STEINBRUECK PARK NEIGHBORS STILL FIGHTING CRACK, VIOLENCE

Last June, city officials came to Pike Place Market and heard
frustrated business and condo owners complain about crime at Victor
Steinbrueck Park that had become as much a staple as the flying fish a
short walk away.

They responded by proposing improved lights with deflectors to deter
drug dealers. City officials talked about installing new benches that
could fold and lock when the park closed. The city worked with the
Downtown Seattle Association, which brought comedians, dancers, poets
and yoga groups -- all activities they hoped would keep criminals away.

"But it's gotten worse," said Sarah Schaaff, general manager at
neighboring Etta's Seafood. "A few weeks ago, a guy that got stabbed
was bleeding right outside our place. The other day I had to bang on
the window because a guy was selling crack, just being blatant about
it."

The 13 improved lights -- authorized unanimously by the Pike Place
Market Historical Commission that regulates changes -- were installed
in September, but the deflectors haven't been. The folding benches are
still being discussed. And a P-I analysis of police reports shows that
the number of people caught breaking park rules and given exclusion
notices last year totaled 296 -- nearly three dozen more than the year
before.

That analysis shows there hasn't been a significant drop in crime
since those frustrated neighbors complained last summer -- the season
when crime peaks at Steinbrueck Park -- and some say they have little
faith that elected city leaders will take action until a more violent
crime captures the city's attention.

"I fear that the locals are going to stop coming down here because
they're tired of being harassed and they don't want their kids to see
what's going on," said Michael Teer, owner of the Pike & Western Wine
Shop across from the park. "I don't understand how a drug dealer can
operate in plain sight like this."

Several workers around Pike Place Market say they recognize
Steinbrueck Park crack dealers because they see them almost every day.
Fights spew into businesses, often packed with tourists. Sometimes the
dealers hog tables to count their money, or blatantly do drugs when
they know police officers are changing shift, neighbors say.

"I've had good luck with the park (Victor Steinbrueck Park) north of
Pike Place Market," wrote a reviewer on the pro-marijuana Web site
WeBeHigh.com "Not once have I walked away empty-handed, and usually
I'm approached within a minute -- if not, I just look around until I
spot a deal being made and then approach the dealer once he's done
with the customer."

Police have said they share neighbors' frustrations in trying to
combat the problem.

Officers can't arrest someone for sitting in the open park. And when
told of possible drug deals, they have to find proof that will stand
up in court. In some cases, when a suspected dealer is not believed to
be carrying a weapon and is seen sitting on a park bench, the
officers' hands are tied instead of the dealers'.

Police from the West Precinct frequently organize drug busts at
Steinbrueck Park. But those take several hours and significant
resources. And some low-level criminals, who often ignore park
exclusion notices, can be back on the streets the day after the bust.

"We take a proactive approach with officers on foot and on bikes,"
police spokesman Mark Jamieson said. "Victor Steinbrueck Park is going
to have a high number of incidents because there are a high number of
people in that area."

Steinbrueck Park has been part of Seattle's most crime-ridden census
tract since 1985, when it was renamed for Market preservationist
Victor Steinbrueck.

A Seattle P-I analysis of police reports since 1989 shows that the
majority of incidents there are nonserious felonies and
misdemeanors.

Cops have a good presence at the park during the day, but the City
Council needs to pass specific ordinances to give officers more tools,
said Teer, who is part of Friends of Steinbrueck Park. Teer said he
isn't against homeless people, only the routine druggies who frequent
there.

"I don't know who to blame," said Schaaff, who has thought about
getting Mace for her hostesses. "But something needs to be done."

Neighbors are hopeful Steinbrueck Park will lose its automated public
toilet -- which they say is a haven for drug dealers and prostitutes
- -- after Seattle Public Utilities recommended the city cancel its
contract for the facilities early next year. They praise the city for
removing bushes around the park that were littered with drug
paraphernalia.

Seattle Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Malia Langworthy said the
deflectors on the park lights will go in April or early May. New park
rangers, whose training includes crime prevention and physical
security, are expected to start patrolling Steinbrueck and other
downtown parks in May, she said.

Downtown Seattle Association spokesman Jim Werth said the group hopes
to work with Seattle Parks and Recreation again to bring summer
activities to Steinbrueck Park, among others.

"The parks department has proposed putting up security cameras and
it's pending City Council approval," said Langworthy. "The downtown
parks are areas of focus for the parks department and the mayor.
They're areas we would like to make safer."

Last month, Mayor Greg Nickels called for a $75 million levy to
replace and rehabilitate outdated infrastructure at Pike Place Market,
including $2 million for capital improvements at Steinbrueck Park.

Langworthy said the city has planned three public meetings -- May 1,
22 and June 12 -- at Pike Place Market to get preliminary input on
physical park improvements should the Market levy pass. The meetings
are not intended to discuss safety, she said.

Pike Place Market spokesman James Haydu said the Market Preservation
and Development Authority supports efforts to activate the park in a
positive way. Neighbors are hopeful of change. But they say they've
heard years of empty talk.

"Someday, something really bad is going to happen here," worried Teer,
watching for suspected crack dealers. "Maybe then something will get
done."