I have zero tolerance once a crime is committed, but come on... to label all people "indecent" once they slip up is just... again... shallow and black and white thinking. Should they do the time? Sure! But what if your sweet mom started shoplifting, after having been an angel her whole life (which nobody ever truly is). Is she suddenly worthless and indecent, or somebody troubled in need of a sliver of compassion (and yes she should do her penenace)?
"Decent" people may commit one crime in their lives and instantly regret it. Not a "life of crime," but a mistake or 2. It's ok to be pissed off about crime and want penance for it. But mostly people prefer to turn their hatred and holier-than-thou attitude toward all the people who aren't as perfect as they are. God forbid they'd ever let us look in their closets for the not-so-perfect deeds and behaviors that belong to them.

As a matter of historical perspective, Ballard had beat cops walking the beat on Ballard Avenue up until the 1960s. I say it's time to bring them back again.
All the bleeding-heart liberals in this town were up in arms when Mark Sidran got the "no aggressive panhandling/sitting on the streets" law in place, and when he ran for mayor, the Weekly and the Stranger crucified him for it. I for one would be thrilled to have less vagrants, panhandlers, and drug addicts in Ballard.
Ballard may have been hard-drinking and blue collar, but we didn't have the homeless/vagrant/drug addict problem in the past. Now it is here with a vengence.
Jessica, do you really think that some guy laid off from his job at a Pacific Fisherman is going into armed robbery?I agree with the business owner; decent people don't suddenly turn to a life of crime to pay the electric bill.

Nice to see him get caught. Good work everyone.

This is a general statement. As a business owner on market as well as a law abiding member of society there is no gray area.

These people who commit crime are just to lazy to a: work b: look for help. I have busted shop lifters, people trying to use my bathroom to shoot up, i've had my windows broken out for no reason and in my 13 years of retail experience I have heard any story you can come up with. The cold hard truth is this, the (person(s) who commit crime are lazy and lack self respect. They will not stop until they hit bottom. That might be long term prison, some sort of religious insight or they might just realize they life goes no where. You have to understand most thieves like this or other day to day crime is because of drugs. No I do not mean a little smoky smoky, I mean drugs.

I have lived in a lot of different places and the one things all the "bad" parts of town have in common is drug use. What I understand from locals is Ballard somewhat in the past has prided itself on being a bit of a rough,blue collar city. Well I grew up in a rough city, know what happened? Gangs moved in and now a blue collar means something quite different. So everyone can go back and forth about what decent means, getting what he deserves but I have not heard much about a solution. Maybe you all would prefer to argue but I would rather us all find a common ground. We can disagree on all sorts of issues, how to handle them but still fight together against our common problems. As a business owner who has been robbed at gun point (in another city) it is a really horrible feeling, think about someone walking into your home and pointing a gun at your head. That is how it feels, as a business owner you spend so much of your waking hours at work, away from you family. You try to build something that makes your community a better place, then someone comes in and steals it. Anytime crime happens to you it steals something from you, makes you feel like why the hell should I try so hard. Just remember that these crimes that are are chatted about in such a casual manner happened to your neighbor.

Sorry to carry on.

Naive?

How so? And what should we call the people who hit on hard times and don't rob others?

Extra decent? More decent? Super decent?

Moral relativism run amok.

Bark more, Wag less, so naive...

"those decent people under pressure who feel like resorting to robbery "

By definition, decent people never resort to robbery. If they do rob, they were never decent people.

Hey Kim - thanks, you read my comment right - applauding vigilance & keeping each other updated and on the lookout in 2009. Cheers, too, to those who escalated this story to the news + police!!

Sorry, that's what i get for posting on NYE -- unfortunately i can't blame holiday nog. I was just giddy to see this news & see what this awesome neighborhood accomplished together.

Yes, to be locked up, convicted, and serve a substantial prison term is exactly what this fellow needs. Having an appropriate conviction not stick (e.g., case slipping thru the cracks, bungled between jurisdictions, or in any wise let him flee) would be bad for everyone. Hopefully we’ll hear updates on the case & our local prosecutor knows the community is watching.

What's troubling me, and who I had in mind in my poorly worded comment about helping neighbors in hard times, are those decent people under pressure who feel like resorting to robbery is ever an option. I, too, am all about the zero tolerance. But I'm sickened by the outbreak of robberies, shoplifting, and aggressive behavior. Govt & business leaders have been intent on crushing hope; their panic & total lack of leadership is unforgivable. Good people can be driven to bad choices when put under pressure. My wish is for neighbors & young people to not buy into that fear campaign and to know there's always a way to get help when you're stuck. (Crime is never an option, no matter how small or seemingly harmless.) And there's a good life & good opptys ahead for all who want them.

In short, I want people to know Ballardites aren’t mean, but criminals need to stay the H away from our neighborhood & our merchants.
Ballard is not a soft target, and we’re going to catch anyone who tries to mess w/Ballard.

boardbrown -- and he was, indeed!

"One day it’s going to be YOUR mom or dad or heaven forbid, your kid in need of help, and they're going to be busy with the drunks." As posted earlier by S.D. This is one of the problems when people think only on the surface: it's everyone *else* in the food bank line who's drunk or high or somehow less-than. But these reactionary thinkers don't seem to realize that those people already ARE somebody's mom or dad or kid. Problems cut across all class and race and intelligence levels. A little broader understanding that this world is not an "us. vs. them" affair would make it a better place.

I bet the dumbass was wearing the same black jacket and Mariners hat when he was arrested.

sorry scott. i am an enabler then too. we give to the food bank consistantly so people who need to eat can actually eat.

Hey Scott D. - "Food banks are the enablers"?

Of what? Poor people getting a meal?

Your uninformed comment says more about you than you can possibly imagine. How sad.

looney-

i too was not in agreement w/jessica but her comment at the end could be interpreted that we watch out for each other, not the group hug for this vagrant. sounds like he's use to being involved w/law enforement. i like to see that this info made it out there for our information and our community took an active role.

I hope he gets the help he needs; in Monroe. I read somewhere that this guy was wanted in Missouri on outstanding warrents. I guess he' s not from Ballard, huh? Why every homeless vagrant and crackhead has migrated to Ballard is a problem we need to solve. I like the pigeon analogy.

I hope he gets the help he needs; in Monroe. I read somewhere that this guy was wanted in Missouri on outstanding warrents. I guess he' s not from Ballard, huh? Why every homeless vagrant and crackhead has migrated to Ballard is a problem we need to solve. I like the pigeon analogy.

Nowba heba going toba jailba forba a longba timeba.

"Let’s have one of our neighborhood resolutions for the new year be to keep doing this exact thing"

What, coddling crazies, druggies and criminals (aka. the 'homeless') from across Seattle? How about doing that in the privacy of your own house instead?

Quick observation: if you start feeding pigeons, you will get a pigeon problem, an when they sh*t on your head, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Here's a better resolution for Ballard: zero tolerance and enforcement of vagrancy laws.

I am sure the police are giving him the help he needs, as we speak. Give me a break.

Hey Jessica, should we have a big group hug now? Can you tell me what the "exit strategy" is for the human debris that've taken up Ballard as their "home"? The food banks are NOT the answer. They are enablers. Try as I do, watching the fire/medic calls on a daily basis, and see just how many calls daily/weekly there really is in Ballard. Most at the same address over and over. One day it's going to be YOUR mom or dad or heaven forbid, your kid in need of help, and there going to be busy with the drunks. Try taking one home, for a change. Why don't we use numbers to do something positive? A huge protest to bring Market St into the new century would be nice. That, or ban the vehicle, and get it over with. Why is it we pack a gazillion people into an already crowded, tight area, and do NOTHING to the ancient signals at intersections along Market? Instead we get redlight cameras and bike lanes. Freaking nuts. Not warm and fuzzy in Ballard

"I hope the fellow gets the help he needs."

You mean like a 5 yr stint in Monroe, right?

See what happens when the police actually decide to "police."

I love to see a neighborhood come together to fight crime. I would love to see more of this on cap hill.

WOW!!! Hats off to MyBallard.com!!

Tusen Takk for raising awareness & getting the word out. This is a "YES, WE CAN!" moment for this community!!

I hope the fellow gets the help he needs. Ballard is not an uncaring neighborhood -- we've got quite a few neighbors who need help, and every day I see Ballardites doing something to pitch in and help individuals, and our Food Bank, etc.

Let's have one of our neighborhood resolutions for the new year be to keep doing this exact thing. Keep watching out for Ballard & for each other and keep the updates cooking.