals with street crime. I don't feel like waiting around for a decade of early childhood programs, increased social services, etc to begin having their effect.
  
  2-person patrols in bright yellow shirts with flashlights and handguns would be a significant deterrent to thugs. If nothing else, they'll go make trouble elsewhere that is less intimidating. No one bothers to break into a house with a pit bull when the house next door has a cat.
  
  I think a few accidental shootings are now acceptable, given the alternative. I'll take my chances with the stray bullets from our local Wyatt Earp if it means keeping the thugs at bay. A small caliber handgun at close range will deter and likely kill the thugs. A small caliber handgun that misses them is not likley to kill me as I'm strolling down the other side of Ballard Avenue, S Jackson Street, 5th Ave NE, or wherever else street crime takes place these days.
• Sheila
  I'm not against guns, but pepper spray would work just fine for walking around. I'd keep the gun at home.
• lizad
  One question I hope doesn't get lost in this gun/no gun issue...
  
  Does anyone have any suggestions on where one might get some basic self-defense training?
• tortue
  Regarding self defense training, there are Krav Magda classes I believe in Seattle, which is probably more useful than the 'bull-shido' karate/taekwondo folks who are just out to take your money and teach you useless skills.
  
  Also, regarding the comment that folks don't go near that 7/11 on Market & 17th. South of that location are several homes & people who sell drugs (to the east of the hospital). People from all over the neighboring areas go there. Zip in, zip out, its like going to Wisconsin (if anyone got that joke). Very little police coverage around these parts.
• kim
  lizad--
  
  sounds like boardbrown is the resource on that question from his comments.
• tortue
  bb gun owners? anyone else in here who does airsoft?
• Mason Black
  Tortue,
  
  If you are aware of such a place why don't you record it, turn it into the local media and see if we can get these people out of here. This is not that far off from the "herion" dealer sign post. This is where we live and if the police are unwilling to close businesses which allow drugs to be sold there or go after drug dealers then WE as the people need to do something. Often the best way to get things done is to throw a little egg on the cops face, then they look like they are not doing their jobs etc etc. If that does not work there are legal ways to close a business if enough people get together and file that it is a public risk. I would be happy to join a group that patrols high crime areas, I do not know that everyone should be armed with a gun though. I am a gun owner and have carried a side arm for 10+yrs but most people are not trained nor understand it is EASY to lose your weapon in a physical conflict.
  
  My two sense
  Regards
• Rebekah
  @tortue- "Zip in, zip out, its like going to Wisconsin (if anyone got that joke). "
  
  haha!
  : )
• tortue
  The problem is that I do not live in the immediate proximity to where that activity occurs (a few blocks from it). It would be somewhat awkward to walk and just stand there idly by and record this information while standing on the sidewalk...don't you think?
  
  I have on several occasions contacted the police when there has been bad stuff going on outside where I live and can clearly observe thin. They only came once (out of 4 calls in the last 6 months).
  
  Anyhow, a neighborhood watch or something of the sort is not a bad idea. The gun stuff is tricky...there is a lot of alcohol around Ballard and I would hate to see a confrontation from somewhat harmless intoxicated people with any neighborhood watch that would end up in escalating to where a firearm is drawn. There are a lot of obnoxious preppy/hipster fratboys that would no doubt love to provoke a confrontation in their state of mind. Still, its a valid idea.
  
  Taking things a bit draconian-like (since our civil liberties and privacy is gone anyways with this current administration)...how about everyone on MyBallard get out a webcam, point it at the street and record it (to a centralized location or just locally). With enough participants and storing maybe the last weeks worth of activity, it could provide a decent "hey, what happened and who was there" account.
• fauveress
  Does anyone have any experience organizing a neighborhood watch? If so, please step up!
• Mason Black
  Yes I agree standing on the street with a recorder might be a bit odd and end up with you going to the E.R. I was hoping you lived across the street and could set up a webcam or something of that nature. I have called the police about drug dealer at our favorite local golden den 5 or 6 times and once they drove by 30mins later. I have also spoke with a police officer and he told me they know. "Ya, it's been that way for 20 yrs, since i started working here. Just keep calling maybe they will do something."
  
  Really makes you feel protected. I agree it is a bad idea for a group of people to walk around armed to protect their home. This is not quite to that level in my mind. I believe a better idea like someone else stated is to patrol in large groups 5+ I think send a strong visual message. I think a big problem is people putting their heads in the sand about crime/drugs/homelessness and the true affect it has.
  If we are all really serious about this and want to change something we need to make an effort together. Other neighborhoods have cut crime and drug use, so can we. A big thing they have done is to close businesses that act as havens.
  
  Who knows, maybe this is the charm everyone always told me about before I moved here.
• kim
  neighborhood watches can be coordinated through spd. i'm sure that whomever could also collaborate w/businesses who would love to see the community w/common interests in the business district. call the north precinct and let them know of their intentions.
• MG
  I am the block watch "captain" of my block. And have been in contact with Neil Hansen (his info below) from the North Precinct. He and another person are the Crime Coordinators for the North Precinct.
  NEIL HANSEN
  (206) 684-4689
  neil.hansen@seattle.gov
  http://www.seattle.gov/police/precincts/north/p...
  He has helped me get pertinent info to my neighbors and has been an asset when it comes to keeping me informed and informing others. One other thing it has done is kept my name in front of him, as I tend to contact him several times a year.
  If you are serious about forming a Watch Group (a great idea!), then I would suggest that you contact him, and ask that you set up a meeting with him to get ideas and suggestions on how to move forward. Face to face meetings are much better and tend to show that you are serious about your venture. Plus he will remember your face and name, and might be more apt to forward your requests to the appropriate person.
  Plus, possibly the Watch Group could meet with business owners during daytime hours, to discuss with them their observations of drug dealing/activity, and what they are willing to do to combat this activity. Maybe they can set up cameras to record activity. Maybe with Neil's help, you can get some sort of flier made up to show that you are dedicated to the cause, and would like the Watch Group and the businesses to work together.
  I'd be happy to talk with Neil, but I don't have the time to "take the lead" on the effort. But, please include me if something gets set up.
• MG
  One other thing, when we had a shady neighbor renting a place across the street from us, we noticed lots of late night activity going on, quick visits of people at 3 am, loud fights, etc.
  
  I contacted Neil, he helped me get in contact with the lead police officer for this area. Which then led me to the undercover Narcotics officer for this area.
  
  If the activity had progressed (he was later kicked out by the owners), they were going to send out a few undercover narcotics officers to patrol the area.
  
  Stay persistent, keep calling, build support, make this a community effort.
• SeattleRichardson
  I'm in Loyal Heights (73rd & Earl)and someone broke into our neighbors teenage sons SUV Monday night and tagged it and stole his stereo system too. Looks like they used a bat or something as they shattered his entire back window. Not to mention someone broke into another neighbors house last month in the middle of the day and stole electronics.
  
  Not to scare people but be careful and beware!
• fauveress
  Should we set up a meeting with Mr. Hansen at the Loyal Heights CC?
• kim
  fauveress,
  
  if you do, ask the geeky swedes to post it for you so that all who read here will know about it.
  
  i don't want to put a damper on the momentum but you might get a better turn out after the new year. and neil might not even be available before then anyway.
• mickey
  fauveress -
  
  The Loyal Heights Community Council (of which I am a member and former board member) sponsored a community-wide meeting at the LH Community Center two years ago with both Neil Hansen and Lt. (now asst. chief) Dick Reed.
  
  We are considering doing it again soon, but we want to wait until we find out more details about the beating incident Monday night.
  
  If we do put another meeting together I will be sure to post it on this blog, as well as contacting LH residents with a major leafleting effort beforehand.
• leavinglasballard
  wtf is all this talk of packing heat just to walk around your damn neighborhood?! for crying out loud. could we try pepper spray first? perhaps being more mindful of your surroundings and using common sense and good judgement?
• Iloveseatown
  Leavinglasballard,
  
  Pepper spray is really of little use in most defensive situations especially against multiple attackers. You would be better off with carrying a mag-light (a.k.a. a legal club). It is up to each individual to decide what steps they need to take to defend themselves against the unlikely even they will be attacked. I do not carry but I can tell you I have no problem with people who choose to. Realize that these kids used deadly force to attack and it would have been fully justified for the victim to also defend them self with deadly force.
• RR
  I agree with Iloveseatown: Everybody carrying guns is a terrible idea. It only encourages the thugs to carry guns too. Then it's a matter of who's quicker on the trigger, and that's probably the thug, not the law abiding citizen.
• fauveress
  Mickey--
  
  So the meeting you will be setting up at LHCC, will one of its goals be to set up a neighborhood watch?
  
  Just trying to clarify the meeting's purpose.
  
  Thanks.
• mickey
  fauveress -
  
  If you would like to participate in setting up the meeting that would be great. I, and some of our other usual activists, are a bit overwhelmed with work projects and the upcoming holidays, etc. We'd love to see new folks get involved in LH issues.
  
  As I don't generally post my email address on blogs, I hereby give the Geeky Swedes permission to send you mine, and then we can plan something.
  
  Sound good?
• fauveress
  Yes it does.
• boardbrown
  I'm in too. Please keep me informed of any potential meeting, or of any way I can help set one up. Way I figure, I spend alot of time "watching" on my own...so might as well team up.
• fauveress
  As for self-defense classes, I have a friend moving here from New York in a couple of weeks who is trained in street fighting. I will check and see if she can do a couple of weekend workshops here in the neighborhood. She is most excellent!!!
• hot sauce
  Do you really think somebody or gang of punks would really try and jump people. if they knew that the VICTIM had a gun. Thugs are whorthless pieces of shit, and are tough guys when the odds are stacked in there favor. but chicken shits by themselves.
• fauveress
  I've been in contact with Mickey and we're going to see about setting up at meeting at Loyal Heights Community Center regarding neighborhood safety/watch at the end of January. The Geeky Swedes have said that they will post details once they have been established.
  
  Hope to see y'all next month! We'll have name tags with y'alls alias so you can still be incognito.
• MG
  Thank you fauveress! I'll be there if my schedule permits. This is one step, among many, in the right direction.
  
  I'll try to remember to contact Neil soon. To tell him that a neighbor from Loyal Heights will be calling him to set up a meeting. It might help him know that it's important for him to help us with this.
• kim
  can we get this posted in the ballard tribune also?
• fauveress
  Okay, tentatively I'm looking at either Wednesday Jan. 21st or Thursday Jan. 22nd as the meeting day. I will be gone the first part of next month, plus it will give us a little time to recover from the holidays.
  
  I will see about posting meeting details in the Tribune Kim. Thanks.
• Citizen X
  What in the hell is this guy doing walking around Ballard alone at night anyway? You can't have that many bars in such a small area and not expect some kind of trouble to be lurking. Plus, SPD sucks!
• Regular Joe
  Getting good citizens to carry guns does not solve the problem and might escalate the situation. Besides, even well trained police officers often panic and spray or freeze in an armed confrontation (the former is more likely). Anybody who isn't highly trained and re-trained regularly is likely to cause more harm to him/herself than good by carrying a weapon.
  
  Learning self defence techniques does not solve the problem either. Same problem - will you be able to use it effectively outside of the dojo? For most people, it's a solid no.
  
  This is a major social problem. IMHO, people who can't/won't take care of their kids should be sterlized and existing kids adopted by responsible parties.
  
  The rest of the world should learn to respond to cries for help instead of walking by or closing the blinds pretending nothing's happening. You won't be stopping serious criminals but the street thugs do what they do because they know nobody will even raise a voice.
• nervous
  my boyfriend walks home almost every night from my house near 60th and 17th to 80th and 32nd.. he walks through salmon bay park and up to loyal heights CC and then cuts through again through loyal heights school. it is very scary hearing about the attack because he is usually alone.. hope no more happens.. since ballard kids arent hard anyway