Because Ricardo Guarnero and Leticia Martinez—the owners of
White Center’s Cafe Rozella—had been a “force of change” and a
“model for other small businesses” to improve their neighborhoods,
according to a press release from the city, Mayor Greg Nickels
proclaimed April 20, 2007, to be “Cafe Rozella Day.” Ironically, after
getting accolades from the city, Guarnero now claims he is being
targeted by the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) after he
publicly criticized the police department and Chief Gil Kerlikowske.
While Seattle struggles to keep its police accountability system
afloat, regulate nightlife licensing, and fix the problems on Third
Avenue and Pine Street, a small coffee shop in White Center is fighting
the city over a fence.
Cafe Rozella, an eclectic coffee, beer, and wine bar—complete
with a sticker in the front window showing a grinning Che Guevara
chomping a cigar, next to the words “Friends don’t let friends drink
Starbucks”—sits just 50 feet from the border of unincorporated
King County. The area, long plagued by high crime rates, has been a
major focus of Seattle’s Weed and Seed, a city-sponsored program
designed to cut down on drugs and violent crimes in White Center, the
Broadway area, Rainier Beach, and the Central District.
When Cafe Rozella opened its doors in May 2005, area residents say
the neighborhood changed for the better. “[Cafe Rozella] has made a
huge difference. It has had such a positive impact on the neighborhood
overall,” says Weed and Seed cochair Betsy Harris. “It’s one of the few
businesses that stays open past 5:00 p.m. [and] one of the few places
in the neighborhood that doesn’t have a happy hour from 6:00 to 10:00
a.m.”
Cafe Rozella became a neighborhood fixture, and as Guarnero’s
business grew, he started receiving visits from the liquor control
board. Things were cordial until Guarnero says he publicly admonished
Chief Kerlikowske at a neighborhood safety meeting for SPD’s slow
response time to calls from White Center.
Days later, Guarnero says he faced retaliation: “I embarrassed
Kerlikowske [and the next day] two officers from the liquor control
board—in [bulletproof] vests, with Glocks on their belts, wearing
all black—showed up at our Friday music night.” Guarnero says
WSLCB officers began showing up as often as four times a week.
Ironically, the reason Guarnero had criticized the chief was because,
he says, when he did want police at Cafe Rozella, they didn’t show up.
The visits didn’t go unnoticed. “It’s intimidating,” says Carlos, a
cafe regular. “I don’t think [they’re] the kind of police you want
protecting you.”
Guarnero says the officers visited him 15 times, while WSLCB
spokesman Brian Smith says they only visited Cafe Rozella five times:
on May 18, May 25—a day after the meeting with
Kerlikowske—July 3, July 10, and again on July 18 when officers
cited Guarnero for selling alcohol to a minor. “We’re not out to
intimidate,” Smith says. “We’re there to work with [businesses] to
bring them into compliance.”
Guarnero disputes the sale-to-a-minor citation, which is still
pending. But Cafe Rozella received a $100 fine for violating the liquor
board’s regulations on fencing outdoor areas where people can consume
alcohol. Guarnero says he hasn’t received any visits from the WSLCB
officers in the last few weeks, and is working on a solution to the
fencing problem.
Weed and Seed cochair Harris says she is aware of the situation with
the liquor control board, but she says she doesn’t think it’s
unwarranted. “I don’t think he’s getting any undue attention from the
liquor control board,” she says. “I would say he’s getting a lot of
attention.” 
