West Seattle scene: “Drive-by” preaching on Alki

Of all the Alki sights and sounds noted and discussed in recent weeks, this is the first report we’ve gotten of “drive-by” street preaching. Ben Hutchinson sent the photo and his account of what he saw from his apartment near Alki Bathhouse, so we’re sharing:

Just a couple minutes ago, there was this guy standing on the back of a pickup truck that went by. He was standing there with a microphone and big amplified speakers (like those used at a rock concert). And it sounded like he was preaching the Christian gospel. Now I’m a Christian myself, but I don’t think it’s right to be so disruptive. The pickup was driving slowly and holding up traffic.

Then he sent a second note, with the photo above:

Well, they came back again, so I was able to get a picture of them on their way back. This time I also was able to see a bit more too (they went right in front of my apartment this time). This time nobody was standing up (all were just sitting), and I was able to see 3 people in the back of the pickup truck this time (probably were there before, but I just had a better view this time, because it looked like only 1 the first time). When they were not preaching they were playing rap music.

Anybody know who this was?

Kelly K May 27, 2009 (9:40 pm)

So that’s what it was. The blaring rap music was so loud I could barely hear traffic (it was bouncing off all the concrete under the W. Seattle bridge). How obnoxious.

KBear May 27, 2009 (9:44 pm)

The one time he didn’t walk, Jesus rode a donkey. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t him.

Tony May 27, 2009 (10:23 pm)

Live for Jesus and we will quit snarling up traffic and disturbing the peace…

Keep within the walls of the church!

Jill Loblaw May 27, 2009 (10:28 pm)

At least it wasn’t a drive by shooting. :-)

Jill Loblaw May 27, 2009 (10:30 pm)

I have to add that I did spot a police vehicle down at the beach this evening. I wish they were present all the time during the sunny evenings of late spring and early summer. I just don’t feel safe down there anymore.

wutwut99 May 27, 2009 (10:41 pm)

Jesus will keep you safe — just pray to him. And if you get shot, just forget all that bosh and head to the hospital for the real deal: a doctor.

JanS May 27, 2009 (11:35 pm)

doncha have to have a permit or something to do that? Disturbing the peace? How obnoxious. Certainly wouldn’t have a positive effect on me, I think.

ScottA May 28, 2009 (12:33 am)

Reminds me of this weekend near Westlake Center in downtown. There was an obnoxiously loud (stationary) speaker system used for preaching. It drowned out a couple of other street musicians(?) and whatever good might have been in the preaching was completely lost!

Michael May 28, 2009 (1:27 am)

A sure sign that religious nuts have taken over the beach.

Brian May 28, 2009 (2:58 am)

“god works in mysterios ways” that’s why pedaphiles get to deliver the word of the lord too.

We don’t always know why god does things the way he does.

Apply this same logic each time you hear anything that sounds odd in your walk with the lord and you will feel instantly better.

rockyraccoon May 28, 2009 (3:01 am)

Please, bring back the gangs. I’ll never complain about them again.

toddinwestwood May 28, 2009 (5:29 am)

[Jake and Elwood have attached a giant megaphone to the roof of their car and are driving around town to advertise the gig.]

Elwood: Tonight only, the fabulous Blues Brothers. Rhythm and Blues review. The Palace Hotel Ballroom. Route 16. Lake Wazzapamani. The fabulous Blues Brothers show band and review.
Kids: Check it out, check it out. Tonight only from Chicago the Blues Brothers rhythm and Blues review. One night only, the fabulous…
Elwood:…Blues Brothers show band, and review. You, on the motorcycle!…You two girls, tell your friends.
Jake: [To Elwood]

Charles May 28, 2009 (5:53 am)

Maybe these people were taking the day of prayer to the next level? I can’t believe some of the negative comments here directed at people taking their faith to the street. Would you really rather have thugs and violence over the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ?

Andrew May 28, 2009 (6:33 am)

These were the same people that helped keep Bush in office for two terms

wseye May 28, 2009 (6:47 am)

I have faith that the good Lord will direct the evil device into Elliot Bay the next time it trespasses against us, as it did with the evil Porsche.

homesweethome May 28, 2009 (7:08 am)

I’ll take a little preaching over gangbangers on any day of the week at Alki, Sunday or otherwise. I doubt these folks are wielding handguns in their baggy jeans. And really, I don’t care who they voted for either. At least they voted, and at least they still have the right to vote as in, it wasn’t taken away from them due to their list of felony convictions.

Mike May 28, 2009 (7:15 am)

“Would you really rather have thugs and violence over the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ?”

YOUR lord, not mine. I don’t believe in a book written thousands of years ago, translated thousands of times and modified to fit the needs of kings personal agendas. You don’t like the comments here, we don’t like the preaching in public.

Donuts for all May 28, 2009 (8:13 am)

Thought it was illegal to ride in the back of a pickup like that and without seatbelts.

What message is he trying to send? Certainly the one he is demonstrating (the he thinks he is above the laws of Seattle and the laws of physics) and the one he is mouthing off about are in a bit of conflict from my point of view.

Has he heard of organ transplants – that might be the next step his god has planned for him if he continues the stupid practice of riding in the back of a moving pickup truck.

The rest of his message I can tune out without getting into the big debate about who is better – preaching or thugs. Ever wonder how long it takes to clean up a mess from when someone bites the pavement?

Jason Brunet May 28, 2009 (8:43 am)

Would anyone with a pick up volunteer to drive me around Alki while I read passages from The God Delusion and blast the music of Graydon Square?

Hit me up.

WSB May 28, 2009 (8:55 am)

A reminder from the management as new commenters arrive: It’s OK to spiritedly disagree, about religion, noise laws, etc. It’s not OK to insult each other, tell somebody to shut up or get a life or go away, etc. Our rules are, criticize the idea/comment, don’t criticize the person. Fine line, but it keeps WSB discussion areas from devolving to the useless sewers some other news sites’ comment areas are allowed to become. Thanks! – TR

the_real_lb May 28, 2009 (9:07 am)

What’s next? Drive-by baptisms?

AD May 28, 2009 (9:08 am)

I saw this truck parked and blaring music in the Rainier Valley the other day. The people stood on the corner with signs. The music was SO LOUD. I stayed on the other side of the street because it was so obnoxious.

squareeyes May 28, 2009 (9:13 am)

People above seem to imply this is an either/or scenario. Which is preferable: gangbangers or public godbotherers? Short answer: neither. Keep your weapon in your pants, your good book of choice in your backpack, and your noise level down. In the words of Foghorn Leghorn, “Go away kid, you bother me!”

lauren May 28, 2009 (9:38 am)

I was there last night taking a walk with a friend and could not believe how loud and intrusive (and obnoxious) it was; we couldn’t even hear ourselves speak. There were lots of teenagers handing out flyers for their church as well, but I didn’t see which one they belonged to. I’m all for positive energy if they’re having fun with it, but not when it’s crammed down your throat, er, ears.

Dave May 28, 2009 (9:43 am)

Please, ‘Progressives’, your knee-jerk responses to these evangelical Christians are so boorishly over the top that only one word could describe it: Intolerant. That’s not to say this group should not be cited for noise code violations.

justin May 28, 2009 (9:59 am)

Oh the American Taliban at work again. Reminds me of these guys. http://wizbangblue.com/images/2009/03/taliban-thumb.jpg

Roadsterboy May 28, 2009 (10:32 am)

Thank you, squareeyes, for voicing exactly what I was thinking. We shouldn’t have to choose between gunfights and eardrum-shattering sermons. Can’t we all use this area in a way that doesn’t prevent others from enjoying its use? I don’t mind if someone stands on the sidewalk and preaches or hands out fliers, but I shouldn’t have to put up with having their views and/or music blasted at me through loudspeakers. That’s unacceptable.

john May 28, 2009 (10:36 am)

Be glad they’re not in a church molesting your children. I’d rather know where they are, and that’s in the back of a truck driving illegally and exceeding the noise ordinance.

Steph in WS May 28, 2009 (11:13 am)

Thank you Mike! You took the words right from my mouth. Whoo hoo!

Cami May 28, 2009 (12:19 pm)

This makes me laugh!

Been here a long time May 28, 2009 (1:25 pm)

This is what makes me a little sad;

Kid’s misbehaving or being loud or anything negative… 30 blog comments.
A guy walking down the street in arbor heights…6 blog comments
Kid’s picking up 20 pounds of litter and cleaning up a park….1 blog comment.
Why ONLY focus on the negative?

WSB May 28, 2009 (1:44 pm)

Been here, that’s an interesting point. It’s not a blog thing, though, it’s really any news site with discussion components. We have had lots of good-news stories that drew lots of comments. I’d love to see more “WTG” personally but what matters the most is that they are read. Even in much-discussed stories, it’s only a tiny fraction of the 8,000-plus homes/businesses that read this site daily, 20,000-plus homes/businesses at least once weekly – at least thousands of people are SEEING the stories about the good deeds as well as the “bad news” — but no matter what the story’s about, it’s ALWAYS a case of many more people interested in reading than discussing. But if you want to challenge people to leave more WTG’s, I give you a WTG too! – TR

Debra Aguilar May 28, 2009 (2:05 pm)

Victory Outreach Church would be my guess, as they sometimes do the same thing in our South Park neighborhood. They are located in Top Hat, and seem to cater to the former gang member clientel…..

tipp May 28, 2009 (2:50 pm)

ok. It wasn’t the most effective way of preaching the word of God but..maybe these people are sick of very few people getting their butts into church like they should be!Seattle is one of the lowest church attending cities..but call ourselves one of the most educated…What? Why don’t we learn a little about what the bible says?
Don’t be so quick to put this guy down..I get the whole noise and rap music thing..wasn’t too smart but wouldn’t it be nice if didn’t have to worry about some punks bringing guns to the beach? the way to do that is to have some strict upbringing and some serious religion forced down their throats. That’s right. You can debate all you want but you know i’m right. Or you can alway come up with something better.

b\\\'smomma May 28, 2009 (3:00 pm)

As far as I can tell the gang members on our beach are active members….. But on a serious note, if gang members are allowed to run around on the beach letting it be known what they represent then in my opinion it is ok to drive around in a truck and preach. I didn’t hear the loud music but I am wondering if it compares to any of the loud music that is played by others “cruising” the beach? Maybe it’s just me but I would DEFINITLY prefer people complaining about the loud music being played by people preaching about God than hearing about all the gang bangers and the general fear that has been placed on Alki Beach.

john May 28, 2009 (3:12 pm)

Tipp could not be more wrong. 73% of this Country is Christain. 96% of our jail population is Christian. 4% of this Country is Atheist. 2% of those in jail are Atheist. The other 2% in jail is a mix of religions. This was the data in 2006.

High Scool drop out is mostly minority. Minority’s have an exceedingly higher religious belief then non-minority’s.

Tipp….Religion appears to not be the answer.

Donna May 28, 2009 (4:31 pm)

Why do people assume that because they are proselytizing, they are gentle and peaceful? While I don’t like to assume that anyone is a violent gang banger, more violence has occurred in the name of god than for any other reason. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Seattle is one of the lowest church attending cities and one of the most educated.

atheistgirl May 28, 2009 (4:53 pm)

“Seattle is one of the lowest church attending cities..but call ourselves one of the most educated…What? Why don’t we learn a little about what the bible says?”

Education has nothing to do w/ religious indoctrination. I would argue the opposite, we’re educated, so not religious. Yippee!

blaster99 May 28, 2009 (6:26 pm)

“Would you really rather have thugs and violence over the gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ?”

So those are the only two options? Amazing how one can win a debate when they apply insane false choices like that. Good job!

“if you don’t accept my phony God, violence and gangsta rap will fall down onto you! now choose wisely!”

The oldest codger May 28, 2009 (8:06 pm)

Judging by the thread of the blogs, it seems like the popular opinion is that
“Seattle is the least religious city because not enough people go to a CHRISTIAN church.”
Is that the consensus?
Apart from Christianity other religions that are followed in Seattle include Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism and Islam.
Seattle has a large Jewish community. We have many synagogues.
There are many people belonging to several Asian countries like Japan, China, Vietnam, and Korea who follow Buddhism. Seattle Buddhist Church, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan
Buddhism and Amitabha Buddhist Society of Seattle are some of religious places of the people following Buddhism.
Hindus also form a significant part of the population of Seattle. They preserve their culture and traditions by celebrating different festivals like Holi, Gita Jayanti, Karava Chauth, Diwali, Durgashtami, Bhaiya Duj, Karthiki Purnima, Sharad Purnima, Govatsa Dwadasi, Govardhan Puja and many more.
We’re not even mentioning the Native American ceremonies that are re-emerging.

We are hugely diverse and have many many religions.
Seattle is a hugely religious city.
It might not look that way if one is only taking the CHRISTIAN numbers in to consideration.
We’re NOT a godless people.
Seattle is not the hot bed of atheism

Been here a long time May 28, 2009 (8:20 pm)

Thank you oldest codger.
Education or no education….
We’ve got faith and spirit.
You make me smile.

WTF May 28, 2009 (9:12 pm)

Ah. Can’t we all just get along?

RAM May 28, 2009 (10:19 pm)

Loud noise isn’t my style, but I’m wondering of those of you objecting, if they were singing anything besides a Christian message, would you even care? Some of the comments written here if spoken against racial groups or sexual minorities would be considered by some as “Hate speech”. Isn’t it interesting how things can change for some people?

wutwut99 May 28, 2009 (11:13 pm)

Hate speech? Kind of like repressing homosexual rights? Get a clue, RAM.

Andrew May 29, 2009 (7:28 am)

Be careful wutwut99, some people or blogs may be offended and delete your comment for telling someone to “get a clue.”

JanS May 29, 2009 (7:39 am)

so..the question now on the board is…if it were anything other than religion would people be bit88in’ about it? Yeah…loud is loud, whatever they’re pushing. I would object to anything that’s over a loudspeaker disrupting the peace. What? They should be exempt from common sense because they’re preaching religion? NO, I don’t think so….

Been here a long time May 29, 2009 (7:59 am)

I’m sorry, and not just to be contrary….
but I would have to disagree with Jan S.
Remember Last summer, August?
The Alki volleyball league was here last summer, every Saturday morning 9:00 am… with those tower speakers that were so huge they could have served a rock concert.
I don’t remember the community complaining.
If they did, maybe we hadn’t gotten used to the open forum yet?
If the AVL is back this summer with the rock concert amplifiers,
it will be interesting to see if the mood on Alki has changed from last August.
Plus we had summer nights concert on the beach… Loud.
For me… fun.
But for the kids who’s bedtime is 9:00 pm. LOUD
Loud is loud but the seafair pirates are the loudest of all.
Don’t we love them?

RAM May 29, 2009 (1:04 pm)

Some of you are missing the point, if you knew me you would know I don’t like loud of anything. The point being made is some people are selective about what loud noises they will tolerate including the boom boxes they crank up while driving around in their cars with open windows. Some people get angry about Gay slurs but vocalize loudly with attacks on people with a different religious outlook or the enthnicity of the people who are driving around in pickup trucks. Either way just be consistent.

Another perspective you Christian haters should think about, if these men in the pickup truck are as suggested by some as former drug addicts who have been delivered from the bondage of drug addiction, you need to know they have to be joyous to finally be free and want to share their liberty with others that are still struggling. If you are struggling with your addictions, then perhaps you need to listen to them.

With that said. yes, it would be nice if they found a quieter way to express their joy, but maybe this is the only way some will stop to listen.

the oldest codger May 29, 2009 (4:26 pm)

Ram, I’m not sure I catch your point.
You don’t like loud stuff…. That I get.
But as far as listening to them because of addiction recovery…
Alki is not devoid of help or outlet.
If the community didn’t know, and needs a little help….
AA meets near the Statue of Liberty almost every Thursday night weather permitting.
We are not a huge crowd but we are friendly.
NA (narcotics Annon) will meet together with the AA Sunday mornings at the Statue… weather permitting.
If these men are in recovery, I’m glad for them.
But we meet quietly, and don’t use amplifiers.

Sorry, comment time is over.