Terror in Seattle

Ricin attacks were threatened in letters sent to eleven bars in Seattle that cater to LGBT customers, and a twelfth letter was sent to the alternative weekly The Stranger. Seattle police have seized the letters and are coordinating with the FBI and other federal agencies.

Via PageOneQ, The Seattle Times reports:

Eleven gay bars in Seattle were sent letters Tuesday threatening ricin attacks — in what some are describing as a hate crime.

The anonymous letters say, "I have in my possession approximately 67 grams of ricin with which I will indiscriminately target at least five of your clients. … I expect them to die painfully while in hospital."

A 12th letter was sent to the alternative weekly The Stranger, according to its Web site. That letter says the paper should be "prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals."

The letter lists the bars as: 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. The letter implies the attacks will take place one Saturday this month.

Bars are warning their customers to keep their drinks in their possession at all times:

Elite manager Kay Hansen said the bar has been informing customers of the threat and warning them to make sure they don’t leave their drinks unattended: "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."

Editorial director of The Stranger Dan Savage says he gets threats all the time, and that he and his staff supported the bars on Tuesday night:

"I get a death threat a day with Savage Love," he said, referring to a sex column he writes.

Savage said the letters didn’t contain any religious references, making him wonder whether the author was an embittered gay person. He said that if the threat were designed to ruin business for gay bars, it may backfire. Staffers from The Stranger made a point of visiting gay bars Tuesday night to show their support, he said, and others may be inspired to do the same.

When efforts like Prop 8 make the news and dehumanize LGBT Americans, unbalanced people are often motivated to bash and terrorize the subject populations. Let’s hope no one gets hurt in Seattle.