Denny Park, like the photo says, was the first park in Seattle. It was totally redone after Denny Hill was regraded back in the 30’s. Then, someone decided to build an office building in the park. In recent years the park has been used more by drug addicts and prostitutes, and less by folks from the neighborhood.
Thankfully, these folks are doing something about it.
I’ve bugged city government types every once in a while about this park, concerning the building. Usually, they don’t quite understand what the big deal is. This has impressed on me the need for regular citizens to get active on the things that are happening in your own neighborhood. Folks in city hall have a lot on their plate, so don’t be surprised if you have to lobby people to get things done. Just like the Friends of Denny Park are doing.
Pull Up The Moving Truck! Bennett Asks NBA To Let Him Move Sonics!
“By Jim Brunner
“Seattle Times staff reporter
“Sonics and Storm owner Clay Bennett says he’s ‘out of ideas’ for landing an arena deal in Seattle and plans to file this November with the NBA for permission to move the teams after next season. …
“Bennett said he’s started preliminary discussions about moving the Sonics and Storm to Oklahoma City or Kansas City. …
“Bennett told The Oklahoman that negative comments from Seattle politicians and media commentators have given him little reason to think an arena deal will ever get worked out here. For example, Seattle sportscaster Gaard Swanson recently told an Oklahoma City television station, ‘Nobody cares about whether the Sonics stay in Seattle.’ Bennett called that ‘a common, broad perspective.’ …
“Bennett’s lease at KeyArena runs through 2010, but he has said he might try to negotiate a way out of it after next season. Seattle city officials insist they’ll enforce the lease and seek substantial damages if Bennett breaks it.
“Regardless of Bennett’s preferences, any team move would require the permission of the NBA’s board of governors. The league requires team owners to file for relocation by March 1 if they want to move a team before the next season.
“If the Sonics and Storm do leave Seattle, Bennett told The Oklahoman ‘we’re quite likely headed to Oklahoma City,’ but … Bennett has also mentioned Kansas City and Las Vegas as possible destinations. But Bennett said he has concerns about the viability of the Oklahoma City and Kansas City markets, citing a lack of broadcasting revenue.”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....ett31.html
“Fort Lewis shifts to group rites
“By Hal Bernton
“Seattle Times staff reporter
“Fort Lewis will shift to monthly group memorials — rather than individual services — for fallen soldiers, a change that reflects the mounting number of deaths … in Iraq. …
“Post officials say the increased number of fallen soldiers has made it more difficult for rear detachments to pull off … individual memorial services.
” … I am afraid that … our losses will preclude us from continuing to do individual memorial ceremonies,’ wrote the post’s acting commander, Brig. Gen. William Troy, in a May 22 memorandum ….
“Other posts with major troop deployments to Iraq, such as Fort Hood in Texas, already have monthly, rather than individual, memorial services.”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....en31m.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Next they’ll throw ’em into mass graves to save money for more tax cuts for the rich.
Where CHEAP LABOR CONSERVATIVES Are Taking Us
“A University of California analysis of 2005 IRS data found the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans earned the largest share of the nation’s income since before the Depression. Average income for the bottom 90 percent fell.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....jdl31.html
U.S. Attorney Scandal Widens
“From firings to hirings: The probe expands
“By Dan Eggen
“The Washington Post
“WASHINGTON — Justice Department investigators have widened an internal probe of the firings of U.S. attorneys to include a broader examination of hiring practices at the department, including the troubled Civil Rights Division and programs for beginning lawyers, officials said Wednesday.
“‘We have expanded the scope of our investigation to include allegations regarding improper political or other considerations in hiring decisions within the Department of Justice,’ Inspector General Glenn Fine and H. Marshall Jarrett, head of the Office of Professional Responsibility, wrote in letters to the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
“The widening inquiry is likely to pose an additional challenge for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is already facing lawmakers’ calls for his resignation and a potential no-confidence vote by the Senate. While the U.S. attorney dismissals have prompted wide political criticism, improper hiring practices could be deemed a violation of the law.
“Justice officials had previously disclosed that the internal investigation would include hiring decisions made by Monica Goodling, a former Gonzales aide who confirmed last week in Senate testimony that she ‘crossed the line’ in considering political affiliation when hiring career prosecutors and immigration judges. … Wednesday’s letter revealed that the internal inquiry will examine the hiring practices of Justice officials besides Goodling and outside the attorney general’s office.
“The expansion comes in the wake of claims by former Justice officials that selections by the Attorney General’s Honors Program and the department’s Summer Law Intern Program were rigged in favor of candidates with connections to conservative or Republican groups. …
“The inquiry will also look at hiring practices within the Civil Rights Division, which has seen the departure of dozens of career lawyers. The career personnel repeatedly clashed with Bush administration political appointees, who overruled them on pivotal voting-rights cases in Georgia and Texas.
“A Gonzales spokesman declined to comment on the broadening of the probe.”
Quoted under Fair Use; for complete story and/or copyright info see http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....eys31.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Don’t resign, Gonzo! Please don’t resign!! I wanna watch you, Rove, and Bush ride this scandal like a bad stock — all the way to nothing.
Support for the Warmonger Party is crumbling within its own ranks. Read it and weep, fascist bombthrowers!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05.....artner=AOL
Hey Voice of Chalk Scratching: You never holler at Pelletman for Thread Hijacking. I can see why ChristmasGhost thinks you two are the same “beast”!
Now onto the topic. Why are you complaining about the drug addicts and prostitutes? These are the future peeps of the Progressive NEW Democrat Party, once you get them to register to vote! You should be nurturing them as much as possible. Besides, an office building in the park is just like building a convention center over an interstate!
If you guys want a councilmember who will ACTUALLY listen to parks advocates then elect Al Runte. He’s back and ready to represent the people of this city and not special interests! http://www.runteforcouncil.com
@6;
Rush Limbaugh and Jeff Ganien are members of the Democratic Party? Who knew?
re 6: “Voice of Chalk Scratching” is a moniker that makes no sense.
I should be: “Voice of Nails Scratching on Chalkboard”.
Muddy language = Muddy thought
Great idea will,
The city has a shortfall of both Firefighters and Police, but we should spend more money on Parks. Way to keep the citizens best interest in mind.
Don’t you love it when so-called small-government conservatives like Union Fireman and WHATADICK Pope try as hard as they can to get a job – wait for it – working for the government.
You fucking hypocrites amaze me – you want to suck on the government tit and then say we need less government. Try being honest with yourself – just once – it won’t hurt. Most of us have to be honest all the time and we survive just fine.
No, actually I am in favor of the Government adequately funding basic needs. I am not in favor the the Government funding pet projects (Read Space Age Stainless Steel Crappers in Downtown Seattle that have become drug and hooker havens to the tune of over $1M). I don’t believe that spending another $8.1M on a STUDY for the Viaduct is a good buy for the taxpayers. I don’t believe that the City should be lauding the police for being greener; while crime is going up, is good. I don’t think we should focused on a Park, when we can’t provide adequate basic needs for the citizens. I don’t think we should subsidize the Opera, while at the same time threatening to close fire stations.
@ 12
Parks IS basic services, douche.
Will at 13 sez: @ 12 Parks IS basic services, douche.
05/31/2007 at 9:56 am
Maybe for you and the French…….otherwise Parks ARE not basic services.
@12,
Tell that to someone who just had their wife, grandparent, husband, child, parent etc. die because of an extended response time. I may be a douche, but I know what a Basic service is. Saving a life is a basic service. Improving a park is just icing on the cake.
I meant Will @13
If Denny Park’s become such a haven for whores and druggies, perhaps sprucing it up and making it into something that attracts more people do do what we’d rather have people doing in parks, it may reduce the need for the police to stop by as often to run the riff-raff out or the EMS to haul the OD’s up to HarborZoo.
So as typical of a rightie – Union Fireman is all for government spending just so long as HE thinks the spending is for the right thing, like his paycheck. Yeah, like we can’t see any hypocrite action there. Right.
What an asshole.
@ 15
I’d be hardpressed to find a station that is under threat of being closed. And response times- I haven’t ever heard of a complaint about them, other than from Republican firemen like yourself.
I’m for replacing all the old stations, especially the Queen Anne one that is too small. I’d bulldoze the 3 houses needed to expand the station.
BTW, crime is going up, but from record lows. And it’s going up in only a few areas.
Will,
“I’d be hardpressed to find a station that is under threat of being closed. And response times- I haven’t ever heard of a complaint about them, other than from Republican firemen like yourself.”
Then you as ignorant as you are uninformed.
“BTW, crime is going up, but from record lows. And it’s going up in only a few areas.”
Only concerned when it impacts you? Way to think like lib.
AF,
I would venture a guess that Denny Park is pretty low on the problem table. I would have to say that the SFD running without the recommended number of members on Downtown rigs is more of a concern. That the construction on South Lake Union will add a number of calls, with no additional resources. Hint, if a Fire Rig is on a call, and an alarm comes in in their first alarm district, another fire rig, from farther away has to respond. That end result is an increase in response times. Just because you don’t hear about it on HA, doesn’t mean that it isn’t a factor in everyday life.
@ 20
Whatever you say…
So notice fireman is trying to avoid the obvious conflict of interest here. Next time a rightie tells you he’s against big government, as him/her to tell you how they feel about funding the war, prisons, anti-abortion programs, etc., They’ll be all for those programs. Proves they’re hypocrites. By the way, in case you’re keeping score, the Bush regime has run up the biggest government spending in US history.
I would somehow expect “market forces” to be at work here. If emergency-response coverage is a little dicey for downtown where all those fancy office and condo towers are going up, presumably the insurance carriers would raise the rates and the developers and owners would in turn raise Holy Ned at City Hall.
re 20: Clinton made Federal funds available that put 100,000 cops and fireman on the streets.
Bush defunded that program. Why? Because Clinton did it and Bush is a spiteful, immature asshole — like you!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....rt15m.html
Rep. Dave Reichert( of WA ) broke with Republican leaders in Congress yesterday, proposing to restore $78 million to a federal program that helped King County hire dozens of deputies when he was sheriff.” Seattle Times– 6/15/’05
Reichert was accused by members of his own party of, “…being willing to allow terrorist groups and drug gangs to run rampant across America.”
Feds aren’t supposed to have anything to do with local police and fire. Oh, did I say that? I’m sorry: let the Feds run everything, the way Bush wants.
Gee, I wonder why we need more cops? Hmm… could it be because our civility continues to erode? You think more cops is the answer to that? Ha. More cops = more taxes = more poor = more crime = more cops?
Seriously, we need to learn how to deal with our own problems, not run to the feds for a handout at every turn.
BTW, Denny Park has been a scary place for a LONG time. I seriously doubt that is going to change anytime soon.
Denny Park has a lot of problems.
So did the park at 3rd and Bell, commonly referred to as ‘Needle Park’. HOWEVER, when they converted it to an off-leash dog park, things changed drastically.
Your local drug pusher might intimidate a five-foot four blondie. . .but NOT her Rottweiler(German Shepherd, Shar-Pei whatever). Fido really doesn’t give a rat’s patootie. . .threaten momma or dad, or Junior, and he’s going for some ‘long-pork steak’.
I hope something equally effective and creative for Denny Park can be thought up.
If the cops and the firemen weren’t so fucking lazy and downright afraid they’d patrol the problem parks and deal with the problems. They’re all too busy looking for black people to arrest or eating pastry.
Union Fire Redneck Bud
Who does this idiot think he’s fooling?
“If the cops and the firemen weren’t so fucking lazy and downright afraid they’d patrol the problem parks and deal with the problems. They’re all too busy looking for black people to arrest or eating pastry.”
First of all, Firemen don’t patrol or arrest. What are we supposed to say… “Stop or I will squirt you with water”.
Second, I like the fact that when you lose an argument you resort to name calling.
Third, Firemen prefer ice cream over pastries. Get a clue you moron.
Union Fireman: That’s why he’s called Stupidman. Clues and him are diametrically opposed.
And Stupidman, what do you know about black people and being arrested? Well I take back the being arrested part… idiot savants get a pass.