Rampant crime against students prompts community safety meeting in West Seattle

In early March, a Madison Middle School student was grabbed, followed and harassed by a man in West Seattle. Reports of men harassing and attempting to assault two separate students in one day were called in to police in February.

These kinds of incidents are what has Carla Rogers and other Seattle parents worried about the safety of their children.

Related: Student harassment an ongoing Seattle problem

“We’ve seen an uptick [in crime] for the past several months,” said Rogers, the PTSA President of Madison Middle School. “We’re seeing so many incidents in the northern part of West Seattle.”

The concern Rogers and other parents have over safety is what prompted a meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Madison Middle School Library. Guests will include Seattle Police officers and a Seattle Parks security supervisor.

A report of a BB gun being shot at a school bus in South Seattle just confirms worries parents are having.

“That’s an indication that things are getting a little bit amped up,” Rogers said.

Rogers and her family moved from Virginia to West Seattle about five years ago. For the mother with students in Seattle Public Schools, crime against students hits close to home.

Last summer, her 16-year-old – then 15 – was robbed on California Avenue. The “young man” took her sons cell phone and longboard, Rogers said. The man then hopped on a Metro bus and was gone.

“That’s the common getaway,” she said.

Buses are a safety issue for students all over the city, Rogers said. Middle and high school students are not provided transportation to and from school. Bus drivers are too busy to monitor children riding the bus, plus it’s not their job, she said.

“I feel like it’s only a matter of time before something really bad happens,” she said.

Rogers doesn’t blame Metro or its employees for what happens on a bus. Children riding the bus need to be aware of their surroundings and parents need to determine whether or not they are ready for public transportation, she said.

Rogers said she is encouraged by comments made by Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole regarding the need for creating community partnerships. Partnerships is the only way to crack the crime problem in West Seattle because the police “can only do so much,” she said.

Despite the issues that have crept into the north end of West Seattle, Rogers said she’s still happy her family moved. The problems facing the city are just that: city problems.

“This stuff happens,” she said. “It just gets a little beyond the line when it starts happening to 12 year olds and 14 year olds.”