Jimothy merch at Capitol Hill’s Retail Therapy

This summer in Seattle, the name is Jimothy, the internet-famous North Seattle raccoon whose distinct physique captivated thousands online. Anthropomorphizing wild neighbors is a natural impulse, giving us a way to find kinship and affection in concrete spaces, but looking past our own human projections reveals a creature far more remarkable than any viral storyline.

The raccoon’s common name is an English settler’s mangled attempt at aroughcun, a Powhatan word meaning “one who rubs, washes, and scratches with its hands.”

Their Latin binomial is also telling. The genus designates them as “Pro” (before) “cyon” (dog), intimating that raccoons are indeed carnivores — though genetically more closely related to bears. The second half notes a defining behavior, as lotor literally means “washer,” referencing their habit of manipulating food using dexterous forelimbs.

Behind the viral love for Jimothy are some facts of the challenging lives wild animals face in our cities. Short spine syndrome is an exceptionally rare congenital condition where the vertebrae fail to harden and elongate properly during fetal development, resulting in a compressed, shortened column while limbs grow to normal scale. Genetic mutations, inbreeding in isolated urban micro-populations, or environmental toxins during gestation are considered possible primary factors. Beyond rare skeletal anomalies, urban raccoons face a gauntlet of physical afflictions.

In King County, high-density wildlife populations frequently grapple with infectious outbreaks such as canine distemper and feline panleukopenia, alongside chronic parasitic burdens like Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm).

In city settings, physical malformations from improperly healed fractures — often the result of car strikes or falls — are far more common than genetic defects, leaving many urban raccoons navigating their territories with permanent limps, truncated tails, or compromised mobility.

A lot of people think raccoons are pests, which is one reason to highlight their unique traits. Across Seattle neighborhoods, there are countless masked neighbors quietly making a living right alongside us. Their intelligence means that they can get into a lot of things. They’ll happily take the time to figure out a way to open a garbage can and then remember how. Studies have shown that they can remember how to solve a fairly complex lock 3 years after learning the solution. Their intelligence lends to opportunistic behaviors, unlatching backyard chicken coops or peeling back covers on espaliered pear trees. However, despite their irreverence for human rules, raccoons are remarkable, resilient creatures worth our consideration and respect.

Raccoons don’t have very good long-distance vision, relying instead on a suite of other senses. This might explain why one would blunder into the street, presumably not knowing a car was headed its direction. Based on their anatomy, raccoons do see better than people at night because they possess tapetum lucidum, tissues behind their retina contributing to superior light gathering, which many mammals have. Pet owners have likely seen this before in a dog or cat when a beam of light reflects in their eyes at night. Despite this nocturnal augmentation, both a sense of smell and hearing—much more acute than a human’s—top vision in importance to raccoons. However, one sense trumps them all, and that’s touch.

Though raccoons don’t have opposable thumbs on their forepaws like primates, they are only slightly less dexterous. Raccoons have one of the most highly developed senses of touch for a vertebrate, with an inordinate amount of brain power devoted to the tactile. Their habit of “washing” is not related to a desire for clean food, but rather to the fact that they can feel more when wetting their paws, which softens their footpads. Observers routinely see raccoons search about in the water with their paws (they love frogs, fish, clams, and all manner of invertebrates that habituate them to aquatic habitats) and, upon finding something, manipulate it thoroughly much like a blindfolded person would an object handed to them for inspection. This is a primary way they interpret the world—dramatically different from human perception, and a reminder of the fascinating inner lives of urban wildlife.

Raccoons have also proliferated because, in the city, they have few natural predators and have adapted to live alongside people. Their nocturnal habits mean they face fewer threats from humans, and their willingness to persist on leftovers while living in marginal habitats makes them very common. Seeing kits in tow of a mother is sometimes so irresistibly cute that people feel the need to interact or feed them. Many enjoy an encounter with a wild animal, and raccoons present a largely non-threatening opportunity.

Showing genuine care for these creatures means respecting their wild nature: feeding raccoons is strongly discouraged because it leads to conflict with habituated animals; in places where canine distemper is present, raccoons are a noted carrier. Raccoon latrines, where they repeatedly deposit waste, can also harbor roundworm eggs that pose health risks to humans and pets. So, giving raccoons their space, keeping them wild, and admiring them from afar remains the safest approach for both humans and animals.

Ultimately, raccoons like Jimothy and his fellow urban residents are easy to appreciate because they appear a little goofy and aren’t the most physically gifted, yet have found a successful niche and persisted in it, in some ways mirroring our own selves.

Like us, however, they can also clean up nicely and be quite striking up close with a healthy scruff of long gray guard hairs, a ringed tail, and an iconic black mask. They may not always be everyone’s favorite back-alley visitors, but they are extraordinary native neighbors regularly encountered across Seattle—and for that, our city’s urban ecosystem is all the richer.

In dense urban environments like Capitol Hill, raccoon populations reach extraordinary concentrations compared to their rural counterparts. While wild forests typically support just a few per square mile, resource-rich city neighborhoods can host 100 to 200 raccoons per square mile, with localized “hot spots” surging to 300 or more per square mile. By those numbers and factoring in more challenging industrial and commercial cores, Seattle’s raccoon population could be anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 little masked bandits.

In cities like Seattle, this hyper-density is driven by an artificial carrying capacity: sprawling residential neighborhoods interspersed with forested ravines, public parks, and greenbelts provide abundant shelter, while unlocked compost bins, outdoor pet food, and a near-total absence of apex predators create an endless food supply. As a result, urban raccoons compress their home ranges down to a fraction of a typical wild territory, thriving in tight-knit micro-communities right under our noses.

This Pike/Pines is based on an essay by Brendan McGarry that originally appeared on CHS in October 2015

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(Image: Loot Table Cafe)

(Image: Loot Table Cafe)

A new player-led board game community venue, Loot Table Café, is set to begin play on E Pine in the historic Odd Fellows building across from Cal Anderson Park.

The space was previously occupied for two decades by Fleet Feet, the running retail staple that closed its doors in late 2024 to focus on its Ballard location.

Founder Michael Sibley created Loot Table to establish a “welcoming, comfortable gathering place designed with gaming in mind—a place where new players and longtime gamers could find a seat, meet people, and spend time together.” The concept came after Sibley encountered friction with his own gaming group, including overcrowded local shops, dim lighting, small tables, and 21+ restrictions.

Designed as an all-ages space tailored specifically for tabletop play, the new shop stands out through its player-led approach. Loot says that rather than relying solely on managed events, the cafe empowers guests to host ongoing campaigns, organize public games, or reserve seats as solo players. Visitors can bring their own board games, explore the cafe’s in-house library, or book space for private gatherings.

Loot joins a fun mix of table top gaming-dedicated venues on the Hill including Broadway’s Phoenix Games which marked its 10th anniversary in 2023, and E Pine’s Raygun Lounge which is in its 17th year of business and now under new ownership dedicated to keeping the lounge place “where pinball wizards meet board game strategists; where LGBTQ+ folks feel safe and at home; where tabletop RPG campaigns unfold, and Magic: The Gathering games rage on.”

(Image: Loot Table Cafe)

Loot adds a new element to Capitol Hill game play. Guests pay a seat fee, which grants open access to the cafe’s game library, though visitors are also welcome to bring their own games from home.

Walk-ins are accepted whenever space allows but table reservations are recommended for busy evenings or larger campaign groups.

To keep gamers fueled during long sessions, the all-ages cafe offers a rotating selection of prepackaged snacks, alongside non-alcoholic beverages, bottled beer, and other alcoholic options available for purchase. Outside food and drinks are not permitted.

Loot Table Café says it will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday, August 1, from 11 AM to 11 PM. Gameplay will be free throughout opening day, inviting the neighborhood to explore the new space and connect over tabletop games.

Loot Table Café is located 911 E Pine. Learn more at loottablecafe.com.

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Barnes at the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics (Image: SPD)

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has announced a letter of resignation from Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes following his response to the deadly shootings at Seattle Center and criticism that the chief was, once again, out of town during a major emergency in the city.

The maneuverings come despite pushback from a group of Seattle civil rights organizations, community advocates, clergy members, and leaders in the city’s Black communities calling for the mayor to retain the chief. The change now represents a new rift between the mayor and Seattle City Council and its leader Joy Hollingsworth.

In the announcement, Wilson thanked Barnes for his service and acknowledged the department’s efforts under his tenure.

“I am proud of the work we have done, believe in the direction the city is headed, and have full confidence that the department will achieve success in tackling its most urgent public safety challenge, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies,” Wilson said. “That work is too important, and Seattle deserves nothing less.”

Deputy Chief Andre Sayles was named interim chief while the city prepares a search for a permanent successor.

Originally appointed by Mayor Bruce Harrell in late 2024, the veteran law enforcement leader continued to serve Seattle as Wilson opted to stick with Barnes as she took office last year despite uncertainty about the chief.

During her campaign, Wilson had been highly critical of Harrell and Barnes for not including more of the city’s departments and leadership in its approach to important and long-running challenges like gun violence, pointing at more inclusive approaches that have been successful in other cities like Baltimore and Milwaukee.

Wilson has championed efforts like the city’s CARE crisis responders and said she would clear the ways CARE has been “systematically undermined” by SPD.

Barnes, the former Madison, Wisconsin chief hired to lead SPD as it operates without federal oversight for the first time in more than a decade, represented organizational stability after the troubled leadership of dismissed chief Adrian Diaz. Barnes had overseen progress in what officials have said is a reversal of SPD’s hiring challenges and a department trying to grow its ranks from just under 1,000 officers on patrol in 2022 to nearly 1,500 by 2027.

But the Seattle Center blunders weren’t the only problems along the way. Barnes contributed to his exit with with incidents like the bumbled promotion of a new commander in the East Precinct, May 2025’s policing debacle around the anti-trans Christian rally that led to a police crackdown on counter-protesters in Cal Anderson Park, his continued deployment of “directed patrols” as part of abatement efforts at the Denny Blaine Park nude beach, and the chief’s rejected push to station a police officer inside Garfield High School.

In the end, the Bite of Seattle shootings were the chief’s undoing. While Publicola first reported last summer that Barnes spends most of his weekends out of the city visiting with his family in Chicago or attending conferences, his absence as the city responded to another emergency without its police department leader at the helm put Barnes on the defensive and had the chief lashing out, literally, at media.

Hollingsworth has been a strong supporter of Barnes, praising his integrity and leadership. In 2025 as Wilson took office, the current Seattle City Council president, alongside downtown business leaders, advocated for the new mayor to retain Chief Barnes to ensure department stability after years of executive turnover.

Despite his resignation, Hollingsworth said this week she had full confidence in his capacity to head the department.

“We stand with community members who came forward today to express their support for Chief Barnes and the work he has been doing,” Hollingsworth said in a joint statement with Councilmembers Dan Strauss, Debora Juarez, and Bob Kettle. “We are disappointed to see his departure and thank him for his service.”

Wilson will now lead a search for a replacement with a plan for public safety in Seattle closer to her own vision for the city.

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East Precinct foot patrol officers joined a recent walk (Image: Circle the Blocks)

A new community group focused on “building stronger connections among residents, businesses, service providers, and public-safety partners” is holding a Capitol Hill walk Thursday night to call for more to be done to address gun violence and public safety following early Saturday morning’s shooting on 11th Ave and the deadly burst of gunfire at the Seattle Center last weekend.

Both incidents involved shootouts where bystanders were caught in the crossfire. Both incidents are a sign that more needs to be done, organizer and Circle the Blocks co-founder Erin Reinhart tells CHS.

You can meet the group as they start off at 4 PM from Stoup Brewing at Broadway and Union or watch for the walkers later in the night as they stop by area venues and public spaces.

“It’s not about crowd size. It’s about educating people and being aware,” Reinhart said about Thursday’s walk. “I don’t have a chant planned. That’s not what this is about. It’s about, do you realize how close this has been here?”

The walk comes after the early Saturday shootout on 11th Ave in the middle of nightlife crowds that sent two people to the hospital. Police said the victims were bystanders caught in the crossfire of a Pike/Pine shootout. Sunday’s killings at the Bite of the Seattle showed how fortunate Capitol Hill was to avoid similar tragedy, Reinhart said.

As facts about the deadly Seattle Center shootings came to life, Reinhart said she saw familiarities with the gun violence that has happened in Pike/Pine and “started to realize this is what happens on the Hill.”

“I don’t know that people know that,” Reinhart said.

Pike/Pine’s nightlife gun violence is a long-running challenge for the neighborhood and has overlapped with shootings around Cal Anderson Park and other nearby street disorder and public drug use hotspots like Pike and Broadway around the QFC.

Saturday’s shootout follows May’s shooting at 10th and Pike outside the Cultura nightclub that sent three to the hospital.

11th Ave has also been a center of gun violence in the area. In February, an intoxicated 16-year-old who had been kicked out of A Pizza Mart for using a fake ID opened fire on security outside the venue.

In October 2024, a 25-year-old woman was shot and killed on 11th. The next night, two people were shot at a memorial for the woman on the street.

2025 began with the death of a 29-year-old passerby accidentally shot and killed in an ambush in a street altercation at Broadway and Pike. It ended with the murders of a 26-year-old and an 18-year-old within a month in the two-block radius around Broadway and Pike.

Public safety measures pursued in the area by public officials have included advocating for more police officers, the addition of SPD Real Time Crime Center cameras, park activation, and catenary lights over streets including Nagle Place and 11th Ave.

This summer, CHS reported on some of the progress made addressing the problems at Pike and Broadway. SPD’s stats show a small decrease in assaults and theft over the past year despite many elements of a public safety plan from District 3 representative Joy Hollingsworth not having come to fruition.

Circle the Blocks is leveraging its weekly neighborhood walks effort to bring more attention to the challenges over street disorder and gun violence. Reinhart says she is a four and a half year resident of First Hill who got involved in neighborhood community and public safety issues after her time living in Madison Valley near the Bailey-Boushay House facility.

Circle the Blocks is purely grassroots, Reinhart said, launched with help from the community group Circle the Square that has become active in Pioneer Square. Reinhart says Circle the Blocks is all-volunteer without any public funding or grants at this time. “I don’t’ want to get into wasting resources,” Reinhart says of her current stance on city grants.

Reinhart says part of her mission is to spread the template and the grassroots resources. “I want to help other neighborhoods set this up for themselves,” she says.

One modern malady of present-day Seattle is skepticism about grassroots community groups. There are the histories of community council red-lining and NIMBYism. Some community efforts in the city reek of politics and preying on the city’s least fortunate to make the case for crackdowns and arrests.

Circle the Blocks is hoped to remain a neighborhood effort backed by neighborhood people, Reinhart said. She is also involved in other community initiatives including her appointment to the Seattle Community Advisory Group formed to help shape the response to public safety issues around the Crisis Care Center planned to open on Broadway in 2027.

“I wanted to try to make a difference,” Reinhart said. “Whether sidewalk problems or stores that are closing — or hot spots where this is trouble.”

“When I was trying to figure what to do to make it better, I heard about Circle the Square.”

Weekly walks are a core of Circle the Blocks. The Capitol Hill-First Hill group’s first months have brought quiet growth and new members — as well as a few curious officials and electeds. The East Precinct’s foot patrol officers sometimes join up and leaders like State Senator Jamie Pedersen have stopped by to walk and talk with the group.

For the next two weeks, the mission for Circle the Blocks is about bringing awareness to what went down early Saturday on 11th Ave with the two public walks through the Pike/Pine neighborhood to honor victims and advocate for violence prevention.

The first walk is scheduled for Thursday at 4:00 PM, gathering at Stoup Brewing at 1158 Broadway. Participants will walk through the Pike/Pine neighborhood, stopping at sites where shootings occurred over the last three years to acknowledge the impact on the neighborhood. A second walk is planned for Thursday, August 6th.

Circle the Blocks has invited public-safety representatives, city leaders, and groups like Circle the Square and Seattle Chinatown Block Watch to join.

“Seattle and the greater Pike-Pine community cannot continue cycling through violence, brief periods of public attention, and steadily declining resources,” Reinhart said in the announcement. “Our city leaders have a responsibility to take sustained, meaningful action that prevents further violence and protects the people who live, work, visit, and gather here.”

July 30 Walk Details
Date: Thursday, July 30, 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Meeting location: Stoup Brewing, 1158 Broadway, Seattle
Details for the August 6 walk will be announced separately.
Members of the public, community organizations, elected officials, public-safety representatives, and members of the media are encouraged to attend.

Learn more at circletheblocks.org.

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Subscribe to CHS to help hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support