Monday, November 30, 2009
Crime / News / Life The Curse of Tacoma: A Timeline of Hurt, from Ted Bundy to the Beltway Sniper to Yesterday's Shooting
Posted by Jen Graves on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Tacoma, I love you. I think I sort of understand you, since I wrote about you for six years. But this is not the first time you've seemed cursed. When I heard the news yesterday (latest here, backgrounder on the suspect here), I could also hear the collective forehead slap on behalf of anyone with any love for the South Sound—because, here we go again. Again, T-town, you look like a mad world. It just doesn't seem fair that Seattle has a terrible police shooting, and then less than a month later, the same event happens in Tacoma—but times four. (Someone, in almost all seriousness, asked me this morning, "Does anything good ever happen in Tacoma?")
And yes, I realize that Lakewood/Parkland/Gig Harbor/Tacoma are not all the same place. But in other ways they sort of are.
Here's a quick timeline of what makes me hurt for you, T-town.
• May 17, 2001: A PLU music professor is gunned down and dies on the ground outside a dorm; the gunman kills himself, too.
• October 2002: Beltway sniper kills 10 people in the D.C. area; he'd spent most of his adult life in Pierce County and Tacoma.
• April 26, 2003: Tacoma police chief shoots his wife and himself in a strip mall parking lot in Gig Harbor.
• November 20, 2005: The Tacoma Mall shootings.
• And now this, November 29, 2009.
Am I missing anything? (That is, besides Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer.)
(Dear Trib: The reason these links aren't to your web site is because your search function is TERRIBLE.)
UPDATE: A friend of mine at the Trib pointed out to me that attributing Gary Ridgway to Tacoma just ain't fair. I'm crossing him out.
Share via
7
I thought Ted Bundy was living in the U District when was committing his crimes. I'm guessing he was raised in Tacoma?
9
I grew up in godforsaken south Tacoma. Second-best part of Tacoma is the Antique Sandwich Company waaaay over in the North End. But the best part of Tacoma is leaving it.
10
"My Daddy Killed Me" http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Health/s…
In 2000, a group of 10 12-16 year olds beat a guy to death for $10 worth of weed at Wright Park, near Downtown Tacoma.
We've had a string of invasion robberies of fast-food places, occasionally with some rape while they're at it, recently.
Back in the 1890's-ish, Tacomans rounded up all the Chinese folks and marched them out of town.
In high school, I saw a body in a car in the dropoff area of the school, dead from an OD (with a buddy, also dead, in the parking lot across the street).
I've lived in Tacoma almost my whole life, aside from ~5 years in Bellingham. It's quite rough, especially when you could Lakewood/Parkland/Spanaway/Ft. Lewis/McChord/etc. Sometimes I wonder why I still live here, but it has it's charms, as well. It's not all murder and rape and shootings and dilapidated buildings.
In 2000, a group of 10 12-16 year olds beat a guy to death for $10 worth of weed at Wright Park, near Downtown Tacoma.
We've had a string of invasion robberies of fast-food places, occasionally with some rape while they're at it, recently.
Back in the 1890's-ish, Tacomans rounded up all the Chinese folks and marched them out of town.
In high school, I saw a body in a car in the dropoff area of the school, dead from an OD (with a buddy, also dead, in the parking lot across the street).
I've lived in Tacoma almost my whole life, aside from ~5 years in Bellingham. It's quite rough, especially when you could Lakewood/Parkland/Spanaway/Ft. Lewis/McChord/etc. Sometimes I wonder why I still live here, but it has it's charms, as well. It's not all murder and rape and shootings and dilapidated buildings.
12
What about the armored car guard shot at Wal-Mart in Lakewood?
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19645757/deta…
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19645757/deta…
15
Trang Dai massacre in 98? 4 dead, 5 wounded. The next year a witness was mysteriously murdered in jail before he could testify.
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/20…
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/20…
16
On the other hand, Seattle has the Wah Mee Massacre and the Capitol Hill Massacre. So while Tacoma may have more day-to-day ugliness, Seattle has spontaneous mass murders. Not sure which I prefer.
17
and also don't forget the insane juggalo crimes of pierce county.
Juggalos rob 12-year-olds in Puyallup
http://crimene.ws/crimenews/2009/6/18/ju…
Juggalette beats & robs grandmother in Tacoma
http://crimene.ws/crimenews/2009/7/20/ju…
and this piece de resistance, i think there were eventually 6 or 7 arrested over this:
For several nights last month, a group of thugs with black hooded sweat shirts pulled tight over their heads, including at least one in "angry" clown makeup, terrorized visitors to Pierce County's Fort Steilacoom Park, police say.
The group cried "woo, woo, Juggalo" as they assaulted park visitors with a machete and fists. They stole cellphones, cash and wallets and even threatened to cut their victims' heads off, according to court documents.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.c…
Juggalos rob 12-year-olds in Puyallup
http://crimene.ws/crimenews/2009/6/18/ju…
Juggalette beats & robs grandmother in Tacoma
http://crimene.ws/crimenews/2009/7/20/ju…
and this piece de resistance, i think there were eventually 6 or 7 arrested over this:
For several nights last month, a group of thugs with black hooded sweat shirts pulled tight over their heads, including at least one in "angry" clown makeup, terrorized visitors to Pierce County's Fort Steilacoom Park, police say.
The group cried "woo, woo, Juggalo" as they assaulted park visitors with a machete and fists. They stole cellphones, cash and wallets and even threatened to cut their victims' heads off, according to court documents.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.c…
20
Parkland is not Tacoma. Lakewood is not Tacoma. Fife is not Tacoma. Yet everytime anything happens in one of these places it is reported on as "Tacoma," or "near Tacoma." Even unincorporated Pierce County is not Tacoma. Tacoma doesn't get the "good press" from these places. So, why should it have to bear the bad>
But that's not really the issue. The Puget Sound is a community from Olympia to Everett, as illustrated by the fact that police were surrounding a home in Seattle where the suspect of this most recent killing is supposed to have been hiding out. There is no escaping how interconnected we are.
But that's not really the issue. The Puget Sound is a community from Olympia to Everett, as illustrated by the fact that police were surrounding a home in Seattle where the suspect of this most recent killing is supposed to have been hiding out. There is no escaping how interconnected we are.
21
I couldn't find a better link, I was 18 year old girl during the time that the "Parkland Rapist" was terrorizing our mostly quiet town. No one I knew would walk anywhere alone, day or night, before he was arrested. Eventually he was convicted and sentenced to 2 consecutive life sentences.
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.c…
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.c…
23
Some quality reporting from the Stranger. Great Job!...Near Tacoma = Tacoma.
"Had to cross Gary Ridgway off the list." Way to jump to a conclusion.
My question to all you Seattle snobs is when was the last time you were actually in Tacoma? Driving through on I-5 doesn't count.
Tacoma is just like any other American city. No curse. I am baffled as to how a newspaper gets away with speaking in such generalities. I could put together a list of some nasty shit that happened in Seattle and call that a curse.
"Had to cross Gary Ridgway off the list." Way to jump to a conclusion.
My question to all you Seattle snobs is when was the last time you were actually in Tacoma? Driving through on I-5 doesn't count.
Tacoma is just like any other American city. No curse. I am baffled as to how a newspaper gets away with speaking in such generalities. I could put together a list of some nasty shit that happened in Seattle and call that a curse.
24
Only one example of the Seattle Curse:
Seven people dead in Capitol Hill shooting:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
Seattle, you LOOK LIKE A MAD TOWN! This is the type of reporting I'd expect from a free rag newspaper!
Seven people dead in Capitol Hill shooting:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/lo…
Seattle, you LOOK LIKE A MAD TOWN! This is the type of reporting I'd expect from a free rag newspaper!
25
Thanks, Joe Cool, for telling it like it is. Jen, sympathy is great in the wake of tradgedies, but condescending sympathy doesn't help.
26
@11 There are very few metropolitan areas without extreme violence, all-in-all, it could be argued that Washington state is cursed to some degree.
I don't think there's anything wrong with remembering the events of our history regardless of area, if nothing else it should remind us to be thankful as individuals and acknowledge/empathize with the pain of others.
You can take the girl out of Parkland but you can't take the Parkland out of the girl and I don't think that's a bad thing. My heart will always be in Parkland/Tacoma (but definitely not Spanaway) no matter where I live.
I don't think there's anything wrong with remembering the events of our history regardless of area, if nothing else it should remind us to be thankful as individuals and acknowledge/empathize with the pain of others.
You can take the girl out of Parkland but you can't take the Parkland out of the girl and I don't think that's a bad thing. My heart will always be in Parkland/Tacoma (but definitely not Spanaway) no matter where I live.
27
At least the Wright Park kids did it for weed. Why was Tuba Guy beat to death by Seattle's punks?
How many people killed in Tacoma's synagogue attack? oops, sloppy reporting on my part.
Associating Ted Bundy with murders in Tacoma is like saying West Allis is cursed because Jeffery Dahmer was born there. Where did Bundy commit his murders? Where did he go to school?
Oh and remember when the guy crashed the rave party in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Tacoma and killed six? Don't fact check that please.
Fort Lewis? Really? Thousands of soldiers from all parts of the country and every crime is thrown in the Tacoma batch? That is brilliant work.
Violent crime and murderers are everywhere.
The US Open however only comes to places that:
1. Don't have horrible traffic (nice viaduct)
2. Don't fall all over themselves when it snows
3. Don't lock you up for not recycling your used TP
4. Doesn't charge $400K for a studio condo
Scoreboard!
Piss off Seattle elite snobs. I love Tacoma and I love that you think what you think. Keep your smug ass up north so I can enjoy my Quality of Life and still take advantage of going north from time to time and root against every one of your pathetic excuses for sports franchises. Go Sonics.............oops. Never mind.
How many people killed in Tacoma's synagogue attack? oops, sloppy reporting on my part.
Associating Ted Bundy with murders in Tacoma is like saying West Allis is cursed because Jeffery Dahmer was born there. Where did Bundy commit his murders? Where did he go to school?
Oh and remember when the guy crashed the rave party in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Tacoma and killed six? Don't fact check that please.
Fort Lewis? Really? Thousands of soldiers from all parts of the country and every crime is thrown in the Tacoma batch? That is brilliant work.
Violent crime and murderers are everywhere.
The US Open however only comes to places that:
1. Don't have horrible traffic (nice viaduct)
2. Don't fall all over themselves when it snows
3. Don't lock you up for not recycling your used TP
4. Doesn't charge $400K for a studio condo
Scoreboard!
Piss off Seattle elite snobs. I love Tacoma and I love that you think what you think. Keep your smug ass up north so I can enjoy my Quality of Life and still take advantage of going north from time to time and root against every one of your pathetic excuses for sports franchises. Go Sonics.............oops. Never mind.
28
Hey, @26, where'd you go to high school? I'm an FP grad. South Tacoma is just too fundie/anti-gay for my taste, but I also associate my crappy childhood with South Tacoma too, so there you have the source of my bias. Love Ruston Way, the AS, and Sixth Ave, though.
29
@28 - Graduated from WHS in '99; lived in the PKD off and on through 2004 and on Wright Park for a couple of years too. There were definitely parts of Tacoma that I couldn't stand (I moved to be closer to work but the excessive amount Bush/Cheney bumper stickers in the greater Tacoma area definitely made it easier). I wasn't trying to sound like I was chastising people or whatever, I just don't think associating outlying areas with the city proper is a bad thing or that having a love for your hometown acknowledging tragedies and shortcomings are mutually exclusive.
30
I love Tacoma. Thanks so much for adding to the stereotype that keeps snobby Seattleites in your uptight city, Jenn. Please stay where you are. We never really liked you in Tacoma. Your articles about the MAG were lame and based on the same "opinions" that were never really news.
Crime happens in all cities. Your article is reckless, just like your opinions.
Crime happens in all cities. Your article is reckless, just like your opinions.
31
Yes, bad things happen in Tacoma. And bad things happen in Seattle, and every other large city. Let's see, wasn't there shootings at South Center Mall just a year ago. And then there was the mass shootings at the Seattle Jewish Federation and the Pang warehouse arson which killed fire fighters, and I'm just scratching the surface from memory.
The homicide rate of Seattle is 34 to Tacoma's 13, according to cityrating.com. Considering population, the rates are about equal. If Tacoma has an unusual crime problem, it would be because we are blessed with Western State Hospital and McNeil Island Penitentiary, which results in the dumping of many criminals and their families into the area. For years, the prison release programs were all sited in the area. The Department of Corrections is finally trying to put them back into the communities they came from. We have been the recipients of King County's trash for too long.
I think that Jen Graves should really look at the facts like a real journalist would before writing something so condescending about her neighbors to the south.
The homicide rate of Seattle is 34 to Tacoma's 13, according to cityrating.com. Considering population, the rates are about equal. If Tacoma has an unusual crime problem, it would be because we are blessed with Western State Hospital and McNeil Island Penitentiary, which results in the dumping of many criminals and their families into the area. For years, the prison release programs were all sited in the area. The Department of Corrections is finally trying to put them back into the communities they came from. We have been the recipients of King County's trash for too long.
I think that Jen Graves should really look at the facts like a real journalist would before writing something so condescending about her neighbors to the south.
32
From a longtime Fort Lewis and Wright Park resident ('92 - '04, minus two years at U Dub).
There is much I love about Tacoma, but...
1. Pierce County - Tacoma and Parkland inclusive - is home to more than its share of halfway houses. Pierce County residents are, in effect, subsidizing the re-entry of a plurality of Washington state's felons (obtaining a more equitable distribution of released felons is THE major preoccupation of the Pierce County prosecutor and sheriff). Pierce's carrying capacity was stretched during The Good Times; one shouldn't be surprised that during worse economic/budgetary times such as these, there are monsters slipping completely through the cracks.
2. Mudede wrote about the Tacoma curse a few years back, reporting that the early Northwest tribes advised staying the hell outta the woods, as evil spirits lurk there. I think there's something to this; with two large military installations and a National Park, a giant chunk of Pierce County is uninhabited woodland. While one is generally spiritually rejuvenated in wilderness, there's a certain creepiness to these woods that I can feel but for which I lack words (I get the same sense in Eastern King county - Ravensdale, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, etc.).
There is much I love about Tacoma, but...
1. Pierce County - Tacoma and Parkland inclusive - is home to more than its share of halfway houses. Pierce County residents are, in effect, subsidizing the re-entry of a plurality of Washington state's felons (obtaining a more equitable distribution of released felons is THE major preoccupation of the Pierce County prosecutor and sheriff). Pierce's carrying capacity was stretched during The Good Times; one shouldn't be surprised that during worse economic/budgetary times such as these, there are monsters slipping completely through the cracks.
2. Mudede wrote about the Tacoma curse a few years back, reporting that the early Northwest tribes advised staying the hell outta the woods, as evil spirits lurk there. I think there's something to this; with two large military installations and a National Park, a giant chunk of Pierce County is uninhabited woodland. While one is generally spiritually rejuvenated in wilderness, there's a certain creepiness to these woods that I can feel but for which I lack words (I get the same sense in Eastern King county - Ravensdale, Black Diamond, Enumclaw, etc.).
33
@32 - throw in the Nisqually area too. Same creepiness.
And omg,@29, I could be your mama! 1977.....
And omg,@29, I could be your mama! 1977.....
34
Disappointed in this article? Join the conversation at Exit 133.
http://www.exit133.com/5632/thoughts-and…
Jen Graves, way to talk down Tacoma to your fellow snob friends!
http://www.exit133.com/5632/thoughts-and…
Jen Graves, way to talk down Tacoma to your fellow snob friends!
35
This is incredibly condescending, we can all play the stereotype game. Believe it or not there are negative stereotypes about people who live in Seattle too. The world doesn't sit around envying you because you have an apartment on Capital Hill or a cookie cutter 1942 shoebox in Greenwood. People in Seattle love pointing out the bad things that happen in Tacoma, they have for 20+ years now, but they hate talking about the unfortunate realities of how many of the people that perpetrate these things are actually from Tacoma - because the reality is that Pierce County has been a dumping ground for the State Correctional system, the federal correctional system and the military for a long, long time.
36
Unfair and generalizing. A cheap trick.
Just because mass murders get overlooked in metropolitan cities doesn't mean that they all happen in Tacoma (or Parkland, which might as well be Tacoma, because hell, it's close enough to that shithole.)
Just because mass murders get overlooked in metropolitan cities doesn't mean that they all happen in Tacoma (or Parkland, which might as well be Tacoma, because hell, it's close enough to that shithole.)
38
Pierce County is consistently discriminatory against gay and lesbian people. Bottom-line, that conservative mindset is why I don't like it. I'd say I hate Tacoma, except that the North End kind of rocks. Unless you count the arsenic from the old Asaarco (sp) smelter. Which I am probably poisoned by, given all food and beverages I've consumed at The Antique. But get this, O Tacoma Defenders: you can think Tacoma is awful and still not think Seattle is all that. It really isn't either/or.
39
hahahaha tacoma will always have a (wood) chip on it's shoulder over seattle being the resident metropolitan.
it definitely shows in these comments.
it definitely shows in these comments.
40
As Lola correctly states, Seattle and Tacoma each suck in their own ways - Seattle in its overpriced prissy soul-lessness, Tacoma (south of Sixth Ave, west of Pearl, east of I-5) in its skeeviness and proximity to evil spirits, human and otherworldly.
But, having lived in both I would gladly return to Tacoma's North End over any place in Seattle.
For the record, I now live on Vashon Island.
But, having lived in both I would gladly return to Tacoma's North End over any place in Seattle.
For the record, I now live on Vashon Island.
41
I think it is a matter of what you focus on. You can not ignore the evils around, but you can choose to take notice of and be thankful for all the good things as well. I moved here from Phoenix, Az where rape, murder, car jackings, shootings, stabbings, and robberies are everyday happenings, and in pretty large doses at that. News and gossip and complaints that focus on the "bad" only gives it more energy and more power. Only you can decide how to let it color your perspective.
I love Tacoma because of all the creative energy and the gritty attitude that forces the "good" to scream out even louder "Hey, pay attention to me!"
Tacoma...YOU ROCK ME...and I love YOU! :)
I love Tacoma because of all the creative energy and the gritty attitude that forces the "good" to scream out even louder "Hey, pay attention to me!"
Tacoma...YOU ROCK ME...and I love YOU! :)
42
Add this article to my list of reasons I refuse to even VISIT Seattle after living there for so long. People are just so nice up there!
43
Call me crazy, but I like Tacoma (moved there from Seattle - on purpose!) and I like Seattle too. The area around the Hilltop, 6th Ave, and Stadium neighborhoods of Tacoma is very cool, and very progressive. Deal with it.
44
I find your article remarkably insensitive. It's difficult to understand why you'd write such a thing in the face of painful human suffering in your near neighbors down south. Four people died and four families lost a loved one, suddenly, violently, senselessly. A community--not Tacoma, but unincorporated Pierce County and Lakewood--is staggering after one of the greatest tragedies they've faced.
Tacoma (or Lakewood) is not suffering from a curse any more than any metropolitan area suffers from a curse. Unless you want to call the brokenness and tragedy of the human condition a curse, and, in that case, Seattle and every major city are weighed down equally, and in many respects in a greater measure, by this same darkness...murder, theft, rape, violence, hatred, beatings, abuse, arson, exploitation.
A few people mentioned issues Tacoma does face more than Seattle (the disproportionate number of work release programs in Pierce County being the largest). It's still a vibrant, creative, shining, welcoming, beautiful place to live. I've lived in Seattle and many other places in the world, and chose the Tacoma area because I love the unpretentiousness, the cultural diversity, the less-hurried/harried style of life.
Let's not make the mistake of stereotyping and vilifying a race or ethnic group, a geographic locale or some other cheap shot at trying to make sense of what happened. A person with metal problems committed a tragic act of violence. Saying that Tacoma is cursed is ridiculous. I'm not one to rely on stereotypes, or I might say that it's sad that Seattle is cursed with people who lack compassion and sensitivity in the face of tragedy. This is not the case, but a little grace in a difficult time for your brothers and sisters down south would be nice.
More...
Tacoma (or Lakewood) is not suffering from a curse any more than any metropolitan area suffers from a curse. Unless you want to call the brokenness and tragedy of the human condition a curse, and, in that case, Seattle and every major city are weighed down equally, and in many respects in a greater measure, by this same darkness...murder, theft, rape, violence, hatred, beatings, abuse, arson, exploitation.
A few people mentioned issues Tacoma does face more than Seattle (the disproportionate number of work release programs in Pierce County being the largest). It's still a vibrant, creative, shining, welcoming, beautiful place to live. I've lived in Seattle and many other places in the world, and chose the Tacoma area because I love the unpretentiousness, the cultural diversity, the less-hurried/harried style of life.
Let's not make the mistake of stereotyping and vilifying a race or ethnic group, a geographic locale or some other cheap shot at trying to make sense of what happened. A person with metal problems committed a tragic act of violence. Saying that Tacoma is cursed is ridiculous. I'm not one to rely on stereotypes, or I might say that it's sad that Seattle is cursed with people who lack compassion and sensitivity in the face of tragedy. This is not the case, but a little grace in a difficult time for your brothers and sisters down south would be nice.
45
@10-"It's not all murder and rape and shootings and dilapidated buildings."
Sounds like Troy, New York. There's a nice brewpub and farmer's market. Also abandoned buildings sometimes collapse into the street.
Sounds like Troy, New York. There's a nice brewpub and farmer's market. Also abandoned buildings sometimes collapse into the street.
46
I have lived in both Tacoma and Seattle for extended periods of time and I have to say, you couldn't pay me enough to move back to Seattle. Everyone is more hipster-than-thou or more outdoorsy-than-thou. I found it horrendously depressing, soulless, and obnoxious.
Seattleites don't seems willing to discover how vibrant, walkable, and awesome T-Town can be (well, the North End/6th Ave/Hilltop/Ruston areas). We have everything Seattle has- independent coffee shops, bookstores, and good restaurants, clothing boutiques, a burgeoning nightlife scene with music venues (okay, that part could be a little stronger). Some of our neighborhood parks are amazing. To top it off, I can get all my errands done without stepping into a car once. Maybe 90% of the population here can't name all the Animal Collective albums by memory, but it's a hell of town nonetheless. I'll take some grit and a bad reputation if it means I can keep living here. If Seattleites ever want to open their minds and stop with the tired old jokes/stereotypes, they're welcome here too.
Seattleites don't seems willing to discover how vibrant, walkable, and awesome T-Town can be (well, the North End/6th Ave/Hilltop/Ruston areas). We have everything Seattle has- independent coffee shops, bookstores, and good restaurants, clothing boutiques, a burgeoning nightlife scene with music venues (okay, that part could be a little stronger). Some of our neighborhood parks are amazing. To top it off, I can get all my errands done without stepping into a car once. Maybe 90% of the population here can't name all the Animal Collective albums by memory, but it's a hell of town nonetheless. I'll take some grit and a bad reputation if it means I can keep living here. If Seattleites ever want to open their minds and stop with the tired old jokes/stereotypes, they're welcome here too.
49
Tacoma sucks because of all the military. Where there's a military base, there's nastiness and skank.
Close all that shit down, send all that new welfare class we call "the troops" off someplace else, and Tacoma might have a chance.
Close all that shit down, send all that new welfare class we call "the troops" off someplace else, and Tacoma might have a chance.
50
TCOIOV, Ft. Lewis and McChord account for 60% of the income in Pierce County. Close the bases and ALL of Pierce County becomes East Tacoma.
51
You should extend the whole timeline to include all of Pierce County. If you think THIS list is depressing, the criminal past of the whole county will make you want to move to the Middle East.
53
Glenn Beck's lies appear to have originated in Tacoma, too.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local…
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local…
56
I call foul: You're counting everything within a 20-mile radius "Tacoma." The media does this too. If you applied this same technique to Seattle, there would be no comparison. How come Seattle's little foibles need to happen within the city limits, and even then they're usually referred to by their neighborhood names? Rainier Valley ring a bell, Stranger?
57
People can debate crime rates back and forth, but facts have little to do with this - or most news articles - about Tacoma. Tacoma bashing is a reliable way of getting an article into print. Seattle will never get tired of feeling superior to their working-class neighbor. I say, let the bashing continue! Who cares? It's keeping these assholes out of our town!
59
While Jen continues to bring nothing to the table, the rest of us in the Tacoma area are joining together in our community in support of the Lakewood Police officers and their families. You can see whatever you want when you "see" Tacoma, but I see a place where people choose to support each other in good times and bad. I've lived here for 5 years and found a place I am proud to call home. Suck it, Jen, you don't understand anything.
60
Wow. Great to hear some intelligent feedback in defense of Tacoma, especially Parkland Youth's point about violence in any major urban area, and props for those who mentioned the STRONG sense of community us T-towners have. I just have to say something in defense of the murder of Erik Toews, one of my best friends whom was attacked by the "bored youth who attacked him for $10 of weed in Wright Park". This is a false statement as his was the 10th attack within two weeks by bored youth attempting to initiate a gang. Check your facts before you use my friends name- make sure they are correct, please. Wrong by the way about the weed too. I Know as I was told by the police the contents of his backpack. (And of course Seattle has no gang activity? I distinctly remember otherwise- and shortly after Erik's attack there were several assaults in downtown Seattle.)
Most Commented on Slog
-
Stephen Fry v. the Catholic Church by Dan Savage
-
Straight Up by Dan Savage
-
Neologism Needed by Dan Savage
-
Palin's Cheat Sheet by Dan Savage
-
SL Letter of the Day: The Toilet Brush Off by Dan Savage
-
Every Child Deserves a Mother and a Father by Dan Savage
-
Tea Party Crowd Believes That Only Good Spellers Should Vote by Dan Savage
-
How's That Hopey, Changey Stuff Working Out For Childhood Obesity? by Dan Savage
-
Every Child Deserves a Mother and a Father by Dan Savage
-
The Green Police Super Bowl Commercial by Charles Mudede
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (60) RSS