The SunBreak » crime

Just Like at Gawker, Commenter Rewrites Seattle Times Headline on Crime

Michael van Baker — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:07:36 +0000

Overnight, a commenter on a story about the violent crime rate in downtown Seattle changed the headline for everyone. In a follow-on story to the shooting of a Metro bus driver, the Times supported the Downtown Seattle Association's contention that crime is getting worse, before noting that the data say no, same old, same old.

Graphic Novel Presents the Green River Killer in Black and White

Andrew Hamlin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:26:59 +0000

Sharp contrasts come to mind at the phrase "black-and-white" but in reality, infinite shadings are possible. And it's a fair passel of shading we'll need to approach the story of Gary Leon Ridgway, who needs no further introduction and who just might be the worst serial killer in American history.

Looking for a Fix on Third Avenue

Michael van Baker — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:42:41 +0000

Ironically, it is fairly easy to get a fix on Third Avenue in Seattle (or get stabbed or beaten nearly to death) because it has become the entrenched home of a large open-air drug market. But the City of Seattle has so far struggled to fix that problem. Better crowd control late-night, when bars are letting out, has helped reduce aggressive brawling, and despite bullets flying less frequently, overall confidence in personal safety is still low.

This Summer, Don’t Miss Third Avenue’s Improv Knife Skills Workshops

Michael van Baker — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 17:57:22 +0000

Seattle is many things, but this August, it also seems like a great place to get stabbed as you go about your business on a notorious stretch of street downtown. SeattleCrime.com characterizes the latest incident as "Yet Another Stabbing At 3rd & Pine." Sunday afternoon, a man was arrested for stabbing, "without provocation," another man who was taking the bus with his mother and the rest of his family.

Nordical Mystery Tour: Läckberg, Mankell, Indriðason

Michael van Baker — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 21:20:51 +0000

Each of three are more of the "every life matters" school than the puzzling-solving category. Läckberg's The Ice Princess stands out in this company for its more traditional introduction of likely suspects and unearthing of red herrings, but it is untraditional in other, fresh ways. The book's protagonist is Erica Falck, who's back in her hometown Fjällbacka following her parents' death, when an estranged friend from childhood is found dead as well, an apparent suicide.

What If You Try to Take Back Belltown And It Shoots at You?

Michael van Baker — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of our Flickr pool’s Yani Nation. Last night I was down at the Moore Theatre on Second Avenue. I was taking in a post-show Q&A when I got this text from tipster Troy: “A friend just called and said she heard six gunshots and saw a dude running down 2nd Ave with a gun. … Continue reading →