A weekend kick-off event for Proposition 2, the Pro Parks Levy, ended with threats of violence, children crying and a call to police after, witnesses say, a mentally unstable woman crashed the Prop. 2 party.
Proposition 2 supporters spent the day on bikes and in buses traveling to a number of parks around Seattle, ending the event at Hing Hay Park in the International District. At Hing Hay, parks advocates watched a dragon dance performance and handed out boxes of rice candy to children in the park.
About a half-hour after the group of 40 or 50 park proponents arrived at Hing Hay, Prop. 2 supporter David Hiller—who was at Saturday’s event—says a woman in her late 30s or early 40s began threatening members of the group. “She said we owed her beer for interrupting her space,” Hiller says. “We did everything we could to ignore her work around her work with her.”
Hiller says the woman became agitated, and began attacking people in the park, pulling one woman’s glasses off and making clawing gestures. Then, Hiller says, “She literally [stole] candy out of the hands of children and [began] throwing the boxes at them.”
The police were called but by the time they showed up the woman had left the park.
Hiller does not believe the woman was at the event to oppose Proposition 2.
Mentally-ill street people in Hing Hay? Naw, rilly? Have any of these pro-parks people ever been in Hing Hay Park before?
The Dragon Dancers were awesome. As was the enthusiasm of volunteers all day for the Rolling Kickoff. The incident you describe was barely a footnote. Unless you were standing near this woman, it was not noticeable, and fortunately, did not change the overall good vibe at the event. In addition to Hing Hay Park, community members of the ID have also been working for improvements to International Children’s park a couple of blocks away. These are both great investments in the ID, and (like many of the projects in Prop 2) a tribute to the leadership of community activists working to make their neighborhoods better.
There were kids in Hing Hay???
And why didn’t Hiller just buy her a beer?
Can’t we all just get along?
If you want the cops to show up, call in a noise complaint. Or say you think you saw a weapon. (per a conversation with a 911 dispatcher)
Yes – that’s a great idea. Start lying to the police to make it harder for them to prioritize 911 calls. Classic.
There used to be a modicum of shame attached to the reality of the mentally handicapped homeless wandering the public spaces of the richest nation on earth, but I guess recent events might let us off the hook there. Unfeeling and hostile sure; but at least we don’t have to worry about that ‘richest’ dig anymore
We might be making strides with regards to racism, but issues of class are still going strong.
This economy is only going to get worse. Stop clubbing. Buy Campbell’s soup. Buy Kraft dinner. Drink at home.
This economy is only going to get worse. Stop clubbing. Buy Campbell’s soup. Buy Kraft dinner. Drink at home.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz….
It’s true. The only way to get the cops to respond is if you say you think there’s a weapon involved when you call 911.
Believe me, back in the days before the Pike/Pine Corridor was chic, I called the cops all the time. Usually there WAS a weapon involved, or it sounded like there was a weapon involved, so it wasn’t like I was lying.
Now that I’m a Beacon Hill housewife, I don’t have that much occasion to call the cops.
Noise complaints, for the most part, still receive attention as long as nobody’s bleeding out somewhere. But, don’t trust me, MAKE SUM NOIZE!!!111!1!!!!!111!!11
and find out.
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