Seattle Courant Archive

Death Threats Sent To Gay Bars On Capitol Hill

Death Threats Sent To Gay Bars On Capitol Hill

By Sonia Krishan
January 07, 2009

Keith Christianson, at the Seattle Eagle, says his bar received one of the letters, but he was warned and gave it to police before it was opened. He says he's taking the threat seriously. "There's enough going on out there right now that it would be just up somebody's alley to stress the economy out in the gay market or whatever it could be."

Christianson is putting up signs and warning people not to leave drinks unattended where they could be easily poisoned. "You just want to make sure that people are aware that stuff like that is going on. If somebody tries to do it, people are watching and making sure that people are not missing something in public."

While Seattle Police and FBI investigate, the community is planning a massive pub crawl to the threatened businesses Friday night. Seattle Police say they're testing the letters for any trace of the deadly chemical, and urging people to be cautious.