Amy sent us this note:

Just wanted to pass along a message to Queen Anne residents to remind them to lock their car doors when parked on the street. This morning around 5am I let my dog outside and saw a young woman with dark hair and a backpack going up and down 4th Ave. W trying the handles on car doors to see if they were unlocked. I shouted at her that I could see her car prowling and she ran off. Hopefully we can avoid any unpleasant surprises with a reminder to our residents.

Last week we reported on Queen Anne artists Jennifer Phillips, who had 170 pieces of hand-painted jewelry–$11,000 and over two months worth of work–stolen out of her car outside the Goodwill flagship store on Dearborn, setting her back months in her work and leaving her without any inventory to sell at a number of upcoming shows. We’re happy to report that this week Jennifer was reunited with her work.

A box containing her hand-crafted jewelry, all oil paintings done on the back of pieces of wood and Scrabble tiles, was found at a bus stop outside MIH (“make it happen”) Studios in Rainier Valley. The folks at the studio heard about Jennifer’s missing work on the news, and contacted her to return the items. KOMO4 recorded the meeting:

Jennifer also had a number of personal items stolen in the incident, including a Macbook computer, iPhone and purse, but she was most concerned about finding her lost art.

“All my personal items can be replaced… but all the time and effort and creativity that went into making my art, will never be recovered,” she wrote Queen Anne View.

Local artist Jennifer Phillips, who lives and works in Queen Anne, had $11,000 worth of her work stolen from her car on Friday, August 12. The items missing – over $7,000 in hand painted jewelry, and her purse, iPhone and Macbook computer – was her livelihood, and the result of over two months of work. Now Phillips has turned to the community to help her locate her missing pieces, in the hopes of salvaging some of what was lost.

“I was coming home from delivering new work to the Columbia City Gallery on Rainier and decided to stop by the local Good Will – my way of giving back to the community a little bit,” Phillips wrote to Queen Anne View. “[I] did a little shopping, and came out to the parking lot only to discover that my Jeep had been ransacked! A “brave” move for the thief because not only was I parked next to the busy donations line in the lot, but also because the lot is covered in security cams and lots of eyes patrolling the parking lot.”

Phillips is a full time artist who makes a living by showing and selling her original hand-crafted work at galleries and art festivals around the Pacific Northwest. The inventory stolen out of her car a few days ago – over 170 pieces of hand-crafted jewelry that took her several months to produce – were meant for a show happening later this month. Without them she will have nothing to sell. And unfortunately for Phillips her car was parked in the lot’s only blind spot and the security cameras didn’t catch anything on the thief.

“My work?… all miniature oil paintings that I paint with a magnifying glass and tiny brushes on exotic hard woods, suspended from sterling silver and brass hand assembled even on real twigs,” she wrote. “And today, some jerk takes them all from me. Gone in the blink of an eye and probably thrown in the garbage after realizing that it wasn’t money in the box he/she stole from me.”

Phillips hopes the unique look and design of her work will make the missing pieces more identifiable, and maybe even help her track some of them down. She is asking community members to keep an eye out for her pieces. Phillips, who is expecting her first child, is less concerned with the personal items she lost – for her the most important thing is recovering whatever she can of her missing art so that she doesn’t loose the last months worth of work.

“All my personal items can be replaced… but all the time and effort and creativity that went into making my art, will never be recovered,” she wrote. “Just a reminder to never get too comfortable with leaving things in your car.”

The theft took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, August 12 at the Goodwill flagship store off of Dearborn.

Brief description of loss: Macbook, iPhone, black purse, jewelry case containing over $7,000 worth of my hand painted original jewelry pieces that can not be reproduced. The case looks like an artsy cash box – brown “pleather” with plaid strips, hard case, with handle almost like a fancy lunch box. Jewelry has sterling silver chains and they are all contained in little zip lock baggies.

Phillips is asking anyone who spots any of stolen work to email her through her website, or contact Seattle Police Officer Ducre (#7527) directly at 206-684-4300. The case reference number is 11-264527.

Phillips interviewed with a number of local TV stations over the weekend to help spread the word. For more examples of what her work looks like, check out this piece by KOMO4 News.

Rebecca was walking to her Lower Queen Anne home alone around 1 a.m. last Tuesday when she was assaulted by a man who was not interested in robbing her, she says. The incident, which took place in front of the Iris Apartment building on Roy Street near 4th Ave W, shook her. She writes,

The assailant did not take my purse, and it is clear that his intention was sexual assault. I screamed and fought and someone in the Iris apartment building shouted that they were calling the police, and the guy ran off into Kinnear Park. I managed to walk away with just a fat lip (and some stitches and bruises) – but it could have been much, much worse.

Rebecca filed a police report before going to the hospital, but as of last Friday the suspect had not yet been caught. She provided this description:

It was dark and I can’t be certain, but I think the man was a homeless guy I’ve seen in the neighborhood before: white male, 5’10″, 170 pounds, dark chin/shoulder length hair that is wavy/matted, full beard.

Rebecca hopes that her experience will serve as a reminder to those in the community to be aware of their surroundings, and cautious for themselves and their neighbors, especially at night. She wrote,

I still feel that Queen Anne is a wonderful place to live (the fact that neighbors responded within seconds when I screamed is testament to that) but we shouldn’t be complacent about safety. Gentlemen, please consider walking ladies to their cars/homes late at night. And ladies, trust your instincts – if someone looks sketchy, walk away and go to a well lit place (like Bartell’s) or carry something like pepper spray in your purse.

Also, for those of you in the neighborhood, if you hear a scream or tussle outside late at night, please don’t hesitate to call out and say you’re calling the police. I am so fortunate that the residents of that building didn’t just roll back over and go to sleep, or call the police silently and hope for the best; the reason the guy ran off is because someone shouted “I’m calling the police, and coming right down.”

In February of last year another Uptown resident, also on her way home alone, was pushed down and kicked in the face and chest repeatedly just a block away from this recent incident, at Roy and 3rd Ave W. In this case the suspect was after her purse, but the crime startled both the victim and many of her neighbors, who organized an Uptown block watch program in response. This most recent attempted assault is a testament to the need for continued neighborhood safety programs, such as block watch groups, especially in corners of the neighborhood that are poorly lit at night and susceptible to crime.

If anyone has any information on this incident, please contact Seattle Police right away as the suspect is still at large.

Update 11:40 a.m.: We just received an update from Rebecca, who says her injuries are healing up well. Since the incident she’s been working on ways to improve safety in the neighborhood. She writes,

I’m speaking with a reporter who might do a piece on it, and I’m going to try and have him focus on the response of my neighbors, but also the need for street lighting at the end of West Roy Street and the city/county/state to cough up the rest of the funds to make Kinnear Park safe. It has helped that they cleared out so much of the underbrush, but it needs lighting and the other safety features that are part of the new park design. It would also be great if the city would allow us RPZ zone parking (we keep asking and they keep brushing us off) so that residents on the West Mercer/Roy corridor can park their cars near their homes at night; I often have to park 5 or 6 blocks away if it’s a night that people are out at the bars, or there’s an event at Seattle Center.

I haven’t heard anything from the police, but my hope is that he’ll be spotted now that so many people are on the lookout. I definitely want to make sure that women in the neighborhood are smart and safety conscious late at night.

One of our readers posted the following in our forum this morning:

Just noticed on my way to work that 4 or 5 cars had their windows smashed in along 5th Ave. N and Galer Ave. Looks like someone was looking for iPods and anything in the glove compartment….please contact the police if you know of anything that happened last night.

This is just another reminder of how frequent and popular a neighborhood Queen Anne is for the quick smash and grab car prowl. Watch out for suspicious activity and remember to never leave anything of value (or items that may only look valuable) in your car.

The victim of a hit and run yesterday is looking for witnesses in the neighborhood who may be able to help him track down the person responsible. Stephan Schier’s motorcycle was parked at the NE corner of Boston St and 1st Ave N, on Wednesday, June 15 between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. when it was hit and seriously damaged, he says. Schier, who works at Black Pixel on Queen Anne Ave N, was in his office at the time and did not witness the event himself, returning to find his damaged bike and a note with a fake phone number on it.

“My motorcycle was knocked over, extensively damaged and picked up by someone who left a note with a bogus phone number (253-985-0494, “disconnected”),” he wrote.

“The car that hit the bike left white chalky marks on my bike at the bumper’s point of impact with the muffler,” he added. “Likely there were witnesses, otherwise why even bother leaving a note with a number?” And in fact there were witnesses. Soon after the incident, Schier posted notices around the neighborhood searching for anyone who had information about the hit and run, and quickly connected with another man who works in the neighborhood, and had not only witnessed the event, but had helped the driver pick up Schier’s bike.

“A witness (thank you Ray) who works at Chinoise gave me a call. He actually helped the driver pick up the motorcycle. She asked if she should leave a note. He replied, “yes, of course.”  Out of fear or ignorance, she just left a bogus number,” Schier wrote. Ray did, however, get a good look at the car – a gold Oldsmobile Alero – and the driver, described as a 5’2″ to 5’3″ Caucasian woman dressed in all black.

Schier is hoping that this information may help lead him to the woman driving the car. “Maybe this is someone who lives, works and or does yoga in the neighborhood,” he wrote. He’s asking anyone with information to contact him at 206-229-8812, or the Seattle Police (reference case number 11-192229).

City officials may soon be cracking down on prostitution activities in the stretch of land just east of Seattle Center – the area known as “The Track” along Mercer between 5th Ave N, Lenora, and Westlake, which has become a prime target for gang activity and recruitment into prostitution, according to a report by SeattleCrime.

Documents from the City Attorney’s Office, obtained by SeattleCrime, indicate that officials are interested in creating a new Stay Out of Area of Prostitution (S.O.A.P.) zone in the area. From SeattleCrime:

The S.O.A.P. zones allow courts to require people charged with prostitution to stay out of high-prostitution areas–primarily around downtown–while they await trial or following their release from jail.

The city already has seven S.O.A.P. zones set up around town. According to the report, officials would remove the zone around E Pine to Pike from 10th Ave to 9th Ave., and create a new zone around The Track, where several gang members involved in pimping young women were arrested last year.

Staff from the City Attorney’s Office are scheduled to appear in front of a judge to ask for the S.O.A.P. zone expansion on Friday. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. You can read the full story at SeattleCrime.

Just after midnight on Saturday, May 14 a 15-year-old girl was stabbed outside the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, according to the Seattle Police Department. A crowd of some 200 people had gathered at the Center for an all city dance, during which police witnessed several disturbances. From the SPD Blotter:

As officers were attempting to disperse the crowd, they were advised of a stabbing incident that occurred inside the large crowd.  A juvenile female reportedly got into a fight with another female, who subsequently stabbed her in the abdomen.

Officers were able to locate the victim and call in the Seattle Fire Department, who transported her to Harborview Medical Center where she underwent surgery, according to the report.

The Seattle Police Department also located the knife they believe was used in the attack and submitted it into evidence. No suspects were taken into custody, but SPD detectives say they are currently investigating several leads.

The West Precinct of the Seattle Police Department has recently reinvigorated its foot patrol team in an attempt to both curb crime, and build lasting relationships with the communities they police and the neighbors that live and work in them. Take a look at KOMO4′s story on the newly expanded SPD walking beat:

Capt. Joe Kessler, who took over the West Precinct back in October, reinstated the foot patrol unit, dedicating some 32 officers to walking beats in communities within the precinct, up from one eight-officer team in years before, according to KOMO4.

What do you think about the expansion of the foot patrol program? Do you think the Queen Anne community will benefit from having dedicating officers on regular walking beats, or do you think SPD should be putting its resources into other programs and services to better serve the neighborhood?

Queen Anne resident Martin Ramirez was the victim of another car prowl on the hill this weekend. He wanted to relay the event to serve as a reminder to neighbors to not leave items of value in your car:

On Saturday night (4/9) – Sunday Morning (4/10) someone broke into my car parked on Blaine St. I noticed because I saw a stack of shuffled papers around and my iPod missing, they also took half of an old checkbook that fell off my laptop. I reported the incident to the police and talked to the neighbors so they are aware.

The Seattle Mayor’s office and the University of Washington reached out again last week to ask neighborhood residents to participate in a new neighborhood survey on crime, put together by grad students at the prestigious Evans School of Public Affairs at the university.

The online survey “will help determine residents’ primary public safety concerns in their own neighborhoods and on public transportation.”

With this survey, the City hopes to have a snapshot of perceptions of the police and public safety at a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level. The survey also gives residents an opportunity to anonymously offer their opinions on the police and public safety in Seattle — a new option for this kind of survey.

The new survey asks residents their opinion of public safety conditions in Seattle’s urban villages, if there are any urban villages they avoid, and why.

You’ll have choices like these on crime:

• Very serious problem

• Serious problem

• Minor problem

• Not a problem

Question No. 9 asks you to name the most serious crime problems in your neighborhood. There’s a list of 20 choices – including “no crime” and “other.” You get to pick no more than five.

There are 47 questions – possibly more if you ride transit often – including ones dealing with police harassment and effectiveness. You can take the survey- it takes about a quarter-hour – here. The Evans School will release the results to the mayor’s Youth and Family Initiative in May.

This afternoon Mayor Mike McGinn’s office announced a new neighborhood survey on crime, put together by grad students at the prestigious Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington.

The online survey “will help determine residents’ primary public safety concerns in their own neighborhoods and on public transportation.”

With this survey, the City hopes to have a snapshot of perceptions of the police and public safety at a neighborhood-by-neighborhood level. The survey also gives residents an opportunity to anonymously offer their opinions on the police and public safety in Seattle — a new option for this kind of survey.

The new survey asks residents their opinion of public safety conditions in Seattle’s urban villages, if there are any urban villages they avoid, and why.

At all events, you’ll have choices like these on crime:

• Very serious problem

• Serious problem

• Minor problem

• Not a problem

Question No. 9 asks you to name the most serious crime problems in your neighborhood. There’s a list of 20 choices – including “no crime” and “other.” You get to pick no more than five.

There are 47 questions – possibly more if you ride transit often – including ones dealing with police harassment and effectiveness. You can take the 10-minute survey here. The Evans School will release the results to the mayor’s Youth and Family Initiative in May.

Do you have public safety concerns specific to Queen Anne? In addition to sharing your thoughts on the survey, please leave a comment here.

Teenagers are reported to have been involved in two different robberies on Tuesday, March 15, according to Seattle Police Department reports.

The first robbery, which took place at 2:05 a.m. at a 24-hour store located in the 1900 block of Queen Anne Avenue North., left one victim–the store clerk–with two cuts on his head, one behind his left ear and the other over his left eye.

According to the police report, the victim said he heard someone walking toward the cash register, so he headed to the front to cash-out any customers. When he got to the front he saw the two suspects walking past the register and toward the door, each with a bottle of wine in their hands.

Positioning himself between the suspects and the door the victim yelled “hey, you can’t have those.” At this time the suspects reportedly ran toward him, one striking him on the left side of his head with one of the wine bottles, which were both left at the scene when the suspects fled.

According to the police report there may be video surveillance of the crime. One fingerprint was found and submitted to evidence. SPD officers conducted an area check at the scene, but were unable to locate the suspects. Here are the suspect descriptions taken verbatim from the police report:

Suspect #1 W/M 16 yoa, 5’00″, thin build, Asian style eyes, blond hair in a single ponytail, dark shirt, and dark jogging pants.

Suspect #2 B/M teens, 5’01″ unknown clothing, afro style hair about two inches long.

The second robbery, which took place just two and a half hours later at 4:28 a.m. at David Rodgers Park. According to the report the victim, a Queen Anne resident who lives on 2nd Ave W, went to his car, which was parked outside his family’s home, to get his cigarettes. He then reportedly walked to the park to smoke, and was sitting on the swing set smoking and looking out at the blackberry bushes when he was approached by the first suspect, who “came up behind him and in a raspy 18 year old voice demand, ‘Give me your money bitch!’”

The suspect then saw the second suspect, who came from behind him and was wearing a grey hoody. The second suspect reportedly pointed a fixed steak knife with a 6 inch blade at the suspect and demanded, “Give me your money bitch!”

The suspect, who the police report noted had recently lost his job and was staying up late at night, had been pistol whipped during a robbery in West Seattle two years earlier. Wanting to avoid getting hurt again, the victim told police he gave the suspects $160 in cash that his father had given him to get through the week. The suspects then reportedly fled in a Northwest direction down one of the park’s trails. Police searched the area but were unable to find the suspects or any evidence.

The victim told police that “he felt so anxious about the incident that he was nauseous and wanted to go lie down.” The police report did not provide any suspect descriptions.

iMusic, a new event center and “ultra lounge”, has moved into the vacant building adjacent to the Seattle Center and EMP, the former home of the troubled Club Diamond, which closed down last June.

The business, which quietly opened at 332 5th Ave N a few months ago, started its transformation by painting the outside walls white with black trim, and introducing a new concept to the space. Instead of opening up another club, which the space has had many incarnations of already, and none without their share of problems (particularly crime) in recent years, the new owners opted to turn the space into a venue for a variety of events – from live concerts, to fashion shows, comedy shows, corporate events, private parties and others.

Check out the upcoming events calendar for iMusic here. To find out how to reserve a table on a club night, or reserve the space for a party or event, click here.

Two customers jumped into action when an attempted robbery went down last night at the Kidd Valley on Lower Queen Anne.  Just before 9:30 p.m. witnesses say a former employee of the restaurant walked in and headed for the back of the building.  He then turned out the lights in the restaurant and removed money from an unlocked safe.  When he came out from the back, he was wearing a mask and ordered everyone to “get down.”

Accoring to Seattle Police three customers, including a father and adult son, tripped the robber and fought to hold him down until police arrived.  The son had some minor abrasions on his face and hands from the struggle, and the suspect also sustained some injuries that sent him to Harborview.   The 56 year old suspect was treated at the hospital and then booked into jail for investigation of robbery and an outstanding warrant.

One of our readers, Maria, had her car broken into at the top of the hill last night. She writes:

I was parked on Garfield, between Queen Anne Ave and 1st Ave W last night, in one of the back-in spots right outside the Desert Sun. When I came out to my car in the morning, the front passenger side window had been smashed in. All they took was a purse that was empty except for a dirty Tupperware container. It was totally dumb of me to leave even an empty bag in full view like that, but after 3 years of living in the heart of Capitol Hill and the CD and never having my car touched even when I (foolishly) left my ipod, laptop, phone charger, etc. in it, I wasn’t expecting a $30 purse from Express to be break-window-worthy… it was a pretty cute bag though. Bummer. Incidentally, last week I got home around midnight on a Wednesday and parked in the same spot and when I got out there were two cops with flashlights out walking around the alley and the big parking garage right there looking for something/someone. Probably not parking there anymore.

Maria warns other neighbors to be on the look out, so “no one else gets smashed”

Queen Anne resident Mike White is considered canceling Halloween at his house—forever—and the ramification may ripple throughout the neighborhood. Every year Mike and his family have taken the holidays very seriously, going all out with decorations—many of them oversized—for Halloween, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, even Easter. “We even have giant turkeys up for Thanksgiving,” Mike says.

But this year one of his newest prized decorations—a 10-foot-tall inflatable cat—was stolen right out of the White’s front yard. The blow was so deflating for the family, Mike says he’s thinking of discontinuing their decorative tradition permanently—a decision that would no doubt affect not only their family, but the hundreds of children and neighbors who get enjoyment out of the festive spirit of the family’s 6th Ave W home.

“No longer will we decorate our house! For over 20 years our family has been decorating for every holiday making the neighbor kids and adults smile. Well last night our newest addition a giant blow up cat over 10 feet tall was stolen out of the front yard. Ten years ago our Giant Grinch was also stolen,” he says. “What has come to our society when people just have to do these things? The giant hole in our front yard will stay there—I am not going to replace it. The kids from near by Coe Elementary will just have to do without. For years classes have visited our yard. I don’t know I may take down all the decorations and not have Halloween.”

Mike says his family has filed a police report for the missing cat, and has even talked about the incident on KIRO FM’s Ron and Don show earlier this week.

“Like I said in e-mail its not the cost it is the principle, you ask any family on Queen Anne they have been watching us decorate for every holiday,” Mike says. “We enjoy seeing the smiles on kids and adult faces, being so close to Coe Elementary lots of kids pass our yard. My belief is someone has this giant cat in there house thinking how cool it is, and they’re right it is cool, but bring it back—no questions asked—so all can enjoy, and Halloween will go on.”

If you know anything about the missing cat, please call the White family at 206-285-4997. As Mike said, the family would like to resolve the issue without getting police involved further.

Detectives from Redmond and Bellevue arrested two female burglars who admitted to a burglary spree in Queen Anne and Magnolia.

Detectives from Seattle drove the suspects around looking for homes they might admit to burglarizing. The burglars said they would enter through open or unlocked windows, cutting a screen if needed. They were looking for medicine, jewelry and small electronics. They did not ransack the homes and it’s possible that some residents did not even realize right away that they had been victimized.

The burglary suspects are white females, between the ages of 21 and 30 who admit to being heroin addicts looking for ways to finance their drug habit. While one woman enters the home, the other serves as a look-out. If they are questioned by a neighbor, they say they are looking for their lost cat. Redmond, Bellevue and Seattle police are working to link the cases, and are following up on physical evidence and witness statements.

This is a black bag that the suspects likely took in a burglary in Queen Anne or Magnolia and used to carry out stolen goods. If you recognize this black bag please contact Detective Gaedcke at 206-684-5730.

Terrie Johnston of Seattle Crime Prevention says; “I think this is a good reminder that criminals can be anybody, and if we are looking for that “bad guy” with the stereotypical dark stocking cap, striped shirt, raccoon mask and huge pillowcase slung over his shoulder, we are going to miss other suspicious behaviors. Forget gender, race, age and focus on any behaviors that seem odd or suspicious to you. Trust your gut, call 911 to report suspicious activity. Be a great witness, get good descriptions of the individuals, vehicles, direction they headed. You never know what your 911 call may prevent.”