Community Safety Walk on Beach Drive

May 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We have been notified by Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Seattle Police Department, that a community safety walk has been scheduled for June 1, 2012 at 6:30 pm.

Following the tragic murder of Greggette Guy two months ago, several in the Beach Drive community have been expressing concern about the safety of Emma Schmitz and Mee Kwa Mooks parks in the evening.  This walk is to give us an opportunity to point out areas that could have improved safety.

When and if I have more information from Mark Solomon or any other City officials, I'll let you know.

 

Filed Under: Crime, Safety

Seattle Police Department Newsletter

April 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Download Seattle Police Email Newsletter112

You can read the most recent Seattle Police Department Newsletter by clicking the link above.  

 

Filed Under: Crime, Safety Tagged With:

West Seattle Crime Prevention Council Meeting Tonight at 7pm

April 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Via West Seattle Blog:

PARKS SUPERINTENDENT AT WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Issues of safety and security at city parks arose after last month’s murder of Greggette Guy, believed to have happened at West Seattle’s waterfront Emma Schmitz Viewpoint. Tonight, acting Seattle Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams is the guest at the WS Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting; Southwest Precinct police leadership also will be there as always to discuss the latest crime trends and answer community questions. 7 pm, SW Precinct meeting room (Delridge/Webster).

 

I'm just learning of this now, thanks to Suzanne, if any of our readers are going – please feel free to share your comments or what you learn at tonight's meeting.

UPDATE:  Here is West Seattle Blog's coverage of what was discussed regarding the murder of Greggette Guy.

Filed Under: Crime, Safety

Seattle police increasing their presence along Beach Drive SW

March 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

By land and by sea, Seattle police are keeping their word regarding increased visibility along the Emma Schmitz Memorial Park.  This cruiser was spotted off the park Monday afternoon…

SafeParks

Is this show of force making you feel safer? According to Captain Paulsen of the SPD during his report to concerned residents on March 20, he stated:

One of the things I have done is thrown some extra patrol cars down in the area, it’s not so much going to catch somebody or anything, but … this type of crime causes a lot of fear and we want to subside that fear by having this presence down there for you all. … Trying to think what else I’d like to say in regards to that. (watch video on West Seattle Blog) 

According to many of the neighbors within a stones throw of Emma Schmitz, shedding some light on the park would help the nerves a whole lot more.  A little digging has uncovered a successful attempt to light up a nearby park just north named Cormorant Cove (just so happens that Greggettes body was recovered at this park).

ParkLighting

When asking Seattle City Light what needs to happen to get the same treatment for Emma Schmitz, a representative responded…

The flood light on the pole by Cormorant Cove Park is being paid for by HARBOR WEST CONDO HOA which is the condominiums right next door. The light is actually angled toward the condo's although it is illuminating the park area too. If you'd like a flood light at Emma Schmitz Park my advice is to contact and get approval from Sea. Parks & Recreation at (206)684-4075. The monthly fee for a 400 W flood is $17.64. 

Well, I can tell you that this particular light is squarely focused on the park. There's another light on the pole just to the south that illuminates the condos parking lot. Less than $20 bucks a month?… I'll bet 2 months of park lighting that other Beach Drive neighbors would kick into a fund for lighting the lower section of Emma Schmitz for years to come. 

 Scupper for Beach Drive Blog

Filed Under: Crime, In the News, Parks, Safety Tagged With: ,

Tonight’s Vigil along Emma Schmitz Park in Memory of Greggette Guy

March 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Tonight about 70 or more people gathered at the north point of Emma Schmitz Park and walked the park to Jacobsen and back. Neighbors reunited and perhaps met for the first time during this calm, cool evening at this event organized by Judy Bentley.  

Candles and flashlights were lit as we stood together in silence.  Ms. Guy's father appeared to thank everyone for the vigil and for remembering Greggette.  He said that they used to walk this area together and that she enjoyed walking here during storms. He called the lower area of Emma Schmitz (which is out of view from the street) a "death trap" and he wants Seattle's Mayor McGinn to do something to remedy this.  He would like to see the park closed at night with better lighting and a memorial to be created for his daughter.  Several people came forward to offer condolences and hug Greggette's father.  He said that had he known she was going to walk Beach Drive that night, he would have joined her.   

The media was quick to interview Greggette's father after his words to our group.

Neighbors held several casual discussions with many ideas of what can be done to make this area of Beach Drive a safer place.  Many have offered to volunteer their services or time.  A neighbor is organizing a sign up so that people don't need to walk alone along this stretch of an area that "should" be safe. I believe that in Greggette's memory, many of us will work toward making this park a safer place through our own actions and by contacting our local politicians so that we can hopefully deter something like this from happening again.

 

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Click here for West Seattle Blog's coverage, including a video of Greggette's Father and what he had to say to our neighborhood. 

Filed Under: Crime, Current Affairs, Safety

Beach Drive neighbors organizing a vigil and walk tonight at Emma Schmitz

March 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We received word this morning from a Beach Drive neighbor that a vigil and walk has been planned tonight, March 18th at 7:00 PM to remember Greggette Guy and to claim the parks as safe public space.

We'll gather at the north end of Emma Schmitz Park on the waterfront side of Beach Drive and walk the length of the park, carrying candles and flashlights as needed.  We'll accompany anyone who needs company on the walk home.

A warm thanks to our community for organizing this event! 

Filed Under: Crime, Current Affairs, Safety

Making our Beach Drive area parks safer

March 17, 2012 by 10 Comments

In light of the recent unsolved murder along Beach Drive, we're hearing from several neighbors that would like to make the Emma Schmitz Memorial Viewpoint/Mee-Kwa-Mooks park a safer area for both visitors and residents.

The most obvious area of concern is the lower, out of sight walkway that runs along the beach.

KidsandWalker

This section of Emma Schmitz Memorial park is known for it's drug scene, costly graffiti and now the likely scene of a second murder. For years, we have warned our kids to never walk down there when headed out towards Alki.

ViewFrmAbove

The first improvement should be better lighting… or any lighting at all given that there isn't any at this time. Another idea we're hearing (and totally behind of) is a permanent surveillance camera along with a few posted signs making people aware of it. A little less privacy is a small price to pay for being able to safely stroll on our sidewalks.

Beach Drive Blog is asking for help from any of you that have connections with the City or Parks Department to find out what it would take to make these improvements a reality. Several folks have already mentioned that they would chip in if necessary. 

God bless and rest in peace Greggette Guy

MemorialFlowers

Filed Under: Safety

Another wind storm coming Sunday

January 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Weather forecast can and do change.  At 4:30 this morning, we issued a "barking dog" report which basically means that we're preparing to possibly flood or lose power because of high winds, tides and waves slurping over the bulkhead.  A "barking dog" would be like your neighbors friendly retreiver who howls when he thinks something may be wrong – sometimes he's right, sometimes not…but always on the lookout with best intentions. 

We indeed have water coming over our bulkhead and thankfully have a back-up pump since the first one failed.  

This photo is of our neighbors patio where the waves knocked some of the brick pavers out.

 

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Our next high tides are an 11.3 at 2:25 this afternoon and a 12.3 at 5:08 Sunday morning followed by a 11.2 at 3:20 pm Sunday afternoon.

Here's what the NWS has now:

Today: A 40 percent chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Breezy, with a south southwest wind around 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. 

Tonight: Showers likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy, with a south southwest wind between 14 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Sunday: Rain. High near 46. Southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 40. Windy, with a south southeast wind 18 to 21 mph increasing to between 28 and 31 mph. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 44. South southwest wind between 17 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%

Seattle area forecast via UW:

TODAY…WINDY THIS MORNING. SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE 40S. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH EASING TO SOUTHWEST 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SUNDAY…RAIN LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN AT TIMES IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT…WINDY. RAIN AT TIMES. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 15 TO 30 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

 

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

…GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON…

TODAY…SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT…EASING IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING. SHOWERS.

TONIGHT…SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…EASING AND BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT…SUBSIDING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

SUN…SE WIND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN.

SUN NIGHT…S WIND RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 3 TO 6 FT.

We hope you stay warm and safe!

Filed Under: Safety, Tides, Weather

BARKING DOG REPORT: WIND AND WAVES

January 21, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

IStock_000002610704Medium

It’s been a while since we’ve issued a barking dog report – I’ll explain more later. Right now we’re dealing with extreme wind at high tide causing water to slosh over the bulkhead. This is the type of situation where neighbors may experience flooding – especially if we lose power.  The following is what info we have as of 4:00 am (at the time of publishing this post):

WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM.

National Weather Service:

Today: Showers, mainly before 10am. High near 46. Windy, with a south southwest wind between 28 and 34 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Tonight: Showers likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy, with a south southwest wind between 14 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Marine Forecast:

…GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON…

TODAY…SW WIND 25 TO 35 KT…EASING IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT…SUBSIDING. SHOWERS.

TONIGHT…SW WIND 15 TO 25 KT…EASING AND BECOMING S AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 4 FT…SUBSIDING. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.

SUN…SE WIND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. RAIN.

SUN NIGHT…S WIND RISING TO 25 TO 35 KT. WIND WAVES BUILDING TO 3 TO 6 FT.

UPDATE 5:35 am: just noticed NWS has “gusts as high as 55 mph” through Sunday.

Sunday: Rain. High near 46. Southeast wind between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Sunday Night: Rain. Low around 40. Windy, with a south southeast wind 18 to 21 mph increasing to between 28 and 31 mph. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

TIDES:

Saturday, January 21:

  • 4:30 am at 11.9
  • 9:37 am at 7.4
  • 2:25 pm at 11.3
  • 9:30 pm at -2.0

Sunday, January 22;

  • 5:08 am at 12.3
  • 10:28 am at 6.9
  • 3:20 pm at 11.2
  • 10:14 pm at -1.9

 

From round 1:

Filed Under: Safety, Weather

First snow and ice. What’s next? WIND with High Tides

January 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This morning the snow is melting and Beach Drive around Jacobson seems clear, wet and slushy.  

 

2012-01-20_08-22-33_322

What's next? Why strong winds, of course!

NWS for West Seattle area:

Today: Occasional snow and freezing drizzle before 10am, then rain. Snow level 200 feet rising to 3700 feet. High near 40. East northeast wind 6 to 11 mph becoming south southeast. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. 

Tonight: Rain. Low around 40. Southeast wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 46. Windy, with a southwest wind between 21 and 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Saturday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind between 11 and 14 mph. 

Sunday: Rain. High near 45. South southeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90% 

City of Seattle and vincinity:

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING…

TODAY…OCCASIONAL LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. ADDITIONAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A TENTH OF INCH OR LESS. HIGHS NEAR 40. LIGHT WIND BECOMING SOUTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…BECOMING WINDY…RAIN. LOWS NEAR 40. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH BECOMING SOUTH 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH LATE.

SATURDAY…WINDY. RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. LOWS IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

SUNDAY…RAIN. HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT…RAIN. LOWS IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S.

Puget Sound Marine Forecast:

…SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON PST TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON…

TODAY…NE WIND 5 TO 10 KT…BECOMING SE AND RISING TO 15 TO 25 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND WAVES 1 FT…BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. RAIN.

TONIGHT…SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT…BECOMING S 20 TO 30 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 5 FT. RAIN.

SAT…SW WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 5 FT. A CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

SAT NIGHT…S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

SUN…SE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

SUN NIGHT…S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

MON…S WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.

Seattle area tides: 

Friday, January 20:

  • 1:27 pm at 11.4 
  • 8:42 pm at  -1.8 

Saturday, January 21:

  • 4:30 am at 11.9
  • 9:37 am at 7.4
  • 2:25 pm at 11.3
  • 9:30 pm at -2.0

Sunday, January 22;

  • 5:08 am at 12.3
  • 10:28 am at 6.9
  • 3:20 pm at 11.2
  • 10:14 pm at -1.9

Still reading? Here are some photos from a walk Scupper and I took yesterday in the snow along Beach Drive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Puget Sound, Safety, Weather
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