Wife Watched 2 Robberies In Downtown Seattle Today

[DanieRains]

She went to Goodwill and watched 3 people grab some stuff, go to the door, scream the workers there were racists, and leave without paying. Not sure what they took.

Then went to the drug store, and watched exactly the same thing. Same exact thing. You are racist. You are racist. Leaving without paying.

She then went to the bank / bunker (literally) got jewelry out of Safe deposit box. Was scared to death she would be robbed.

Dear Bruce Harrel. Fix this now.

I can't say what I really think should be done. Involves jail.

My beautiful city is overran with crime. Many / most stores had to close because of it.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. They sound like Republicans...

They seem to like to steal shit and create chaos.

[LoisB]

2. Shaking my head.

nt

[blm]

3. Seems performative.

Like the RW goons at the Floyd protests pretending to be BLM supporters.

[DanieRains]

4. They Were Theives

Pure and simple.

[blm]

9. Of course they're thieves. That they added performance is my guess.

[dpibel]

5. What was the police response?

What did they say when your wife reported these nefarious goings on?

And most stores are now closed in Seattle? That's some big news!

[maxsolomon]

15. the cops aren't there.

cops show up after. if goodwill or walgreen's wants to hire off-duty cops to work the store they can.

most stores aren't closed, but Covid has been very hard on downtown. 100s of 1000s of daily office workers gone from the city center. tourists gone. meanwhile homelessness has exploded, and it was awful before. 7K on the streets of seattle.

the neighborhoods are doing better.

[dpibel]

16. The cops usually aren't there

Oddly, most crimes, especially the kind described in the OP, happen when "the cops aren't there."

My question had to do with what happened when the original poster's wife reported these crimes. Surely she did. Or at least stayed to offer her testimony as a witness.

That's what responsible citizens do, isn't it?

And, regardless what you say, the OP said "Many / most stores are closed."

You say not so.

Who should I believe?

[maxsolomon]

26. Its many, not most.

"Most" would be, what, 3/4?

[SouthernCal_Dem]

6. What do you suggest be done to "fix" this?

Just curious….

[Skittles]

7. so she sees two robberies

and her response is to go get some jewelry

alrighty then

[bahboo]

8. also struck me as um...odd...

[WA-03 Democrat]

10. Does not seem to be material or odd

A safety deposit boxes hold valuables. You keep stuff in it you don't want to lose or be stolen. I see these issue in Portland every damn day. It needs to stop. Paying for goods or services is out of bounds?

Is donating to charity or going to a drug store an odd errand. Or is it watching multiple robberies in person during a single normal now.

Maybe we should all do this and watch the beautiful chaos that will bring the utopian revolution faster.

Susan Sarandonism in action indeed

[Skittles]

11. no one is saying robberies are not criminal

but if I saw two robberies the LAST thing I would do is go get some jewelry.

[WA-03 Democrat]

12. Perhaps that was a planned stop

You get access to your stuff with a box if the bank is open. We have to navigate and move in the cities we live in. I am not going to judge but its hers and she can do what she wants - odd?

[Skittles]

13. sorry, I think it is odd

over and OUT

[DanieRains]

17. She Closed Her Safety Deposit Box

Was her plan. Store on Westlake. Bank at Pacific Place. Huge mall with like 3 stores. Is creepy. We shouldn't fear going outside.

[maxsolomon]

14. what you've got is people with nothing left to lose.

i assume your wife was at the dearborn st. goodwill, since i frequent it myself. it's an area with a significant homeless population - the jungle, the ID, SODO, little saigon, the courthouse, the highway N of the ship canal - everywhere there are tents, everywhere there is squalor.

the shoplifters (it wasn't a robbery) turned the crazy up to 11 with the screaming "racist" accusation; it was intended to raise the stakes so high the underpaid staff (including security) don't think it's worth it. it wasn't worth it. what did they steal at goodwill? goodwill got it all for free.

stores in downtown seattle have a choice: tolerate the losses or raise the security. the homeless are becoming bold in their desperation.

i do agree that the situation is becoming intolerable. i don't think harrell has a fucking clue how to fix it.

[Dorian Gray]

19. I was in Seattle

five years ago as a tourist, and I thought it was intolerable. (For perspective, I live in NYC, which... is more tolerable, though depends on the area.) The tents under the underpasses and extreme homelessness was a problem then. I can only imagine what 2 years of covid have done for the population.

The answer isn't sending jackbooted thug police in to smash skulls. I think it involves increased services (homeless and psychiatric). I also think that the tent cities need to be cleared and the people offered a safe place to stay. That will involve police presence, though I would like to see an increase in social workers WORKING with the police when doing something like that.

I also think the police need to be trained to have psychological awareness of homelessness and ways they can respond with compassion when dealing with these things.

There is not an overnight fix.

[maxsolomon]

27. Those services are offered to the campers.

But not all accept them.

The Homeless Crisis is all up and down the West Coast - smaller towns like Bellingham and Olympia are suffering as well.

[Demovictory9]

21. this guy takes a dozen steaks. prevented from taking the basket, then street sweepers bag

https://nypost.com/2022/02/08/video-shows-man-nabbing-10-steaks-from-nyc-trader-joes/

[ZonkerHarris]

18. Robbery requires force or threat. She saw, depending on value, minor theft or shoplifting

Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear.

[LizBeth]

25. +1. Right, I was thinking the same reading this.

[maxrandb]

20. "And then, this big burly guy comes up with tears in his eyes and says, please sir, fix this"

"it's unbelievable what's going on..."

"You look at Seattle, you look at Portland, you look at New York, it's a shame what's happening in New York, it's a disgrace..."

[betsuni]

22. Seattle has always had a problem downtown.

In the seventies the ballet studio I attended was in Bell Town, regularly saw blood stains on the sidewalk and drunks sleeping it off, fights -- First Avenue was dangerous. That was Seattle. The kind of place (I saw this description in a book) where if you yelled "Hey, asshole!" near Pike Place Market everyone would turn around.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

23. Gosh, even with the Seattle cop budget increasing over the past couple years???? huh

Pretty sure "involves jail" wouldn't help.

[LizBeth]

24. I worked at Safeway for a small amount of time. Flabbergasted watching people walk in,

grab a box of cereal and milk and walk out. So many, whatever they wanted and just walk out.