The ‘Mind-boggling demise’ of Maxwell Park
Maxwell Park Now Open for Camping, Fires, Drinking, and Free Hypodermic Needles.
If only I were joking. Where are the park rangers? Where are the police officers? Why isn’t anything being done to correct the demise of this beautiful park? The obvious use by drug addicts and the homeless and no action to correct it is mind-boggling.
Camp fires every night under the Verano Bridge, where smoke waves hello to passing cars. If you look down from the pedestrian crossing on the bridge you can observe the “campers.” Walking through the park you’ll discover broken bottles, piles of trash, and hypodermic needles they leave behind to contaminate the environment. I have both family and friends with horror stories of being approached at this park, and who refuse to walk it alone. Really, Sonoma?
Overpriced rent, the very comfortable flocking here from the city, vacation rentals out the ying-yang, and we can’t afford to keep one of our most accessible parks in decent shape? Where do these “free campers” defecate? Is the water being contaminated? Giardia? E. coli? As a tax-paying citizen can I enjoy the park I live a few blocks away from? As a homeowner paying property taxes, do I not deserve the basic right of enjoying Maxwell Regional Park with my family without having to worry about running into meth-heads, stepping on their needles, or being attacked by their drug induced rage?
Alexis Gallagher, El Verano
2 thoughts on “The ‘Mind-boggling demise’ of Maxwell Park”
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I live right across from the Verano bridge. It’s terrible! Fire trucks there putting out fires all the time, cops there all the time, drug use all the time, screaming people etc. I’ve had to call the police dozens of times. A constant parade of homeless people. My daughters class does a hike every Friday and I’m scared to let here go down there because of the needles, broken bottles and fecal matter. It’s so sad because it’s such a great park.
Sad state of affairs , for sure . But there’s no real solution . You can’t just eliminate the people doing this . The “affordable ” housing angle won’t hold water . It will never be free . And it’s highly unlikely these people will ever be able to use an alarm clock and show up for work somewhere . The haves and the haves not . No end in sight .