“Last” Stand Up on 65th tonight

From the organizer of the weekly Black Lives Matter demonstrations that began on Friday, June 5:

“Stand Up on NE 65th with Ravenna neighbors! This is the last of four weekly Friday gatherings in June intended to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter. We will be gathering along 65th on Friday, June 26, at 4 pm holding signs of support. Stand anywhere you like, but many people have gathered near the intersection of 25th Ave NE on previous Fridays. Thank you!”

The organizer of the weekly June demonstrations along NE 65th Street is calling this her last “Stand Up on 65th,” but that doesn’t mean the end of the event.

If you would like to be put in touch with the organizer, leave a comment below.

And if you would like to just keep standing along NE 65th Street on Fridays starting at 4 pm, that is okay, too. Because Black Lives Matter.

Black Lives Matter marches on Friday, June 12

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County has called for a statewide day of action on Friday, June 12. In Seattle proper the main event is a silent march from Judkins Park south to Jefferson Park on 23rd Avenue S. People are asked to gather starting at 1 PM at Judkins Park, with the march itself starting at 2 PM. Closing remarks will be held at Jefferson Park once the march has arrived.

Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County event graphic for the March of Silence on Friday, Jule 12.

The event page for the march includes an order to the march, rules for the march (including COVID-19 considerations), additional safety precautions being taken by the organizers, and contact information regarding donations and donation needs.

Locally, in Northeast Seattle, we know of three four five six events happening (please add others in the comments, and we will add them into the main post below):

  • Stand Up Along 65th. The event that started on Friday, June 5 will be held again this Friday, and subsequent Fridays, along NE 65th Street, starting at 4:00 pm. Neighbors and families are invited to stand along NE 65th Street either near their homes, in one of the business areas on 65th (being mindful of those businesses which are open), or to gather near larger intersections (25th, 20th, 15th).
  • Solidarity with General Strike for Black Lives. This event is organized by the John Rogers Elementary School PTA and is set to begin at 5:30 PM at 35th Avenue NE and NE 110th Street (near the fields at Nathan Hale High School).
  • Black Lives Matter in Victory Heights. The Victory Heights Blog reports that community members will be gathering at the corner of NE Northgate Way and 19th Avenue NE from 5-6 PM.
  • UW Medical Center Rally in Support of Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County’s Statewide Silent March and General Strike. From noon until 1 PM, UWMC staff are invited to a BLM strike alternative in front of the “W” sign at Montlake and Pacific or a couple locations on the Northwest Hospital campus. (Thank you, Dr. Andrew Wright.)
  • 35th Ave Socially Distanced Demonstration in Support of Black Lives. Also being repeated this Friday is a standing demonstration in Wedgwood along 35th Avenue NE, between about NE 55th and NE 95th Streets, or wherever it makes sense for your family or group. (Thank you, Linsey.)
  • Silent March. Meet at NE 65th St and 35th Avenue NE at 1:50 PM and march silently to NE 75th St and 40th Ave NE and back. Found this one on Think Big Wedgwood, a new local website that as popped up in the last week specifically around the subject of racism. At this time we are not sure who is behind it, but here is their FAQ.

Specifically here in Ravenna, we would like to call out two local businesses: Zeeks Pizza, who supported last week’s event with some free slices but will be closed this Friday throughout Seattle and Tacoma “in solidarity with the BLM march“; and NE 65th Street restauranteur Edouardo Jordan, who had the following advice for those standing along 65th and/or protesting in business areas as businesses reopen:

And speaking of “the beacon that has always made noise,” Jordan is one of four Black chefs featured in a piece this week by Nicole Taylor for the New York Times, “A Juneteenth of Joy and Resistance.” Read about this way-way-way-overdue-designated-national-holiday, and what it means to four different Black chefs in America this year.

What we CAN do during the outbreak

With the “What we know is closed and why” post getting long and seemingly unending (but we’ll keep updating it, don’t worry), it’s definitely time to start a “What we CAN do” post.

We start with the BIG TWO that will continue to head up this list no matter what:

Wash your hands.

If you haven’t in a while, just do it again anyway. Soap literally rips viruses apart.

Stay at home.

If we stay put there is less risk of being exposed and/or exposing others. It is crucial to not overburden our medical resources even more.

Many people are very contagious and not sick. This may be you. Act as if it is. Stay home.


School Lunches for Students

On Monday, March 16th across the district, lunches will be provided to any Seattle Public Schools student from 11 am to 1 pm, Monday through Friday.  The closest food distribution sites to Ravenna are:

  • Eckstein Middle School (Google map)
    3003 NE 75th St Seattle, WA 98115
  • Nathan Hale High School (Google map)
    10750 30th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98125
  • Olympic Hills Elementary (Google map)
    13018 20th Ave NE Seattle, WA 98125

Here is the link to all the district’s student lunch sites. And here is where to find updates from Seattle Public Schools on everything.


Go to a park.

While many Seattle Parks and Recreation facilities are closed, most parks, trails, and other open spaces are not. The caveat is that parks cannot be used for congregating in. Keep group sizes within public health department parameters and follow the guidelines, or just go solo. Outside feels real good these days, just stay away from others.


Shop local.

For local businesses to survive (and for those same local businesses to continue to employ their workers who also need to survive), we need to spend money at those businesses.

If you’re able, call ahead and order something to be picked up later. If you don’t need anything, buy a gift card for later. Tip well if you are able. Don’t stay in the establishment long.


More ideas? Let us know below.

Q&A with Dr. Chetan Seshadri of UW Medicine

Dr. Chetan Seshadri works for UW Medicine. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases; Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology; and Affiliate Investigator in the Vaccine & Infectious Diseases Division (VIDD) at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

He is also the parent of three children at Wedgwood Elementary School, and has been joining Wedgwood principal Stephen Liu for Q&A sessions on the Coronavirus disease.

These Q&A sessions are streamed live to the Wedgwood Elementary Families Facebook Group (private) and on the school’s twitter feed (public). Two have been held so far (watch below), and we will post others here should they occur.

Thursday, March 12 Q&A:

Friday, March 6 Q&A:

What we know is closed and why: March 11-14 (UPDATES)

New additions (added March 14):

  • Bistro Shirlee (3600 NE 45th St): This Renee Erickson restaurant (formerly the St. Helens Cafe) is “Temporarily closed until further notice.” (source)
  • Junebaby SOON, PLANNED BREAK (2122 NE 65th St): Restaurant will close for its annual spring break from Monday, March 16 through Wednesday, March 25. (source and details)
  • University District Farmers Market (University Way NE and NE 50th St): All farmers markets city wide are closed through April 14 as all city-permitted events have been suspended. We have heard some vendors may still be meeting in the area on Saturdays regardless. (source and details)

New additions (added March 13):

  • University Village REDUCED HOURS (2623 NE University Village St): The upscale outdoor shopping mall is now allowing businesses within the complex to make the decision to limit their hours of operation. Contact specific businesses for their hours before visiting. (via email)

New additions (added March 12):

  • Arena Sports (7751 63rd Ave NE): Arena Sports is closing most operations until at least Friday, April 24. Magnuson Athletic Club will remain open “as activities are non-contact and customers can manage their own surroundings.” (details and source)
  • Assumption-St. Bridget School (6220 32nd Ave NE): No school for students starting Friday, March 13. Staff in-service day on Friday, March 13 for finalizing digital learning plans and ensuring all systems are in place for digital start on Monday, March 16. (source and details)
  • Burke Museum (4300 45th Ave NE): Closed from Thursday, March 12 though Tuesday, March 31 based on recommendations from the State of Washington and King County health officials pertaining to gathering spaces for >250 people. (source and details)
  • Community Centers and Pools (city-wide): Except for preschool programs or hygiene services, Seattle Parks and Recreation will cancel all programming, rentals, and permitted events, and will close all community centers, pools, and environmental learning centers on Friday, March 13 at 6:00 pm, until at least Monday, April 13. (source and details)
  • Off the Rez Cafe (inside the Burke Museum at 4300 45th Ave NE): As the museum that houses the cafe is closed, the cafe is also closed; however, the original Off the Rez food truck is still in operation and making stops at the Stoup and Optimism breweries. (source and details)
  • Old Navy Northgate (401 Ne Northgate Way): Store is closed for cleaning for a “suspected but unconfirmed case” of Coronavirus. Employees have been told to not come to work until further notice. (via private Twitter DM)
  • Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School (3520 NE 89th St): School buildings closed starting Monday, March 16 through Monday, March 30 “to support public health efforts regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).” (source and details)
  • Seattle Public Libraries, including our Northeast Branch (6801 35th Ave NE: All libraries are closing today Thursday, March 12, at 6:00 pm due to staffing shortages. (source) Also at this time, and through the month of March, all programs, events, meeting room bookings, outreach activities and Bookmobile services are cancelled based on guidance from public health officials. (source and details) Branches will be open one more day (Friday, March 13 until 6:00 pm) before closing until at least Monday, April 13. (source and details)

Previously mentioned:

  • Arriba Cantina (2316 NE 65th St #101): Restaurant closed, citing decreased business due to COVID-19. Last day of service was Friday, March 13. (source and details)
  • Green Lake Aurora PCC REOPENED (7504 Aurora Avenue North): Staff member tested positive for COVID-19. Store was closed until Friday, March 13, resumed regular hours on Saturday, March 14. Kitchen and deli will be closed for 14 days, through March 26. (source and details)
  • Salare CLOSED, PLANNED BREAK (2404 NE 65th St): Closed Monday, March 9 through Tuesday, March 17 for their annual spring cleaning of the restaurant. (source and details)
  • Seattle Public Schools: No school for all students through Friday, April 24. All school building activities including school day instruction, childcare, health services, enrichment, etc. are canceled until further notice. On-grounds play spaces also closed. (source and details)
  • UW Medicine hospitals LIMITED ACCESS, various campuses: All routine visiting is being suspended until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to patients, staff and community. (source and details)

Let us know in the comments below, via Twitter, or by email if you notice any closures near you. Or, better yet, let us know of any local businesses that need help BEFORE they end up on this list.

Hey, Ravenna. We’re back.

Well, shit.

We wanted to come back way earlier than this. We meant to come back three whole years ago. And, somehow, in the aftermath of the 2016 election combined with the vitriol we saw happening around the 35th Avenue NE street redesign (leaving fireworks on the work equipment, WTF?), we felt our personal mental health could use some distance from local happenings for a while.

We also left a job, played a *lot* of Breath of the Wild to recover from that job, got another job, and renovated a house.

We took to Twitter now and then to share power outage news or restaurant openings or “Here’s why that helicopter is over our houses” or whatever, but live reports from public meetings and such stopped. (Honestly, so did those meetings in a way — changed to open house formats to keep Q&A sessions from being overrun again and again by The Loudest People.)

But now we’re one of the epicenters of a pandemic. This is wa-a-a-a-ay different than public meetings where people moan about parking spots. This is our lives.

And if our prior experience during the missing years can teach any of us anything, it’s that helping feels GOOD. It’s one of the few things that does when things get awful.

So we’re dragging the Ravenna Blog out of its trunk in the attic, brushing off the cobwebs and dust, updating WordPress about a dozen times, and we’re gonna start to do what we can again to be repository of local and reasonably up-to-date info again. At least in terms of COVID-19 information.

It’s gonna look rough here for a while. And we’re not going to be able to cover all the things we want to. But here are our priorities at the moment, in no particular order:

  • information about helping out local businesses
  • closure information (on whatever closes)
  • list of King County Public Health resources
  • whatever else makes sense — it’s our first pandemic

So. Leave some comments, send us your emails (and for the love of the god-of-your-choice, cite your sources), and let’s help each other.

And if you’ve come here to complain about parking spots, you can fuck right off, right now.

RB

Welcome (back) to the Ravenna Blog!

Hello again, neighbors!


2016 was pretty rough on everyone, and that included us, too. Our full-time attention was focused elsewhere and left little time for writing for this site. Yes, we kept up on local news over on our Twitter feed, but it wasn’t the same.

We’re writing to say that 2017 is going to be different. Starting NOW.

We’re coming back, Ravenna.

In the coming weeks we will be dusting the cobwebs off the ol’ RavennaBlog.com and returning to this space to cover local Northeast Seattle news and events again. We won’t be 100% right away — some recovery time in 2017 is also required — but we hope to be there in a couple months.

More soon. We promise.

Happy new year.

 

Carjacking leads to NE Seattle pursuit and shots fired (UPDATES)

We’re still gathering details at this time, but a carjacking in another part of Seattle developed into a pursuit including shots fired from the fleeing vehicle in our area. We have numerous reports from residents of gunfire heard in the vicinity of 35th Ave NE between NE 75 and 65th Sts.

The suspect was taken into custody near NE 65th St and 35th Ave NE just after 2:00pm, and believed to be injured in the process.

Updates to follow.

 

UPDATE (2:18pm): We’re hearing of multiple motor vehicle collision scenes up and down 35th Ave NE. Recommend using 25th and 40th Aves NE for north-south travel through the area. Place to AVOID is 35th Ave NE between NE 65th and 75th Sts.

UPDATE (2:25pm): Here now some tweets from residents during the pursuit:

UPDATE (2:34pm): Residents started reporting hearing Seattle Police sirens around 1:30pm.

We know of three SPD vehicles smashed up during the pursuit, trying to stop the fleeing carjacked vehicle: NE 45th St and Roosevelt Way NE, on 35th Ave NE near NE 70th St, and another on NE 68th St at 38th Ave NE.

Seattle Police Department SUV damaged during the pursuit of a carjacked vehicle. Photo by Shaun Kherberg via twitter.

Seattle Police Department SUV damaged during the pursuit of a carjacked vehicle. Photo by Shaun Kherberg via twitter.

UPDATE (4:33pm): The Seattle Police Department Blotter has the timeline up now. In total, two cars stolen at gunpoint in two different locations, multiple shots fired, at least three SPD vehicles with major damage, several officers and uninvolved motorists invited in collisions, and one dead suspect.

Today’s incident began around 12:30 PM when the suspect entered a downtown coffee shop armed with a handgun, leading employees to call police.

The man then fled to a tattoo parlor at 2nd Avenue and Lenora Street leading to another 911 call. After leaving the shop, the suspect reportedly stole a red Volkswagen at gunpoint and drove to the Montlake area. There, the armed suspect reportedly stole a second vehicle.

Officers began pursuing the suspect in Montlake, where they reported coming under fire from the fleeing suspect.

The man then drove onto westbound 520 and northbound onto Interstate 5 before exiting in the Ravenna neighborhood.

The suspect fired at officers at Northeast 68th Street and 35th Avenue NE. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding the man. He is believed to be a white male in his 30s.

August 4 Primary Election results for NE Seattle (UPDATE)

King County Elections posted ballot counts at 8:15pm on Tuesday, August 4 for Seattle City Council District 4, and here’s where the numbers stand:

SeaD4AUg4

Currently our top two candidates moving on to the November 3rd general election are Rob Johnson (33.72% with 3558 votes) and Michael Maddux (22.82% with 2408 votes).

Incumbent Councilmember Jean Godden is currently in third with 21.07% of the total (2224 votes). Former Ravenna-Bryant Community Association President Tony Provine is in fourth with 13.73% (1449 votes), and Abel Pacheco is in fifth with 8.39% (885 votes).

From here on out, and until the election is certified two weeks from now on Tuesday, August 18, King County Elections will post updates at 4:15pm. We’ll also add those new results to this page.

UPDATE (Thursday, August 6): As of 4:30pm today, two days after the primary, Rob Johnson is still in first place with 33.17% (5200 votes). Michael Maddux increased his lead further over incumbent Jean Godden — 24.48% (3838 votes) to 19.81% (3105 votes).

KING5 reported at 4:35pm that Godden has conceded the race to the general election to Maddux. He and Johnson will be our Seattle City Council District 4 candidates on the November 3rd general election ballot.

Officer-involved hit and run; suspect flees into heart of Ravenna

   BTW. This is smack in middle of Ravenna. This is a very quiet neighborhood. Use to live two blocks from this scene. pic.twitter.com/Gn6z6wtg26

— Photographer Fred (@PhotogFredKOMO) July 17, 2015

From the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

The officer was driving southbound on the freeway, just after 4 am, approaching the 65th Street exit, when the suspect vehicle intentionally rammed the patrol car from behind. The impact caused the officer’s vehicle to move across the lanes of traffic and into the embankment. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene.

Southbound I-5 north of NE 65th Street is affected to do the investigation at the hit and run scene.

From police scanner chat, it now looks as though the suspect fled in his vehicle east on NE 65th Street, and was stopped at Ravenna Avenue NE by officers. Homicide detectives are on scene now, as is Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole. Waiting on details from SPD to confirm an officer-involved shooting and the suspect being deceased.

At this time the intersection of NE 65th Street and Ravenna Avenue NE as well as the 6500 block of Ravenna Avenue NE is closed for police investigation.

More updates as we’re able.

 

UPDATE (5:44am): The main line of southbound I-5 is closed at this time from approximately NE 85th Street to NE 65th Street. WSDOT has opened the express lanes southbound for all traffic.

UPDATE (6:15am): The Seattle Police Department has confirmed that this was an officer-involved shooting on the 6500 block of Ravenna Avenue NE.

UPDATE (6:30am): one of the reporters at the scene notes that the body has not been cleared yet.

UPDATE (7:29am): NE 65th Street has reopened to traffic. Ravenna Avenue NE north of NE 65th Street remains closed due to the ongoing police investigation.