Park sweeps or foot beats, October 2006

It is curious that police argue they can’t spare the cruiser response time to staff foot patrols in violence-plagued neighborhoods, yet are busy helping Mayor Newsom sweep homeless people out of Golden Gate Park.

Granted, the Mayor’s push to clean up the park is “service oriented,” and city agencies other than the SFPD are handling much of the “outreach” effort. But the police break up illegal encampments––something they say they’ve been doing full-tilt since spring––and, by all reports and their own admission, have stepped up enforcement in eastern parts of the park. Over the last few months, Golden Gate residents have been trained to understand that smoking a cigarette, which is against park rules, can get them searched, that small-time pot dealing will earn them a stay-away order, that crossing the street against a light or, as some feel, even crossing your eyes at a cop, constitutes probable cause. And, whether you are for or against the sweeps, the crackdown has technically been effective: merchants at the top of Haight Street report a better business environment, and some residents who had avoided Alvord Lake are once again walking to the park via that route.

But with what Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi calls an “epidemic of gun violence” raging less than a mile away, do the police’s priorities reflect yours?

Some readers will roll their eyes and think, “It’s not that simple.” And they are right. Even proponents of foot patrols know it will take much more to stop the bloodshed. And efforts to break up ecologically destructive campsites are necessary for at least a temporary reprieve from further damage to park property.

But in a police district that believes in community policing, in which cops take cues from residents, we could shift “the heat” from the park to the projects if we wanted. We could reach out to nearby neighborhoods that wish their worst problems were panhandling, pot dealing, dirty streets and an occasional mugging.

While this piece is an editorial, The Beat isn’t screaming that these priorities are wrong. Foot patrol legislation is not the silver bullet to stop the bullets. And since the park crackdown is getting some results, perhaps we’re using our cops as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Beat simply wants to point out that citizens do influence police priorities, and in this “triage” world of finite law enforcement resources, park cleanup is taking priority over, and necessarily detracting from, police presence in high homicide areas.

Another angle to consider is whether park sweeps can be ultimately successful. After the “outreach” moves west, the more hardcore campers there will probably return unless enforcement is somehow ratcheted up year round. But constant enforcement without improvements to and an expansion of supportive housing will only leave neighborhoods and other parks, such as Buena Vista and Dolores, full of former Golden Gaters.

Winter shelters will open soon, but city officials and homeless advocates agree that the city’s shelter system is not full currently. And they also agree, somewhat, on why demand is low. While the mayor’s representatives are quick to label a diehard illegal camper as “services resistant,” they will concede to homeless advocates that bed bugs, roaches, rodents, insufficient privacy and personal safety in shelters are real concerns. It’s alarming that hundreds of homeless people, perhaps rationally, see the park as their nicest available bedroom.

As for the younger passersthrough, most will soon head south for the winter regardless of the crackdown. So when Alvord Lake clears up during the rainy season, don’t let Mayor Newsom take credit. Let’s see what happens come the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love.

In the meantime, if Park Police’s priorities don’t match yours, or even if they do, send an email to the following addresses:
SFPDParkStation@ci.sf.ca.us
Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
editor@haightashburybeat.com