The Knitting Factory (Spokane: crime, living in, store)

[JessicaLynnn]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone has experienced going to any concerts at the Knitting Factory. Is it cool and fun? Did you have a good time overall? Would you go there again?
I went there the beginning of the summer 2012 and had an awful experience. I just wanted to see if it is just me or if lots of people get the same kind of treatment I did.

[WendyK]

what was your awful experience? I have been there several times for concerts and really like the venue. You have to get there early to get a table but overall I think it's a good concert hall. Probably depends on the crowd and who is performing.

[JessicaLynnn]

I went there for the too broke to rock concert on friday the 13th. My husband & I were having a good time with some friends and met a few people there. I was standing in line by myself waiting to get a drink when 3 guys grabbed me and started carrying me off somewhere forcefully. I screamed and struggled then they hit me so hard a few times in the head that I lost conciousness. My husband and friends began looking for me shortly after they realized I was missing. It turned out that the guys who grabbed me were the bouncers. I thought it was odd they were wearing plain clothes. There was no way to know the difference between them and just guys at the show. I regained counciousness a few times and was in a room where I could barely hear the music and was with the bouncers I asked them why they hurt me and they said I was trying to steal somebodys money and they had to stop me. I let them know I never did that. Due to my head injury I was having problems staying conscious. The next time I woke up I was outside. I decided to try to find our truck so I could go home..Then all the bouncers re appeared and my husband was there too. My husband took one look at me and said "what happened to you?". I said "I dont know why they hurt me real bad I want to go now." Then about 5 guys jumped on my husband and beat him very severly. They stopped hitting him when he went into a seizure on the concrete. I thought he was dying and I was next. I thought those guys were going to kill us. I screamed as loud as I could. I was terrified. The bouncers jumped on me and put handcuffs on me very tightly. I screamed very loud until I lost conciousness again. I guess what happened next was a cop showed up and accused my husband of being on drugs because he had slobber coming out of his mouth and was disoriented from having sufferred a severe beating and having a seizure of some sort. The cop evidently bought the other side of the story and wrote my husband and I off as two people who had too much to drink. which was not true. We had been beaten senseless by the bouncers for no apparent reason. My husband had to pick me up off the concrete and take me home. I vaugely remember the ride home. I looked at my husband and his face was completely messed up. He was bleeding all over the place.. Both of us then went to the hospital and needed medical assistance after going the the Knitting Factory. My doctor advised me to have a rape kit done due to some of the bruises and injuries I had and also because of how I was missing and unconcious with those guys for a while.. The spokane police dept refused to cooperate to have the kit processed. I guess even though it is a medical exam; since rape is a crime the police had to be involved. The police kept telling me that I was just drunk and refused to process my rape kit or cooperate with the doctors that were helping me. The cops basically told me that since those guys are bouncers they are allowed to treat people how they see fit. I will never go to the Knitting Factory again. I want people to know that this happened to me.

[Yeledaf]

Doesn't sound like a knitting factory to me. Sounds more like a lunatic asylum.

[fy10fyr]

Originally Posted by JessicaLynnn

I went there for the too broke to rock concert on friday the 13th. My husband & I were having a good time with some friends and met a few people there. I was standing in line by myself waiting to get a drink when 3 guys grabbed me and started carrying me off somewhere forcefully. I screamed and struggled then they hit me so hard a few times in the head that I lost conciousness. My husband and friends began looking for me shortly after they realized I was missing. It turned out that the guys who grabbed me were the bouncers. I thought it was odd they were wearing plain clothes. There was no way to know the difference between them and just guys at the show. I regained counciousness a few times and was in a room where I could barely hear the music and was with the bouncers I asked them why they hurt me and they said I was trying to steal somebodys money and they had to stop me. I let them know I never did that. Due to my head injury I was having problems staying conscious. The next time I woke up I was outside. I decided to try to find our truck so I could go home..Then all the bouncers re appeared and my husband was there too. My husband took one look at me and said "what happened to you?". I said "I dont know why they hurt me real bad I want to go now." Then about 5 guys jumped on my husband and beat him very severly. They stopped hitting him when he went into a seizure on the concrete. I thought he was dying and I was next. I thought those guys were going to kill us. I screamed as loud as I could. I was terrified. The bouncers jumped on me and put handcuffs on me very tightly. I screamed very loud until I lost conciousness again. I guess what happened next was a cop showed up and accused my husband of being on drugs because he had slobber coming out of his mouth and was disoriented from having sufferred a severe beating and having a seizure of some sort. The cop evidently bought the other side of the story and wrote my husband and I off as two people who had too much to drink. which was not true. We had been beaten senseless by the bouncers for no apparent reason. My husband had to pick me up off the concrete and take me home. I vaugely remember the ride home. I looked at my husband and his face was completely messed up. He was bleeding all over the place.. Both of us then went to the hospital and needed medical assistance after going the the Knitting Factory. My doctor advised me to have a rape kit done due to some of the bruises and injuries I had and also because of how I was missing and unconcious with those guys for a while.. The spokane police dept refused to cooperate to have the kit processed. I guess even though it is a medical exam; since rape is a crime the police had to be involved. The police kept telling me that I was just drunk and refused to process my rape kit or cooperate with the doctors that were helping me. The cops basically told me that since those guys are bouncers they are allowed to treat people how they see fit. I will never go to the Knitting Factory again. I want people to know that this happened to me.

Every bouncer or other employee I've ever seen at the Knitting Factory is in a uniform of some sort.

I've never seen a bouncer at the knitting factory with handcuffs.

Bouncers aren't allowed to treat people "as they see fit."

No cop in Spokane, (especially after the Otto Zehm incident), was going to let you leave in your own vehicle with your husband drooling from a beating-induced seizure, you having lost consciouness twice, including once from "screaming" nor with the injuries you describe.

Where were your friends when your husband was being severely beaten by 5 guys outside? 1st Ave is pretty busy, no pedestrian or vehicular traffic around? No witnesses to this assault?

The last Friday the 13th was in July, why wait 4 months, and then put it on here? Why not go to the media? They love a good scandal, especially if they can hammer the SPD with it.

I think your story is "interesting", but not very believable.

[JessicaLynnn]

I don't care if you believe me. I don't even know you!

I am not lying.

I think I actually fainted that night because I was so scared I thought we might die. I am trying to get past this and forget about this incident and have been suffering from a lot of anxiety whenever I go out in public especially when it gets dark out. I get have been getting really afraid of strangers and refuse to go anywhere alone.
I called the police dept. the next morning while I was still at the hospital to complain that the cop officer Conrath did not call an ambulance for us when it should have been obvious that we needed one, but they(Conrath & his superior) refused to process my complaint, just like they refused to process my rape kit, and basically said my husband & I got what we deserved.
This has been a very eye opening experience about how police don't always help people when they need it. I feel like the police let me down.

[JessicaLynnn]

The Knitting factory has been closed down due to several shootings outside the building as well as a long string of other violent events...I hope if it opens back up all the terrible things will stop happening there.. I like concerts but it is not worth going there to see any of them.

[aplcr0331]

Originally Posted by JessicaLynnn

I don't care if you believe me. I don't even know you!

I am not lying.

I think I actually fainted that night because I was so scared I thought we might die. I am trying to get past this and forget about this incident and have been suffering from a lot of anxiety whenever I go out in public especially when it gets dark out. I get have been getting really afraid of strangers and refuse to go anywhere alone.
I called the police dept. the next morning while I was still at the hospital to complain that the cop officer Conrath did not call an ambulance for us when it should have been obvious that we needed one, but they(Conrath & his superior) refused to process my complaint, just like they refused to process my rape kit, and basically said my husband & I got what we deserved.
This has been a very eye opening experience about how police don't always help people when they need it. I feel like the police let me down.

Did you tell the Doctor at the hospital that you were not raped just beaten unconscious?

Police don't decide who can or cannot get a rape kit (anyway, were you raped? Why bring this up?). Hospital's maintain what are called "Jane Doe" rape kits, they collect them, store them, and the local police are not involved.

[PS90]

Hmmmm....This story really doesn't add up.

Bouncers in plain clothes....police telling you that the bouncers "can do whatever they want"...a man obviously beaten is mistaken for high on drugs by the police officers (who would be trained to look for - and differentiate - the signs of either of these incidences)...

And 4 months later, you asked on an anonymous internet forum how other people like the Knitting Factory?

Now you revive the thread due to a completely separate incident?

The Knitting Factory has been known for rowdy/violent behavior, but we're not living in an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie.

Hmmm...

[shivernot]

This story doesn't sound right. The KF is a large concert venue and the security is wearing ID. It was just shut down temporarily due to a shooting outside. The problem I see is they are booking a lot of acts that attract a rough crowd. That and the problem of 300 million guns being used by little jerks to settle minor arguments.