Steve Clark

A group formed to spotlight neighborhood crime in Ballard's north end got off to a stunning start last week. Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors or GAIN held their first public forum on Wednesday, October 26, in a standing room only cafeteria at the Greenwood Elementary School on Northwest 80th Street. Organizers estimate that more than 400 people showed up at the event, including Seattle City Council Members Richard Conlin, David Della, Nick Licata, Richard McIver and Peter Steinbrueck as well as top brass from the Seattle Police Department's North Precinct.

"It makes the impression that this is a real issue. It's not a couple of crazy women trying to make noise where none was needed," said Monica Oxford, one of the event's organizers.

The forum began with twenty six people each giving two minute testimonials about their experiences or ideas on crime in their neighborhood. Nine testimonials mentioned prostitution, seven mentioned drugs, five referred to theft, and several more included vandalism, trespassing and assault.

There were a number of crime related themes that drew applause from the audience including the efficacy of and desire for police foot patrols, as well as the need to reform 911 dispatchers who feel compelled to lecture callers about ethnic sensitivity.

There was also testimony from several Aurora avenue merchants expressing solidarity with GAIN's objectives and lobbying for a stronger police presence on the somewhat infamous north south arterial.

GAIN was formed this summer, initially with the idea of community outreach. After one member, a neighborhood block watch captain, was beaten by a group of teens during a confrontation about suspected drug dealing, GAIN focused on advocating for enlarging the police presence, specifically, the number of patrol officers on foot and on bike, in the Seattle Police Department's north precinct.

GAIN contends that Seattle has a smaller ratio of officers to citizens than most other major cities, a problem exacerbated by Ballard's large geographic area.

"You have 22 officers on duty for 250,000 people. The drug dealers know this and they're dealing on our lawns," Oxford says.

GAIN is modeled on another community group, Fremont And Wallingford Neighbors, or FAWN, formed several years ago, that also focuses on improving neighborhood quality of life through crime prevention.

"They've done a good job and we suspect they've done such a good job that some of the crime is getting pushed into our neighborhood," said Michael McGinn, president of the Greenwood Community Council, a co-sponsor of the event.

Gain organizers hope to bring a strong show of support at the Seattle City Council budget hearing on November 3. The group would like to see Seattle add 30 more officers to the police department rolls than has been allotted in the 2006 budget.