— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |
We've been slightly alarmed by the police presence in the park this spring—undercovers asking picnickers for heroin, arresting Cold Beer, Cold Water (and him being scared into only selling water), cops walking around warning people about smoking and open containers. In fact, since the new playground opened, there's been a reported 17 arrests made in the park and Dolores has lurched closer toward becoming the kid-safe wonderland neighbors long for (whatever that looks like).
While we're all pretty bummed that we can't buy weed cookies in the park anymore and we'll be forced to head to Golden Gate Park, The Panhandle, 16th and Mission, Bum Shoots, 24th and Folsom, 4th and Mission, any corner in the TL, 7th and Market, Medithrive, call up that dude Ron, Barah's “Heroin” Market, some dorm near Daly City, or The Vapor Room to get our hook-up, the precedent of cops patrolling the park and cracking down on its unregulated, yet in-check fun is a concerning development. Is it that unreasonable to give responsible adults a small, two block space to do what we do outdoors?
We reached out to SFPD's Mission Station and the Department's Media Relations division (which is paid to respond to “press inquiries”) about the situation multiple times this week (starting on Tuesday) with some questions about what is happening in the park, to start a dialogue. This is what they got back to us with:
UA: Just to confirm, have there been 17 arrests made, and over what time period?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: What have the crimes associated with the various arrests been?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: While we've seen an uptick in police presence in Dolores Park every spring over the last few years, it's been notably worse this year. Why have the police been more active in the park this year?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: Most people have noticed a direct correlation between police presence in Dolores and the opening of the new Hellen Diller Playground. Is this in fact related?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: Has your department been receiving more complaints from parents and neighbors since the playground opened? What kind of complaints are you receiving?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: Has any one person, or group of persons, motivated the police department to become more active in the park?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: It has been reported (and observed), that SFPD tends to focus their action in the south-west corner of the park, a space typically used by the gay community. Is there a reason for that?
SFPD: No comment.
UA: Residents have found it troubling that only one arrest has been made following the destruction of area businesses and Mission Station on April 30th, yet 17 non-violent D.I.Y. entrepreneurs have been arrested for selling goods (and drugs) in Dolores Park. Moreover, hotspots like 16th and Mission continue to serve as open markets for hard drugs and violent crime. While we're not asking if you think it is okay for SFPD to ignore the law in Dolores Park—or anywhere, do you think that there is an inappropriate allocation of police resources given the arrests made in Dolores Park vs. what is done to clean up much more violent areas of the Mission?
SFPD: No comment.
Comments (18)
Dolores Park is in Supe Wiener’s district 8. Call his office and complain that the Police seem to be excessively enforcing these ‘quality-of-life’ issues that really harm no one, while other areas remain crime-ridden. Our position is totally reasonable. Kids have always played at the park, and we’ve always done ‘what we’ve done’ so I think we ALREADY co-exist. Police policy has taken a shift and become more extreme, and this is only a matter of policy. It’s our government if we act like it is.
Supervisor Scott Wiener
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
City Hall, Room. 244
San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689
(415) 554-6968
Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
Right on.
Co-existence is the goal - agree with the previous comment. And many thanks to Supervisor Wiener (as a voter in his district), SFPD, Dolores Park Dogs, Dolores Park Works, and other community groups for their continued efforts towards enhancing the “quality of life” for those of us who visit, live, and share the park with our friends, neighbors, and families.
The next monthly community meeting @ the Mission Police Station is Tuesday May 29 at 6pm. I, for one, will be there to ask WTF! Your questions are totally reasonable and we have the right to know why they’re cracking down in Dolores while 16th & Mission continues to be our own private TL. This is BULLSHIT!!!
On what I think might be a related note, In the past week or so I’ve seen no fewer than four bicyclists stopped by SFPD being ticketed for running the red light at Dolores and 22nd. Perhaps they’ve decided it’s time to clean up Noe Valley. Or at least resist the encroachment of the Mission into Noe.
People attacked the POLICE STATION and got away with it. Do you think other cops are making fun of them?
I think it would actually be good to have conversations like these with the police department and district supervisors, but it has to be had without the aggressive/accusatory overtones to get straight answers.
For anyone interested, there are community meetings at the Mission Police Station the last tuesday of every month at 6pm.
http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=819
Drinking and smoking in any park is illegal.
Woah woah woah… Smoking weed and drinking is illegal in public parks?? Large numbers of people doing same attracts police?? Cash-strapped municipalities write tickets to generate revenue??
It’s like speeding tickets: you do something illegal, they try to catch you. That’s the game. Sometime you win, sometimes they do. If you make it that easy for them, they’ll take you up on the offer.
This is some selective ass enforcement going on….Watched cop on bike “patrol” the park yesterday. Funny how he really did not mind white people that looked like they had a lil cash drinking in park,but the 4 or so mexicans drinking under the palm tress he ran off with threats of police action…Pretty sad. we miss you already Dolores. we called weiners office. they dont seem to give a shit.
I’d be 100% behind them just writing tickets for littering, and yes, flicking your butt into the grass is littering….
Yet another example that the SFPD hates you.
I don’t know about the sudden absence of weed in Dolores Park. I was there May 4th (Friday) and no less than six people offered to sell me pot food in three hours. One gentleman also had mushrooms. Cinco de Mayo, I spent a few hours and nobody came by with pot food, but there were a few people handing out free Doritos and Yoo-Hoo.
What happened to the truffle guy? I haven’t seen him for a while.
Blog ≠ Press.
Sorry to burst your precious bubble of an ego, KevMo, but that’s why you got the ‘No comment’ response. I know you hate to have to put that in context.
@&OVER>P.D.Bird, “selective ass enforcement” sounds so sexist! I LOVE YOU!
I would love to see a measure on the ballot to make consumption of alcohol legal in public parks, and most of the people I know would vote for it. Then the SFPD could devote more of their expensive time and energy to enforcing important laws like: no stabbing people, and: no shooting people and taking their money.
It’s ridiculous at this point to be paying for playground monitors with bad attitudes and guns.
Not sure (unless all your readers are supposed to be hedonists and proto-anarchists) that a few more cops and an arrest every few days in Dolores Park is a real negative thing. Pretty sure people can still get weed there. It would be pretty amazing is someone in San Francisco couldn’t get stoned when they’d like to.
I think a little bit of policing might keep some really insane shit from happening and the fun getting wrecked for a lot of people. Including maybe dead people.
There are some pretty ugly incidents there at times (besides the obvious things that make the blogs, etc.) and some fools might curb their behavior a bit if they think a cop comes around every once in a while.
I don’t really know this blog, so maybe this is just how you guys operate.
A pity we don’t have an elected official that could represent citizens and their concerns at city hall on matters like these…I realize that’s a novel concept, but the PD works for the people not for themselves. I guess the ones we have now are too busy running for higher office and don’t have time to listen.