The Examiner reports today that city officials are considering “shutting down parks overnight and allowing cops to jail chronic trespassers.”
Unlike most major parks in metropolitan areas, Golden Gate Park does not close. It’s legal to be in the park at any hour, but you can’t sleep there. Despite it being illegal to camp in the park, it does little to deter homeless encampments. And police don’t have many options other than to issue citations to campers which are usually dismissed in traffic court. Mayor Newsom met a homeless man with 52 citations to his name who continues to call the park home.
A summer of violent incidents in the park has drawn attention, once again, to the homeless problem and potential safety issues for park patrons. On July 1, three people were attacked by dogs that belonged to homeless campers (who were never identified). A few days later on July 4th, a man was stabbed near the Conservatory of Flowers. And just this week, a homeless man was beaten to death near Kezar Stadium.
Most parks in other cities are closed from 10pm to 6am, which if applied to Golden Gate Park, would give police the authority to arrest campers for trespassing during overnight hours. So far the idea is just in the discussion phase, as are other ideas to beef up patrols overall during nighttime hours in the city.
What do you think? Is closing Golden Gate Park in the late night hours the right solution? Would it matter to you if it was technically off limits from 10pm until 6am?
Sarah B.
Not only do I support nighttime closure, I also advocate that JFK Drive be permanently blocked at 6th-8th Avenues. When McGoldrick was supervisor, I sent an email recommending that beavers be recruited to build a blockade, which would force drivers to use Fulton Freeway instead of the park. Perhaps Mar will be responsive, since his predecessor wasn’t.
Yes, by all means close the Park at night. If this will keep away the bums, drunks, homeless, illegals, and other undesirables, then it’s more than worth it.
Would closing the park mean that one would no longer be able to traverse it on one’s own power, i.e. walk, ride, run, etc., from one side to the other by any means other than car, bus, taxi, etc.?
@Buck Smith – I think the park would still be open to pass through on foot, bike (the Examiner article says they wouldn’t hassle people walking their dogs after hours, for example) and maybe even auto traffic, though that was not specified.
Sarah B.
Closing the park seems like a good idea. As long as people can still pass through. I do wonder, though, if it’s even possible to get rid of the homeless encampments… Would be nice.
There are already signs stating the park is closed between certain hours. Laws are on the books already (in many instances) they just aren’t enforced.
Well, why are the citations being dismissed, and why wouldn’t future citations under the new rules be dismissed? Sounds like a question of enforcement, not a lack of laws.
I enjoy running in the park in the evening, occasionally after 10pm. I see other runners and dog walkers around the music concourse, so it isn’t just campers and criminals using the space.
Golden Gate park is not significantly more dangerous that the surrounding streets, and while I appreciate any effort to prevent attacks, it seems more than a little futile to close the park.
Closing the park at night will not deter campers, only the law abiding. Numbers of campers throughout the park are under-stated. It is easy to find guys and some skanky women with their shit spread out. They have no money to pay fines and this city is soft on crime so there is no deterant to squatting and staying wasted in the bushes. Police cars get dirty and the park people get a meal, very discouraging for police. No compelling deterant means no change. I live 1 block from fulton and ride through the park at night a lot. I feel safer on a bike than on foot. Many lurkers are getting wasted in areas such as the 6th Ave and fulton open area where those desperate skaters adore each other, and at the old train station at 7th and fulton. It is sad that so many dangerous desperate people are allowed to duke it out among themselves in the park but when it is out of sight for most the issue does not stir debate and the bleeding hearts won’t be able to muster the balls to do what will no doubt be unpopular with their most liberal devotees. Spinless and pound foolish are the seven dwarves. One old wise grandma could get this orgy of pity back on course, but we have a special interest marathon absent of any measureable finish line. Early to mid spiral at this point,
it saddens me how many acquiesce to police state USA. lazy & disgusting
Al has it right. New laws are almost never an answer to such problems. And do we really want police officers spending their time on nightly sweeps of the park–with the intended targets probably hanging around just outside with the intent of sneaking back in as soon as the officers leave?
Create a law, or change existing law, to allow cops to roust the campers and have the legal authority to *immediately* dispose of all materials found in the illegal camp site.
Change the laws against involuntary committal of the mentally ill as well as chronic inebriates who have been proven to be unable to care for themselves.
Perform periodic sweeps. The able-bodied and -minded will get the hint and go away, those unable to care for themselves will be given the care they need.
I think the problem is that the current policy for dealing with the mentally ill is “let them sleep in the park”. I think it’s less a problem of laws about involuntary committal and more about a lack of anyone willing to pay for involuntary committal (unless it’s prison).