Death threats have been sent to several gay bars in Seattle. The author of the letters claims to have ricin in his possession, and says that he will kill at least five people. 

 

The full text here:

 

Tensions are running high on Seattle’s Capitol Hill after someone sent death threats to 11 gay bars in the area.

The anonymous letter writer claimed to have the deadly chemical Ricin and threatened to kill at least five people.

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.”

Dan Savage, “Savage Love” columnist and editor of The Stranger, isn’t taking the threat too seriously. “I think it’s a serious attempt on some demented individual’s part to ruin everybody’s day and scare people, but I don’t actually think there’s somebody sitting out there with pounds and pounds of Ricin in their apartment.”

Seattle Police say they’re testing the letters for any trace of the deadly chemical, and urging people to be cautious.

 

Savage has ideas about the type of person that might be responsible for sending the letters. “I don’t think it’s a religious person, I don’t think it’s a right wing hater. It’s obviously someone who spent time in gay bars and has a beef with gay people. Probably a gay person himself.”

While Seattle Police and FBI investigate, the community is planning a massive pub crawl to the threatened businesses Friday night.

“In the long run, I think whoever did this is going to feel foolish because a lot of people who might not have headed out to the bars this week are heading out to these eleven bars,” said Savage.

 

I don’t agree, at all, with Savage’s statement that it was probably a gay person himself, although it’s possible he knows something I don’t about the form and content of the letters. Given the current political climate and tension over things like Prop 8, I think it’s more likely to be a right wing wack job convinced that god hates fags or some similar nonsense. 

 

Whatever, the jerk that did it will almost certainly be caught, and in the meantime, everyone should go drink at the bars targeted. Drink, be merry, and seriously irritate the person who thought this was a handy intimidation tactic of some sort.