Pike Place Market Safety
Feb 13th, 2007, 03:03 PM
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Feb 13th, 2007, 03:07 PM
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think if everyone actually read my post, you'd see I said to be cautious and inferred that wandering away from the market at night might not be prudent considering that 1st and 2nd can be sketchy. I'm certainly not telling anyone not to stay at hotels nearby--just use judgement. Anyway, the Green Tortoise is right there in the heart of that area where many people stay. Also, am I the only one who watched the news that night? I have a friend at KING and they missed it but I don't know if KIRO/KOMO reported.
Feb 13th, 2007, 04:52 PM
#26
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 481
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The guy was from Alabama according to the news, but does that actually matter? If they are wrong then I don't know what to say. If I were a rape victim, I would certainly have liked to have had prior knowledge to potentially crummy areas to avoid. Obviously, cutting through the alley wasn't the brightest idea but who are we to judge? Someone was raped and I think it's worth a mention. Funny how doing something to create awareness turns into a nightmare here. Bummer.
Feb 13th, 2007, 08:38 PM
#27
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Interesting thread. I've lived across the Sound from Seattle for more than 10 years, and my general impression lately is that things are going downhill downtown. I've always used Pine, rather than Pike, to walk uphill from the Market for just the reasons Lenlu mentions. Panhandling is rampant. The pedestrian overpass from Colman Dock always stinks of urine. And recently even Westlake seems to have more than its share of frightening, unbalanced folks. I guess we all have Ronald Reagan to thank for this, but Seattle's civic leadership needs to get on the ball as well. I was in Manhattan earlier this year and noticed that NYC actually feels safer to me than downtown Seattle, particularly at night. And to those locals who didn't hear about the attack on the tourist (near Post Alley), I have no explanation...it was widely reported on local news stations.
Feb 14th, 2007, 06:38 AM
#28
It is important to me because (as we all agree) those couple blocks are a nasty area.
If this person was a participant in drug activity and the attack came from one of his own (so to speak) or was related to a drug deal gone bad, I feel somewhat differently about the outcome.
If he was a tourist stupid enought to be walking down an alley in downtown at night... I look at the two situations differently is all.
It's the same when someone gets shot outside a bar at 2am in Belltown. It is unfortunately, but does not make me feel the need to warn tourists and visitors about the danger.
If this person was a participant in drug activity and the attack came from one of his own (so to speak) or was related to a drug deal gone bad, I feel somewhat differently about the outcome.
If he was a tourist stupid enought to be walking down an alley in downtown at night... I look at the two situations differently is all.
It's the same when someone gets shot outside a bar at 2am in Belltown. It is unfortunately, but does not make me feel the need to warn tourists and visitors about the danger.
Feb 14th, 2007, 09:28 AM
#30
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,445
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The man shot in the Pike Place Market area by an off-duty sheriff's deputy January 26 was a robbery suspect with an outstanding warrant. Let's not get this mixed up with tourist activities.
http://tinyurl.com/24j546
http://tinyurl.com/24j546
Feb 14th, 2007, 10:37 AM
#31
bobmrg, I'm not sure if your post refers to my post(?) but what I was talking about was a shooting outside a bar in Belltown. Point I was trying to make is most violence seems to be among local people, not against tourists. That's why I've been surprised at this thread right from the start.
Feb 14th, 2007, 01:47 PM
#35
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,514
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't see anything wrong with the original post. If Pike street is a little seedy (especially at night) it doesn't hurt to caution others who might think anything related to Pike Place Market is a tourist attraction and therefore relatively safe.
People do need to be careful in all cities. But I've seen warnings on these boards about the character of the "Tenderloin" disctrict in San Francisco, and I took this thread to be similar.
People do need to be careful in all cities. But I've seen warnings on these boards about the character of the "Tenderloin" disctrict in San Francisco, and I took this thread to be similar.
Feb 14th, 2007, 06:08 PM
#36
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,520
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The point is--"seediness" does not equate with "dangerous", in this case. Yes, ther are a few blocks on Pike Street that are "seedy", and one might wish to avoid them for that reason (and it's not just at night; it goes on all day long). But they are not dangerous. If a random violent crime makes an area dangerous, . . . well, I don't even want to go there.
Feb 15th, 2007, 07:32 AM
#37
We have been having more problems at my office located in Belltown, 2 blocks north of the Market, just recently. Twice someone entered and stole money (wallet, purse) and just this weekend a burglary (laptop, etc.). So 3 incidents to report to the police within a 4 month period of time.
Not to scare off tourists, but I *do* believe things are rougher in downtown Seattle then they were, say 5 years ago, unfortunately.
Not to scare off tourists, but I *do* believe things are rougher in downtown Seattle then they were, say 5 years ago, unfortunately.
