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Portage Bay Roanoke Park Community Council
(www.pbrpcommunitycouncil.org)

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July 30, 2020

 

TO: 
Mayor - Jenny Durkan (jenny.durkan@seattle.gov)

Council Member - Kshama Sawant (kshama.sawant@seattle.gov)

WSDOT SR520 Project Manager - Dawn Yankauskas (YankaDR@wsdot.wa.gov)

 

FROM: 

Portage Bay Roanoke Park Community Council & Residents

 

SUBJECT:

Drug Dealing Under SR520 Bridge, neighborhood thefts & prowling 

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We know you are consumed by many challenges at this time.  We have two public safety matters to bring to your attention and hopefully action. 

1. Our community is threatened by an active narcotics encampment under 520 between Delmar and Boyer.

2. There is a direct relationship between the drug dealing operation and increased thefts and prowling on residential streets and in our yards.

 

Used needles, bloody wipes and tissues now litter the Bagley Viewpoint. Residents of the encampment and those seeking their product roam freely in our neighborhoods leaving our families and children with fewer safe places to simply walk. SPD has been at the Bagley Viewpoint three times in the past five days, even escorted by concerned nearby residents. 

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Although there is a constant stream of customers walking to the encampment from the #49 bus stop; SPD says they can’t do anything until they see these folks dealing drugs.  Meanwhile the drug dealing at the encampment under SR520 bridge continues to grow and their ‘customers’ invade our yards and porches in search of items to steal. 

 

What follows are real time videos of these escalating incidents:

 

This person came through this morning just after 8 AM.  Nothing else in our cameras for overnight. See what I just shared to Neighbors: https://neighbors.ring.com/n/4GOaWl46Ve

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Trespasser attempting to steal bikes.

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At 7:30 this morning this person came onto our property, uncovered our bicycles and proceeded to see if they were all locked, then went into our backyard. Caucasian, slender, short red hair, unsure of gender, white t-shirt and capri pants: https://neighbors.ring.com/n/Qlzqr6g3O4

 

Just last night a neighbor was able to get a trespasser off his porch, while another trespasser was hiding nearby.  As you can see, the trespasser was attempting to steal bicycles in broad daylight, and returned three times to remove them; until the neighbor at his own peril confronted the trespasser who then retreated.   SPD did take an incident report but could not respond quickly enough to make an arrest.    

 

The drug dealing operation under SR520 on WSDOT property needs to be cleaned up before a violent confrontation between residents and drug dealing campers takes place.  We are alarmingly close.

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Thank you for your prompt attention. 

Portage Bay/Roanoke Park Community Council Board of Directors

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and 

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Portage Bay/Roanoke Park Residents (29 signatures)