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Nestled amongst the former mansions of the old railroad tycoons and silver kings on Nob Hill and directly across from the beautiful Grace Cathedral, Huntington Park is an urban oasis for retirees, freelancers, kids, canines, and the homeless alike.
The park sits on the site of the mansion originally built by railroad attorney General David D. Colton, which was later bought by railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington. The mansion was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, and in 1915, Huntington's widow donated the land to the City of San Francisco "to remain in perpetuity as a park for all the people of the City to enjoy." In the late 1970s, the Nob Hill Association began restoring and preserving the park with the help of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks.
Photos taken by the author.
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I love to play on the swing set here...great view.
Unfortunately, this idyllic setting has recently witnessed an aggressive crackdown on dogs and their owners for leash violations by Sf Rec&Park Rangers. As many as 3 Park Rangers at a time are used to write a single ticket. One woman was even chased out of the park and down the street, where the Park Ranger attempted to force his way into her home as she fought to close her door.
Some members of the Nob Hill Association say that someone influential in the Association and SF government has sicced the Rangers on the unfortunate dog owners.
One Park Ranger told a park visitor: "Someone high up, who is our advocate in city government, told us to go here and cite people or risk losing our jobs."
A little background on the Rangers: http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-02-11/news/s-f-park-rangers-want-more-power-guns/,
And, like cartoon villains, they also shutdown people dancing to swing music in Golden Gate Park on Sunday: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/30/BAUI18EPS8.DTL
Wow, a crackdown on people who break the law...say it ain't so! That's why there are dog parks...so doggies can run around in designated areas and not need leashes.
This guy above is smoking some really bad stuff because park rangers hardly even ticket, let alone 'chase' people. There were allegedly three rangers likely because one guy was on foot, and a ranger's car showed up to assist, which carries 2 guys.
And if you work for the city, everyone is in danger of losing their jobs. As for them shutting down the swing dancing, the group didn't have the proper sound permits, as is required damn near anywhere when amplified sound is used.
And if you would like an actual idea of what rangers do, go here http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_index.asp?id=21884
Brilliant, so lets spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on rangers so they can chase little Fifi out of Huntington park. Just goes to show that a few paranoid dog haters can override the most desperate budget crisis in a generation. Lay off the teachers and firefighters, but for god's sake, don't let the Pugs have any fun!
Opera:
Most of us read your inane comments on the other thread...can't really see a need for you to repost them verbatim in multiple threads.
I do look forward to you finding a new cause to spam about in the near future!
don't forget your leash!
I can post wherever i wish, Hillary. Maybe you just dont like other people posting here, so you can spew your hate and give the impression it is mainstream.
> I can post wherever i wish, Hillary.
Duh, Opera. I was just hoping that you might be creative enough to post different items on the various threads instead of copying and pasting your rants in multiple threads.
Doesn't do a lot for your argument when everyone can watch you rubberstamp your arguments in multiple threads.
A three-sentence paragraph is not an annoyance to anyone unless you disagree with what is being said. Harassing someone in a blog is annoying to everyone, and only goes to show what a fascist jerk you are. I will say it again, just for you, Hillary. It is amazing how a few dog haters can override the biggest budget crisis in a generation to create a massive leash law crackdown. It seems that people just choose dogs to channel their hate and frusrtation, and want to make the rest of us pay for it.
Opera and opera's dog are being oppressed by "facist jerks"?!
Hilarious.
Your paranoia is amazing.
paranoid dog haters vs. paranoid dog lovers
Actually, there were a number of eyewitnesses Sunday June 7th at about 10:30 AM when the San Francisco Rec&Park Ranger chased the woman and her dogs from Huntington Park, down Taylor Street and tried to unlawfully force entry into her apartment. She had to push him back out of her home using the door as he tried to force his way in, and she could have been hurt in the process. The real Police (SFPD) were then called - presumably by an onlooker concerned for this woman’s safety. The police officers spoke briefly to the woman and then advised the Park Ranger to leave her front steps, which he did.
To speak to eyewitnesses of this gross abuse of (very limited) authority, one need only visit Huntington Park during morning or evening dog walking hours and ask around. You’re sure to get an earful regarding the belligerent and overly aggressive manner of the Park Rangers in Huntington Park recently.
As to the fact that on Tuesday June 9, at about 5:00pm, one dog owner was cited for his (well behaved) dog being off-leash:
I watched three Park Rangers (one was a Supervisor named Cheryl Koel) take thirty minutes to issue the citation, and they summoned an SFPD squad car for assistance when the dog owner did not provide his information quickly enough. That’s 3 Park Rangers for half an hour plus 2 SF Police Officers to issue 1 off leash dog citation. This appears to be a costly way of enforcing minor infractions. Since, at the time, I was not “smoking some really bad stuff”, I took a photo which I have emailed to tips@sfist.com and brock@sfist.com. This postage stamp of a park was patrolled by 3 Rangers at a time for a number of days.
Thanks for the clarification on the swift and decisive shutdown of people dancing in the park on a Sunday without “the proper sound permits”.
They had been swing dancing and offering free lessons to passersby for 13 years. Without the intervention of the Park Rangers, who knows how long this might have continued?
“The proper sound permits”. must have been the problem as well when the Park Rangers shut down the SF bike music festival in Dolores Park recently (note that the photos show an SFPD officer present, making the presence of the Park Rangers redundant):
http://sfcitizen.com/blog/2009/06/22/the-san-francisco-bicycle-music-festival-runs-into-a-few-permit-hassles/
http://missionmission.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/bicycle-music-festival/
According to SFWeekly’s Matt Smith, the budget for these services provided by the San Francisco Rec&Park Rangers has ballooned from $500,000 per year to $2.2 Million per year since 2005. It is difficult to imagine how all of this could possibly be considered a reasonable expenditure of taxpayers’ money in a city with a fully functioning Police Department, at a time of an unprecedented economic downturn and with essential city services being cut to save money for these park rangers.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-02-11/news/s-f-park-rangers-want-more-power-guns/
There is no reason why San Franciscans can’t depend on their already well established and effective Police Department to enforce these laws. It may take them a little longer to address a situation like the swing dancing last Sunday, but that would probably be acceptable to most people.
If you agree, you should let your Supervisor know, since they are still working on the budget for the upcoming year.
Send the rangers over to Glen Canyon! There are tons of leash-law breakers there on any given day, and many of us would love to see the park cleaned up so we could hike in peace!
An off leash dog is a happy dog! Dogs are a billion dollar business and the city of Saint Francis should realize that tourists love happy dogs. In fact, some pay big bucks to stay in the Fairmont and they want to let their dog play off leash for a few minutes at Huntington Park. Tenants pay landlords over $1000 extra in a flat market to have a dog. SF could do well for itself by being more dog friendly rather than listening to all the haters. Wake up Chiu!
Confucious says muzzle the pit bulls and decriminalize the rest. It is silly to pay tens of thousands of dollars in ranger time to chase little Fifi away from Huntington Park! Most anti-dog people have large imaginations and make little sense! Dogs are our friends and should be allowed to play off leash in a sensible way. The city should provide plastic bags at parks to enable poop pickup. An off leash dog is a happy dog!
Wish we could get just ONE ranger to issue off-leash citations at Duboce Park. The dog owners there are scofflaws and 90% never use leashes in the on-leash areas. They also take their dogs into the "no dogs" areas even after 80% of the park has been dedicated to off-leash "recreation." The areas are clearly marked with signs and paint on the walkways.
I know, maybe we should just change the name of our city to Doghatersville, tedd4u. That would be more honest, and it would be catchy for tourists. We could put dog on the menu at local restaurants and divert money from children's education for millions of dollars in park rangers. That way, we could make sure no dog was ever, ever, off leash or having any fun at all. And it would warn so called "yuppies" not to come live here and spend their money in local shops. Oh, wait, then we would not have a park ranger budget at all.
This wasn't the first time these Rec&Park Rangers abused their authority and the public trust. Here's a new article at the SF Examiner:
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Lack-of-oversight-of-SF-park-patrol-raises-questions-50906812.html