The police appear powerless to prevent the frequent late night violent attacks and robberies on Capitol Hill. Sometimes the victims are patronizing Capitol Hill’s nightlife and are targeted for just an IPod or their wallet but many attacks actually occur in the middle of the day.
The economy and gentrification of Capitol Hill have contributed greatly to the problem. The SPD wants you to believe they are doing everything possible to prevent attacks. I do believe that they vigorously want to investigate and capture the perpetrators. That’s their primary job. But let’s face it. There is very little incentive to prevent violent crimes against civilian victims except it is also in the interest of officer safety. The more crime, the more officers the city must hire and put on active duty.
Former City Attorney Tom Carr’s response appeared to be that if he could shut down the most popular nightlife venues and prevent people from drinking, you might be able to limit the potential victims which sort of goes along with the County’s theme of “Don’t be a victim.”
Preventing violent crime in the city should be of paramount importance right now and the concerns of Capitol Hill are not being represented at the crime prevention meetings. But the East Precinct Community Crime Prevention meeting tonight will hopefully address some of these issues. Thursday January 28, 2010, 6:30 – 8pm, Seattle Vocational Institute, Room 401 with special guest City Attorney Pete Holmes.
More info about the event is here.
