‘City doesn’t have our back’: Lake City business manager frustrated after break-ins

SEATTLE — A recently broken into Lake City business manager feels forgotten by the city as their block continues to have issues with crime and homelessness.

Turntables & Trails on Lake City Way NE was hit twice Friday into Saturday morning, according to operations manager David Brisker. Brisker said at 11 p.m. on Friday, the alarm went off, but when he arrived at the store he did not find anyone.

Then at 1 a.m., he said the thieves came back. A security video shows the masked group going through the store and pulling clothes from the racks before leaving.

“They stole a lot of clothing and a lot of backpacks. We do live shows here once, or twice a month. They are all ages, it’s a real family event. A lot of the bands are kids from Nathan Hale High School. We give them an opportunity for their bands to play in front of an audience,” Brisker said. “They stole our mixing board. Now we’re not going to have a mixing board for our live shows.”

Pokémon cards were also taken.

“The kids come through from the neighborhood and we always give them Pokémon cards for Halloween and now we’re not going to be able to do that,” Brisker said.

Brisker said the thieves got into the store from next-door by breaking through a couple of doors to get inside.

They aren’t the only ones on the block who have had issues. Go down the street and you’ll see the boarded-up windows at different shops. Those across the street have also dealt with crime.

“We feel like the city doesn’t have our back to be very honest with you,” Brisker said.

Another thing he wanted to point out was the homeless camp in a park right next door.

“There’s as many as 25-40 people there at any time. They’re openly doing drugs. I’m talking hard drugs. Needles, tinfoil, fentanyl, they’re not even hiding it,” Brisker said. “He (the business owner) and I both feel pretty strongly about the presence of…it’s heartbreaking. As a human being you feel for these people. You feel for their situation. But as a business owner and somebody whos’ working hard to bring something positive to the neighborhood, it’s hard to have sympathy for people who don’t want to be helped.”

We asked Brisker what his message was to his city council member and the city: “Come down and see us. Just put your head in the door here. Come talk to us. Ask us what we need. Assure us that the city is going to do something.”

Brisker said Seattle police officers did not show up. He said they also haven’t seen Councilmember Cathy Moore in the neighborhood.

KOMO News reached out to Seattle police, Moore, and the Mayor’s office to ask about what they will do on the street to improve the issues. Moore and SPD have not yet responded.

A spokesperson for Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office did respond saying, “I’m not able to pull specific information about the encampment you are referring to given that it is a weekend and staff are offline.”

They also shared a general statement which reads in part: “Seattle’s small business owners deserve to be heard and have their concerns addressed. Mayor Harrell remains committed to a holistic approach to improving public safety and reducing crime in Seattle.”