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January 08, 2009

Letters Threaten Customers of Seattle Gay Bars

Letters Threaten Customers of Seattle Gay Bars

Eleven gay bars in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle received letters threatening the lives of their customers on Tuesday.

The anonymous letter says the potential attacker has approximately 67 grams of ricin, which will be used to drug "at lease five of your clients ... I expect them to die painfully while in hospital."

The Seattle Police Department has seized the letters and is working with the FBI and other federal agencies to investigate them, according to The Seattle Times. The Seattle Joint Terrorism Task Force has not been called to deal with the case, however, because authorities consider the letters to simply be a threat, since no physical evidence of ricin has been found, KING TV reports.

The letter, which was also sent to local weekly newspaper The Stranger, warns that the publication should be prepared to report the deaths of about 55 people following a random Saturday this month, when the attacks are allegedly planned to be carried out. "I could take this moment to launch into a diatribe about my indignation towards the gay community, however I think the deaths will speak for themselves," he letter to The Stranger read.

The bars targeted include the Elite, Neighbours, the Wildrose Bar, the Cuff, Purr, the Seattle Eagle, R Place, Re-bar, C.C.Attle's, Madison Pub, and the Crescent.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ricin occurs naturally in castor beans but, if purified, can be deadly when ingested or inhaled.

Kay Hansen, manager of the Elite, told the Times that staff members have been warning customers to watch their drinks. "On the one hand, you don't want to overreact, but on the other hand, you want to make sure your staff and clients are safe," she said.

Eagle manager Keith Christensen told The Stranger's blog, The Slog, that while the threat may not be serious, it still must be acted upon.

"It's probably nothing, but the economy is really screwing all the bars right now, and the last thing we need is something ramping up the not-go-out mode people seem to be in right now," he said. "It's really freaky that someone would do something like this at a time like this."

One person who is taking the situation with a grain of salt is Stranger editorial director Dan Savage, who writes a sex column. "I get a death threat a day with Savage Love," he said.

As investigators work on the case, Seattle residents are planning a massive pub crawl to threatened businesses on Friday night, according to KIRO AM. (Advocate.com)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Jeff
    Date posted: 2009-01-10 8:31 PM
    Hometown: Mount Vernon

    Comment:

    This is a horrifying thing. I don't currently live in Seattle, but it is my hometown, and the city that I came out and lived in as a young man. I lived there though good times and bad, when it seemed that AIDs would take us all, or when we had to scratch out a piece of neighborhood for ourselves. The hatemongers are emboldened by every loss at the ballot box, and every lukewarm, vague statement of support from secret homophobe politicians.


  • Name: Joseph
    Date posted: 2009-01-08 10:16 PM
    Hometown: Montgomery, AL

    Comment:

    R Barber, talk to postal workers who faced exposure to anthrax in 2001. The facility that had processed the tainted mail that got to the Senate offices did NOT close for testing (meaning that workers saw hazmat teams, in full gear, coming in to test while the USPS workers were in regular clothes, and were NOT allowed to leave the facility). The Senate offices were completely shut down for more than a week and all the office workers were sent to be tested (with the gov't picking up the tab). Postal workers who feared exposure had to pay for their own tests UNLESS the tests were positive at which time the USPS would reimburse (insurance didn't cover the costs either except for a positive result). Don't forget that NO commercial aircraft are ever allowed over the White House or Congress. Even in extreme emergencies, flights must avoid that airspace or risk being shot down.


  • Name: R Barber
    Date posted: 2009-01-08 11:21 AM
    Hometown: Calgary

    Comment:

    "authorities consider the letters to simply be a threat, since no physical evidence of ricin has been" now what would their response be say if the congressional cafeteria had been threatened with no physical evidence of ricin?


  • Name: Bear
    Date posted: 2009-01-07 4:39 PM
    Hometown: Memphis

    Comment:

    Parker, That was going to be my comment...to the letter. With stuff like this happening, it's hard to comprehend that any one person can put a "scare" into a community, and it not be called a hate crime.


  • Name: Parker
    Date posted: 2009-01-07 2:10 PM
    Hometown: Wichita, KS

    Comment:

    yeah, we really don't need that pesky ferderal anti-discrimination/harassment law to cover sexual orientation or gender identification.


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