Burien native John Requa, right, with his filmmaking partner Glenn Ficarra.

by Scott Schaefer

A few years back, you might have seen a young man running around Burien’s Gregory Heights neighborhood with a Super-8 or VHS movie camera, telling his friends what to do, when to do it and where.

And perhaps even one time you called the cops on him because his actors were carrying pellet guns!

That young man is named John Requa, and now he’s all grown up but doing the same thing, only in a different city – Hollywood, CA – and making a darn good living doing it, including directing a film that will be playing at the Tin Theater (BTB Advertiser) next week (Fri. Feb. 10 – Thurs., Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m.) called ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love,‘ a romantic comedy starring Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and others:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Requa, who was born at Group Health Hospital, grew up in the Gregory Heights neighborhood of Burien. Influenced by the many movies he watched with his father while growing up, John’s childhood ambition was to be a film director. As a kid, John made many movies with his neighborhood friends in Gregory Heights, which also happens to be the name of the school in “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” He attended Gregory Heights School from kindergarten to first grade, then attended St. Francis and Highline High School, where he performed skits for his school assemblies, even acting in his senior play. John then went to Pratt Institute in New York, where he studied film and ended up meeting his writing/directing partner Glenn Ficarra. John and Glenn have been working together ever since, both as screenwriters and directors. They have written screenplays for several films including “Bad Santa,” and their directing debut, “I Love You Phillip Morris”. And most recently directed “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” John and Glenn recently started their own production company and are currently working on several different projects.

Here’s an interview with John and Glenn:

Click here to view the embedded video.

John still flies to Burien from LA on a regular basis with his wife and 3-year old son. He has a brother, sister, parents and good friends in Seattle and a sister in Yakima. And yes, he still roots for the Seahawks.

We managed to track John down and conducted a quick Q & A that shares some insight into how the Burien area played into his growing movie-making career:

Q: What were some of your favorite shooting locations in the area?
A: Seahurst Park was my favorite.

Q: Did you ever complete a full film as a kid?
A: Yes, I made four 20-minute films in and around Gregory Heights, Burien and Normandy Park.

Q: What advice you you have for aspiring filmmakers?
A: Best way to learn to make movies is to make movies. Don’t worry about quality. Just make them and learn. It’s easier to do them now than it ever was.

Q: What was it about growing up here that inspired you to make movies?
A: Burien’s proximity to Downtown which had a plethora of arthouse theaters and allowed me to see all of classic American and foreign films in the theater with an audience.

Q: Any other Burien/area-related anecdotes?
A: One time we were shooting a scene with pellet guns. Someone in the neighborhood thought they were real guns and called the police, and the police ended up pulling their guns on us!

‘Crazy. Stupid. Love.’ plays at BTB Advertiser The Tin Theater from Friday, Feb. 10 to Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. nightly. Don’t forget to print your own Coupon for FREE popcorn here. More info at http://tintheater.com.

BTB Real Estate Sponsor Prudential Northwest’s Open House for this week is a large 3-bedroom Rambler located very close to Gregory Heights Elementary School and the local Swim & Tennis Club.

This is the one you’ve been looking for and its even protected by a 1-year AHS Warranty. “HURRY!”

You will enjoy this move-in ready home with its many special features like:

• Formal living room w/fireplace
• Oak flooring
• 2.5 bathrooms
• Master bath w/built in sauna
• Formal dining room
• Large kitchen w/eating space & skylight
• Large family room w/wood burning fireplace
• Spectacular large fenced back yard w/deck.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Sunday, July 10th from 1pm – 4pm.

WHERE: 15913 18th Ave SW, Burien, WA 98166.

INFO:

• List Price: $299,999
• Listing #: 236092
• Beds: 3
• Baths: 2.5
• Year Built: 1951
• Approximate House SqFt: 1,670
• Lot Square Footage: 8,160

Interior Features:

• Bath Off Master
• Dble Pane/Strm Windw
• Dining Room
• Sauna
• Skylights

Site Features:

• Cable TV
• Deck
• Fenced-Fully
• High Speed Internet
• Outbuildings

Marketing Remarks:

This large rambler is very close to Gregory Heights Elementary & the local Swim & Tennis club.

You will enjoy this move-in ready home with its many special feature like: Formal living room w/fireplace, oak flooring, 2.5 bathrooms, Master bath w/built in sauna, Formal dining room, large kithen w/eating space & skylight, large family room w/wood burning fireplace & a spectacular large fenced back yard w/deck.

This is the one youve been looking for & its even protected by a 1 year AHS Warranty.

“HURRY!”

Click here to see the full, detailed listing.

Click here to view all of Prudential Northwest’s Open Houses.

We’d like to welcome our latest Advertiser, the Gregory Seahurst Swim Club, located at 16700 19th Ave SW, right here in Burien’s own Gregory Heights neighborhood.

Many people don’t even realize that there’s a great, private, non-profit swim club located here. First opened in 1959, it includes a six-lane, 25-yard swimming pool with diving board, a small wading pool, two tennis courts, a tennis practice-wall area and a playground for young children. New this year will also be re-surfaced tennis and pickleball courts, perfect for a summer day in Burien.

Swim and tennis lesson programs are available to both members and the general public, either as part of a group or individually.

The 150-member swim and dive teams are part of the Seattle Summer Swim League. GSSC and other local swim clubs host the league’s events. Gregory Seahurst’s tennis team competes in USTA events.

FACILITIES
The main building houses men’s and women’s changing rooms and the club office. Bleachers line one side of the big pool, and there’s a raised barbecue area with gas grills and picnic tables adjacent to its shallow end.

On two sides of the pool are lounge chairs and shade umbrellas. Snack service is provided at selected times.

TEAMS
The 150-member swim and dive teams are part of the Seattle Summer Swim League. GSSC and other local swim clubs host the league’s events. Gregory Seahurst’s tennis team competes in USTA events.

NO WAITING LIST!
For the first time in years, there’s no waiting list to join. However, there are a limited number of membership spots left, so click here to see the membership page for information about joining this great neighborhood club.

To join this great, neighborhood club, click here.

Last Thursday morning (Jan. 27th), a burglary took place in a home in Burien’s Gregory Heights neighborhood, and the victim has approached us about getting something irreplaceable back – a box that contained several videotapes of her family through the years.

The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous , would just like the mini-videocassettes of her family returned. That’s it – she doesn’t care about anything else.

And she’s offering a $300 reward.

“It’s a black or tan colored box taken from my Gregory Heights home the morning of Thursday, January 27th,” the victim told us. “It contained mini videocassettes of our children, from birth on, that cannot be replaced. If you have seen these or know where they may be, please return them. You can throw them in our yard or anywhere else, then somehow let us know where they are (post an anonymous comment to this blog).  These are very precious keepsakes and we really want them back. Reward available!!”

All the lost tapes were MiniDV tapes, and the labels were handwritten with various date ranges and/or special events (ie. Christmas, Vacations, etc.) – the tapes look something like this (this is a stock photo, and is not of the actual missing tapes):

The missing videotapes are of the MiniDV variety, similar to these.

Of course, we want to keep this simple and safe for all parties involved, and we want to assure the suspects that all we’re trying to do is reunite someone with their one-of-a-kind, sentimental memories – that’s it – there will be no police involvement at all.

“These videos are of our children, from birth on and it’s all we want back,” she added.

HOW TO RETURN THEM & NOTIFY US SAFELY:
If you stole these tapes (or know who did), please put them in a safe place, then either leave an anonymous Comment below – you can use a computer at the library if you’re worried about being tracked (the IP address will only read kcls.org), or call our office with details on where they can be found: (206) 248-2565, or send us an email at editor@b-townblog.com.

We’ll pass the info on to the appropriate party, who will retrieve the tapes, and (almost) all will be good again. The person who returns the tapes, or facilitates the return, will receive a $300 cash reward.

It’ll be interesting to see if we can help reunite a Burien resident with her memories. If anyone has any other suggestions on how to get these tapes back, please leave a Comment below…

BTB Real Estate Sponsor Prudential Northwest’s featured Open House for this week is a newly-updated 5-bedroom home in Gregory Heights, located just a block away from the elementary school and a short walk to a community swimming pool.

This home boasts new features like: carpet, paint, vinyl, gas stove, refrigerator and microwave.

Enjoy entertaining in the living room with vaulted ceilings or a simple family dinner in the formal dining room.

With the family room upstairs and a large shop next to the garage you will have plenty of room for your RV and toys.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Open House will be this Sunday, Aug. 15th, from 1pm to 4pm.

WHERE: 16037 15th Ave SW, Burien, WA 98166

INFO:

• List Price: $329,999
• Listing #: 115054
• Beds: 5
• Baths: 2.75
• Year Built: 1954
• Garage-Attached
• Approximate House SqFt: 2,137
• Lot Square Footage: 7,620

Interior Features:

• Dble Pane/Strm Windw
• Dining Room
• French Doors
• Security System
• Skylights
• Vaulted Ceilings
• Walk-in Closet

Site Features:

• Cable TV
• Deck
• Fenced-Partially
• Gas Available
• Gated Entry
• High Speed Internet
• Patio
• RV Parking
• Shop

Marketing Remarks:

Welcome to Gregory Heights!

This newly updated 5-bedroom 2.75-bath home is a block away from the elementary school and a short walk to the community swimming pool.

This home boasts new features like: carpet, paint, vinyl, gas stove, refrigerator and microwave.

Enjoy entertaining in the living room with vaulted ceilings or a simple family dinner in the formal dining room.

With the family room upstairs and a large shop next to the garage you will have plenty of room for your RV and toys.

Click here to see the full, detailed listing.

Click here to view all of Prudential Northwest’s Open Houses.

[Would you like to have a "Blogvertorial" story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by over 51,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

On Sunday morning, July 11th, at 2:20AM 6 gunshots were fired in the area of Gregory Heights elementary. They were heard by myself and my neighbors who called police. The next day I found a bullet on my back deck. My neighbor verified it was a 9mm bullet/gun and must have been shot into the air to land without lodging into anything.

I took the bullet to the Burien police dept (KC Sherriff Office) and reported it.

We hear shots in this area late at night every few months or so. Now that a bullet has been found a few feet from our door it is quite disconcerting as it means someone is firing actual bullets at or around random houses.

The police will not be doing anything about it, so I wanted to report it through media.

We live within 2 blocks of Gregory Heights elementary but wish to remain unidentified for safety reasons. We have a small child.

Maybe you can pass the info along or report it in the crime section.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email a "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]

by Scott Schaefer

UPDATE THURS. 6/3/10: Police Chief Scott Kimerer dropped by our booth at the Farmers Market today, and alerted us that the King County Sheriff’s interactive crime map referenced within this story is not currently 100% accurate, as the city’s new borders are not included. What this basically means is that, with a larger footprint, Burien’s crime rates will organically be higher than they were previously.

Also, the Chief wanted us to mention that, while some of the percentages used in the story seem high (ie: 25% increase), keep in mind that on a per-month basis, a 25% increase could mean going from six incidents to eight.

PREVIOUSLY: Recently, numerous residents of Burien’s Gregory Heights and Three Tree Point neighborhoods have shown concerns about an increase in residential burglaries, garnering attention from “mainstream media” throughout the northwest.

Some Burienites have done this by posting missives on blogs, forums and neighborhood group pages. We’ve read several ourselves that are on the verge of paranoia, often posted moments after an unknown vehicle has driven by.

Others have gone so far as to post threatening, brightly-colored vigilante-esque signs encouraging residents to “get out your guns” on telephone poles (NOTE: we believe that it’s illegal to post signs on telephone poles in Burien; we won’t speculate on the legalities of encouraging vigilantism, but rest assured we’re not fans…).

Should Burien residents "get out your guns" as this sign encourages in both English and Spanish?

BURGLARIES TRENDING UPWARD
Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer reports that during the month of May there were eight burglaries reported in this area, known to law enforcement as “N4″ (EDITOR’S NOTE: our review of the interactive KCSO Crime Map for area N4 shows that there were actually nine – link here), with four in Gregory Heights and two in Three Tree Point. This is an increase of +25% (two more) over April, which had only six reported burglaries or attempted burglaries.

Compared with other Burien areas, the nine reported burglaries in N4 (including attempted burglaries) in May is not the most – that honor belongs to area N2, which had a total of 12 for the month, an increase of +25% over April. N2 is bordered by “about 8th Ave SW” on the west, S. 128th on the north, Des Moines Memorial Way on the east, and SW 144th on the south (see map below).

Another interesting trend we found is that burglaries (and attempted ones) in Burien have increased by +22% from 2009 to 2010, according to the KCSO interactive crime map. Breaking this down shows that, for area N4, there have already been 34 for 2010, vs. 27 for the same period in 2009 – an increase of approximately +21%.

So it’s obvious that this form of crime is definitely trending upward this year in Burien.

WHAT CAN/SHOULD YOU DO?
Kimerer emphasizes that these analyses are based on “actual” reports – if a crime happens and it’s not reported, police don’t consider it a crime and it doesn’t enter their database. To wit, we encourage all our Readers to report any suspicious activities immediately to police (yes, that means dialing 911), and be sure to file a report with an officer if indeed a crime occurs. This is how police determine what (and how many) resources to put into different parts of our city.

Burien's "N2" neighborhood had 12 burglaries/attempts in May, 25% more than "N4."

Another good strategy is to develop your own Block Watch program involving as many of your neighbors as possible. Not only is this a great way to fight crime, it’s also a great way to finally meet the people you live near. Burien Police, especially longtime officers like Sgt. Henry McLachlan, are easily reachable and available to participate. And it’s pretty easy to keep an eye on your neighbor’s house when you know they’re out of town or at work, and we’ve heard many stories of people seeing trucks or moving vans being loaded and just assuming that nothing unusual is going on…until of course it’s too late.

In the end, we believe that the best way to fight crime is to work together, as neighbors, residents and law enforcement officers. Don’t wait for crime to happen – take action now to prevent it.

Oh, and please leave the “get out your guns” vigilantism off your next batch of signs – we don’t want to report on a neighbor kid getting shot because someone didn’t recognize him.

NOTE FROM THE CHIEF
The Chief sent us the following email on Wednesday (June 2), which we’re printing in its entirety:

Scott,

Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer

I wanted to follow up with you on our analysis of burglaries in the Gregory Heights neighborhood. In looking at the reported crimes, we have had a total of 27 burglaries year-to-date in all of southwest Burien which also includes the Maplewild and Three Tree Point neighborhoods. There were 8 burglaries in the month of May in which 4 were reported in the greater Gregory Heights area and 2 in the Three Tree Point/Maplewild neighborhood. I need to emphasize that these are the burglary reports. Our response to specific crime problems is based on the reported incidents, if they are not reported; it is difficult to determine that an area in our community is having a crime issue. These reported numbers do reflect an increase over the previous months, but there is no discernable pattern. That being said, any crime that effects our citizens is one too many and our job will continue to be our best effort to prevent and solve these crimes.

I have appreciated the feedback and awareness that was created in Burien surrounding one of the most prolific crime problems that plague our city. Burglaries are difficult to prevent because in most cases it is a crime of stealth and concealment. It is also a crime of opportunity. In some cases, a victim leaves and returns a short time later to find their house burglarized. Someone was watching. In half the cases, there was no force to enter the house. It does make this crime easier and quicker. The likelihood that an officer will be in a neighborhood when the suspect darts behind a house or is able to recognize a vehicle that does not belong in that neighborhood is remote. It is much more likely that a neighbor will be able to see or recognize activity that seems out of place. That is where the true strength lies in preventing crime in our community. Most burglars are caught through a lengthy investigative process or by neighbors calling when observing suspicious activity. Block Watches have proven to be a very effective tool for preventing crime in a neighborhood. The Burien Police Department will be available to help start these programs. On behalf of the men and women of the Burien Police, I appreciate our citizens continued support and we will work tirelessly to keep our community safe.

Chief Scott Kimerer

K. Scott Kimerer
Police Chief/City of Burien
206-296-3342 office/voice mail
206-296-0916 fax

Here’s a graphic of area N4 – to utilize the King County Sheriff’s interactive map, click here:

We were first to report on the recent rash of burglaries in Burien’s Gregory Heights neighborhood (thanks to our initial report, most of the other “mainstream media” has picked this story up), and now we’re probably first to publish the following response from Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer:

Scott,

This is a recap of what went out to the Burien Officers. We want to increase our visability and talk with residents as part of our prevention tactic. There is real value in the analysis to see if a pattern exists. We want to be effective with the time we can spend in these neighborhoods. I appreciate all the awareness this has created. We all need to watch out for our neighbors and the Burien Police will work as hard as we can to keep our neighborhoods safe.

Chief Kimerer

K. Scott Kimerer
Police Chief/City of Burien
(206) 296-3333 office

Here’s the email Chief Kimerer forwarded to us, which apparently went out to all Burien P.D. officers from Captain Carl Cole:

All,

Over the last week we have received a number of complaints about a property crime wave hitting the Gregory Heights, Three Tree Point area.

Crime Analysis has not shown a significant increase or number of burglaries or other property crimes. We are working on figuring that out, in the mean time I am making this request:

1. Please spend some time in these neighborhood on area checks, especially this weekend when many folks may be out of town.
2. Log your time out on radio
3. If you see folks out and about, please make contact and see if they are aware of any recent crimes that may not have been reported…if you do talk to anyone, please shoot me an email with the details even if they are unaware of anything

Thanks, and let me know if you have any questions. CCC

Captain Carl Cole
Burien Police Department
206/296-3341 (W)
206/423-2941 (C)

It’ll be interesting to see if this raised awareness has any effect on this recent crime wave.

As we were once told by a Public Information Officer:

“Crime is like a tube of toothpaste – if you squeeze it at one end, it just comes out on the other…”

Hi there,

I live in the Gregory Heights neighborhood. Recently, there have been a number of break-ins within the area that I have become aware of. Most recently (one on 5/24 and one on 5/25), two of my close neighbors homes were broken into. Have you guys heard anything from anyone else on this? The whole area is keeping a close eye and signs have been posted around the area with regards to the recent burglaries and asking everyone to be more aware and call on ANYTHING suspicious. But I want to do everything in my power to get the word out about this so that we can hopefully deter whomever is responsible – or hopefully do anything in our power to get this person/people caught.

I do not know the exact number of homes that have been broken into but I do know that it’s been several just within the past couple of weeks. All of the break ins are ocurring during the morning/early afternoon. Items being stolen are laptops, cameras, jewlery – smaller items that can be placed into pockets or up a shirt. One of the houses contained a large safe that the person/people tried to get into and ended up breaking a number of other items in the household trying to get access to the safe by breaking the items against it. Luckily, they were not able to get the safe open.

These signs are posted throughout Gregory Heights, and seem to be encouraging residents to "get out your guns" in both English and Spanish.

There are a lot of people on edge right now because of this and my hope would be that given the Police know of the recent activity, they would be conducting additional ride-bys in the area if possible.

I personally have not spoken to the police. I have spoken with several neighbors and we’ve all agreed to watch each other’s house as well as just keep an eye out in general (more so than we had been) and keep each other informed (I must say the past two days I feel like looking out the windows and scanning the street is all I do anymore when I’m home). We’re all pretty close with each other. Nothing formal has been setup though – at least not yet. Although our neighbors down the street from us did post a number of signs within the Gregory Heights area advising everyone to be alert and call the police for anything at all that looks or sounds suspicious. I would imagine as we run into each other within the days ahead, this will be the priority subject.

I know my husband and I have taken measures within our home to remove anything of value in case it happens to us. Certainly, we can not remove the bigger items (TV, furniture, etc) – but anything of value with regards to cameras, video recorders, laptops, paperwork, jewelry, etc. is no longer in our home.  While I am not a big fan of us having to do this, I would prefer know that these items are safe rather than leave it all to chance.

Thank you for your time!

Best Regards,
Sara S.

We forwarded this on to Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer, who responded with this email:

Scott,

We will get back to you as soon as we can do some analysis. It would be difficult to answer your question without knowing what the issue is.

We also need to check with officers and detectives to see what they may have been doing. We will get back to you soon.

- Chief K

We’re interested to hear from our Readers who live in/near Gregory Heights:

• Have you noticed any suspicious activity in your neighborhood?
• Do you think posting warning signs will help deter thefts?
• Does proclaiming “get out your guns” help, or hurt the cause?

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]

BTB Real Estate Sponsor Prudential Northwest’s featured Open House for this week is an awesome mid-century home on a corner lot in Gregory Heights.

This home has a newer roof with skylights that bathe the house with natural light. Other recently updated items include windows, furnace, hot water tank, appliances, flooring & French doors.

This home is absolutely move-in ready!

Here are the details:

WHEN: Open House will be this Sunday, March 28th, from 1pm to 4pm.

WHERE: 16405 13th Ave SW • Burien 98166

INFO:

• List Price: $374,000
• Listing#: 42177
• Beds: 2
• Baths: 1.75
• Year Built: 1952
• 2 Garage-Attached, Off-Street Parking
• Approximate House SqFt: 1,300
• Lot Square Footage: 9,792

Interior Features:

• Bath Off Master
• Ceiling Fan(s)
• Dining Room
• Dble Pane/Strm Windw
• French Doors
• Security System
• Skylights
• Vaulted Ceilings
• Walk-in Closet

Site Features:

• Cable TV
• Deck
• Nat. Gas Available
• RV Parking
• Shop

Marketing Remarks:

Awesome mid-century home on corner lot in Gregory Heights.

Just minutes to schools, shopping, dining and freeway access.

Newer roof w/ skylights bathe the house w/ natural light.

Other recently updated items include windows, furnace, H20 tank, appliances, flooring & French doors – this home is absolutely move-in ready!

There’s also a great 2-car detached garage w/ shop in addition to the 2 parking pads.

Must see this home to appreciate it!

DIRECTIONS:

• From 1st Ave, head west on SW 160th St.
• Turn left on 13th Ave SW and proceed to SW 164th.
• House is on the corner.

Click here to see the full, detailed listing.

Click here to view all of Prudential Northwest’s Open Houses.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 50,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]