Supervisor Scott Wiener's controversial legislation to close San Francisco's public parks between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. was approved by the Board of Supervisors yesterday. The legislation, which was meant to curb vandalism in the parks, has provoked backlash from local homeless advocates who say it unfairly impacts the thousands of people who sleep in the parks on any given night.
The vote was close with six supervisors voting for the measure. It also had the support of the Rec and Parks Department and San Francisco Police, who claim that vandalism and dumping in city parks costs the city $1 million per year. Although there are already laws in place banning sleeping and camping in city parks, Executive Director of the city's Coalition on Homelessness called it another law that will "end up creating a lot of political resentment toward homeless people."
Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar, who opposed the legislation along with Supes Campos, Avalos, Kim, and Breed, called the new bill "mean-spirited," asking the Board to "have a heart" for the people who otherwise have nowhere else to go. Supervisor Kim, meanwhile, went for the middle ground and attached an amendment to the bill that would ensure anyone sleeping in a park would be cited according to existing city codes and won't be hit with double fines under the new bill.
For Supervisor Breed, known for her frank approach, posed the toughest question about enforcing the legislation, evoking the Trayvon Martin case in the process: "I’ve been told again and again this will not target the homeless," she told the board. "But if it doesn’t target the homeless or the investment banker or the firefighter, who will this law target? Suspicious looking people in hoods? Teenagers?"
In practicality, SFPD Chief Greg Suhr denied that his department is intent on targeting homeless people. "We're not that Police Department," he told the Guardian's Joe Fitzgerald. "We’re a reasonable suspicion detention department.” When asked if the legislation would lead to increased police presence in the park, Suhr deferred the Guardian to his station captains. According to Park Station Captain Greg Corrales, whose jurisdiction covers Golden Gate Park and its transient population, his station is already enforcing the posted park hours. "There will not be more officers," Corrales told the progressive alt-weekly. "It really doesn’t have much impact on us.”
