Tag Archives: Detective Cookie

News

South End Community Support Seattle Detective Who Filed Discrimination Claim Against City and Police Department

by Phil Manzano

Karen Wells stepped outside the meeting room, packed on a bright Saturday with children and parents, as an instructor spoke about chess moves and strategy. She has been bringing her two nieces to the Rainier Beach Community Center for about a year so they can participate in the Detective Cookie Chess Club.

News broke over the weekend that Seattle Police Department Detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin filed a $10 million claim against the City of Seattle, alleging a discriminatory and hostile workplace.

“It was very upsetting to me,” said Wells. “I really got angry, but I wasn’t surprised.”

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Community

Detective Cookie Chess Park Opens in Rainier Beach Amid Community Love and Celebration

by Phil Manzano

The Detective Cookie Chess Park had its grand opening on a resplendent Saturday afternoon as community members, neighborhood activists, and government officials celebrated what likely was Seattle’s feel-good story of the weekend.

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News

Another Move in Building the Detective Cookie Chess Park

by Phil Manzano

It doesn’t look like much to people driving by on Rainier Avenue South: a large patch of dirt ringed by temporary chain-link fencing. But to Seattle Police Detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin, it is part of a long-unfolding vision to help youth through chess and build community.

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Community

Rainier Beach Chess Park Pop-Up Brings a Vision of a Future Permanent Home for Chess

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by Susan Fried

It didn’t take long for chess lovers to fill the tables at the future site of Detective Cookie Chess Park in the Rainier Beach neighborhood on Saturday, Aug. 21. Members of Detective Cookie’s Chess Club, volunteers, and even the president of the Washington State Chess Association (WSCA) showed up for the second of three Chess Park Pop-Up events to be held this summer. 

Seattle Police Detective Denise “Cookie” Bouldin started the chess club in 2006 for Rainier Beach youth. Today, the club serves community members of all ages. The outdoor park, at the corner of Barton Place South and Rainier Avenue South, will eventually be home to built-in chess tables and a giant in-ground chess board. Community leaders and volunteers who formed the Friends of Detective Cookie Chess Park group began fundraising in 2015 and are on track to have the park fully funded by the end of 2021. 

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Community

PHOTO ESSAY: Fathers and Sons Together Barbershop Event Encourages Hope

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by Susan Fried

About a half dozen barbers volunteered their services last weekend so people could get free haircuts at Rainier Beach Community Center plaza. In addition to the cuts, there was food, entertainment, and free COVID-19 vaccines. The event was held in partnership with the Department of Neighborhoods and hosted by Fathers and Sons Together (FAST) — a youth development organization that aims to nurture the relationships between fathers and sons. It also featured three panel discussions around significant issues affecting the community, including one on health and wellness — in particular how they relate to COVID-19 — one on the recent surge in gun violence, and a third to discuss ways to help youth and create positive change in the community.

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Community

Rainier Valley Community Remembers Jean Veldwyk

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by Chamidae Ford

On Sunday morning, South Seattle lost a beloved member of the community. Jean Veldwyk, 89, died peacefully in her sleep. 

Veldwyk was a staple to the community, regarded as a determined and focused woman who broke many glass ceilings in her lifetime. 

A Seattle native, Veldwyk graduated from Franklin High School and opted to stay in the area. In 1962 she founded her own real estate company, Jean VelDyke Realty.

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Photo Essay

Kids Take Home the Win at Chess Competition Against Seattle Police

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by Susan Fried

The 3rd Annual Chess Rumble between Detective Cookie’s Urban Youth Chess Club and Seattle Police Department officers went down on June 18th at Van Asselt Elementary School. Just like the previous two shess battles the kids crushed the competition. The kids won 30 games and the cops won 9.

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