Is crime that bad? (Seattle, Tacoma: house, buying, high school)

[Freebird2007]

btw,


I should clarify.....when I mean Seattle...I mean Seattle and its outer burbs such as Renton, Lynnwood, Tacoma, etc etc etc

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Destructoman!

Must be a generational thing, Freebird got the joke. Are you a boomer perchance? I bet you didn't grow up listening to hip-hop. (which is not a diss btw)

Yeah, I'm a Boomer (born 1955) and NOT a fan of hip-hop.
Plenty familiar with Black culture though. Spent 4 years running a gas station/car wash for Far West cabs back late 1970's down near the corner of Jackson, Boren and Rainier - this was back when there were a lot of racial tensions in Seattle. It was a ROUGH part of town with a LOT of poverty back in those days - much more so than today. Plenty of tragic stories to tell - including a girl I dated briefly who was later murdered and two murderers (not the same murder)who VERY briefly worked at the car wash.

It's not a time I would like to repeat, but like every other aspect of my life, I wouldn't want to trade the experience for anything.

Ken

[Destructoman!]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Yeah, I'm a Boomer (born 1955) and NOT a fan of hip-hop.
Plenty familiar with Black culture though. Spent 4 years running a gas station/car wash for Far West cabs back late 1970's down near the corner of Jackson, Boren and Rainier - this was back when there were a lot of racial tensions in Seattle. It was a ROUGH part of town with a LOT of poverty back in those days - much more so than today. Plenty of tragic stories to tell - including a girl I dated briefly who was later murdered and two murderers (not the same murder)who VERY briefly worked at the car wash.

It's not a time I would like to repeat, but like every other aspect of my life, I wouldn't want to trade the experience for anything.

Ken

That's interesting Ken... I live in the Central District now. I hear a lot of people say that my neighborhood is the "hood" or the "ghetto" and it just makes me laugh, as I haven't had any problems here. I've heard it's changed a lot over the years for the better though. Thats interesting to hear that the intersection you mention was a real rough part of town, I mean it's still not white-picket-fenceville but I've never really felt threatened around there.

It's interesting because most people don't think of a significant black population when they think of Seattle, but although the overall population is small there is quite a bit of history, including an overlooked jazz music scene in the Jackson neighborhood.

I would be interested in hearing your stories if you have any you want to share.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Destructoman!

That's interesting Ken... I live in the Central District now. I hear a lot of people say that my neighborhood is the "hood" or the "ghetto" and it just makes me laugh, as I haven't had any problems here. I've heard it's changed a lot over the years for the better though. Thats interesting to hear that the intersection you mention was a real rough part of town, I mean it's still not white-picket-fenceville but I've never really felt threatened around there.

It's interesting because most people don't think of a significant black population when they think of Seattle, but although the overall population is small there is quite a bit of history, including an overlooked jazz music scene in the Jackson neighborhood.

I would be interested in hearing your stories if you have any you want to share.

Yeah, that neighborhood has changed DRAMATICALLY in the last 30 years or so - and definitely for the better.

In regards to stories from back then - well, I hardly know where to begin -

There's the hookers and junkies we used to have to constantly chase out of the restrooms (wanting to do business there).

There's the cashiers booth that we armored and fitted with glass that was supposed to able to stand up to a .357.

There's the boss I had who was a former member of 101st Airborne in WW II and special forces during the very early Vietnam years who (after being shot a total of 6 times during his service - and having landed at Normandy, Arnhem, and being encircled in Bastogne) was unafraid of anything and when an irate customer reached into his jacket threatening to "blow him away" calmly leaned into the dudes' window and calmly told him "You go right ahead - you haven't got the guts" (the dude backed down - I about cr*pped my pants over that one).

And then there's the exceedinly STUPID move Farwest made during the gas crunch to place the business on a "red flag" status - meaning that they would only serve gas to commercial vehicles - and the owners of the business of course. Problem was, since Farwest was a co-op every single cab owner was part owner of the car wash (and there were 130 or them or so - almost all of them white in a most black neighborhood. That went over REAL well that we had to turn away black customers while serving gas to what appeared to be a bunch white customers. All those white folks already owned the gas of course (as part of the inventory of the business) but the appearance was that we were serving whites and not blacks. My boss and I argued against that move (it would be REALLY bad for business LONGGGGGG after the gas crunch was over) until we were blue in the face, but the weenie board of directors caved in to pressure from individual owners who wanted to make sure they had gas not only for their cabs (justifiable) but for their private vehicles as well (possibly justifyable but STUPID). As I said, that went over REAL well - and us flunkies who had to run the place took the brunt of the verbal abuse from the (justifiably) irate customers.

Yeah, it was quite a time and quite a place.

Ken

[Destructoman!]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

There's the boss I had who was a former member of 101st Airborne in WW II and special forces during the very early Vietnam years who (after being shot a total of 6 times during his service - and having landed at Normandy, Arnhem, and being encircled in Bastogne) was unafraid of anything and when an irate customer reached into his jacket threatening to "blow him away" calmly leaned into the dudes' window and calmly told him "You go right ahead - you haven't got the guts" (the dude backed down - I about cr*pped my pants over that one).

Ha ha! Thats awesome. That WWII generation had some tough characters didn't it? Interesting stories, thanks for sharing.

[toughguy]

My late father lived in the CD in the early 80's...he said that he was robbed more than once. It has gentrified so much since then that it wouldn't even be recognizable to people from that area if they were to see it now. Up until just a couple of years ago, there was one last holdout of that era, the corner of Madison and 23rd where Deano's grocery and Deano's club used to be. It was a notorious spot for crackheads and drug dealers. I lived just down the street with my brother and another roommate, and my brother was robbed at gunpoint once, and jumped by 3 dudes another time (and robbed after he was beat up). This was in 2004....I believe Deano's was condemned and now the corner has really cleaned up. There is still gang violence in the neighborhood, but not nearly as bad as it used to be. Corey Dillon, formerly of the Bengals and Patriots, came up in the CD, and I am sure he could tell you some stories.

[Freebird2007]

***Man Killed in Everett (7/28)

A man was fatally shot early Monday in Everett and police were looking for the gunman.
The victim was found in a driveway in the 2400 block of 75th Street. Police were called about 5:40 a.m., according to KOMO/4.
Police were looking for a Toyota pickup seen leaving the area after the shooting.

***Man killed in Tacoma (7/28)
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A man has been shot to death in Tacoma, reportedly by his girlfriend's father.

Police Officer Mark W. Fulghum says the man had been threatening the woman, with whom he had an on-again, off-again relationship.

Fulghum says her father went to her home to help protect her and was there when the boyfriend arrived Sunday afternoon.

Circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation. Police say the father and daughter waited for officers to arrive.


***2 boys held for shooting Tacoma Man (7/25)

[Freebird2007]

2 shot in Redmond murder-suicide

P-I STAFF
Two people were shot and killed early Tuesday in an apartment complex parking lot in Redmond in an apparent murder-suicide.
Police were called to the 4300 block of 156th Avenue Northeast at about 9:30 a.m.
It appeared that an estranged husband shot his wife several times in the torso, then turned the handgun to his temple and shot himself, Redmond police say.
More details to come.

[Denver Born]

lol you feel good cause there was 3 or so shootings in a week. cmon now thats nothing for a real hood. Seattle is nothing compared to LA/Detroit/DC/B More//i would compare seattle to like portland. anybody would rather have there car broken into then gettin jumped or robbed.

[Freebird2007]

Originally Posted by Denver Born

lol you feel good cause there was 3 or so shootings in a week. cmon now thats nothing for a real hood. Seattle is nothing compared to LA/Detroit/DC/B More//i would compare seattle to like portland. anybody would rather have there car broken into then gettin jumped or robbed.

since when is Seattle a "hood" (although it is quickly becoming one)

its nice to see murder and death just pushed aside as just another statistic