The purpose of this letter is to inform the City Council that the Greenwood Community Council wants to see the Parks Exclusion Ordinance remain in effect as it is currently written.

After discussion with the Police Department and others associated with local parks, we believe that the amendments proposed by Councilperson (Nick) Licata will strongly diminish the purpose and effectiveness of the Parks Exclusion Ordinance.

Our city parks are for the use and pleasure of its citizens and guests. Irresponsible behavior such as drug use, alcohol use, littering, graffiti, loud music, aggressive panhandling, late night gatherings, etc., make our parks unsafe and undesirable for our people to use. Also, our parks are not designed for the purpose of camping overnight. Public law prohibits this for good reasons.

We know that the current ordinance works. For example, Hing Hay Park in the International District is again a safe and desirable place because alcohol and drug users have been banished.

If we are lax in our enforcement of these laws then our quality of life breaks down. A permissive attitude to irresponsible behavior promotes more irresponsible behavior!

Consequences for undesirable behavior must be direct and immediate. The current ordinance provides for this as well as sets up an appeal system for due process that is fair. Being excluded from a park or city section of parks for seven days is not going to kill anyone. Then we let our judicial process decide. That is the way it has been done for over 200 years.

The Parks and Exclusion Ordinance deals with a Public Safety Problem! The irresponsible behavior of those who abuse their rights in the park is a social problem! We need more shelters. We need more social service facilities to help people get out of the cycle of self-abuse. Those people who don't want help don't belong in our city parks!

A civilized world has laws made to protect our quality of life. It is the job of our city council to do the will of our citizens which is to make laws that protect our citizens from people who knowingly flaunt their rights to the detriment of the good of all. It is the job of the police department to enforce those laws in a fair manner in order to protect all of our citizens. The city council must support our police to enforce our city's laws to maintain quality of life for everyone.

- PAUL HOVSEPIAN,

President, Greenwood Community Council