SEATTLE — A neighborhood association group is suing the city of Seattle and its department of parks and recreation for allegedly failing to take action on multiple reports of public indecency and drug use.
The suit was filed by Denny Blaine Park for All, which “is an association of concerned neighbors dedicated to creating a welcoming and safe environment at Denny Blaine Park,” its website says.
The group says neighbors have repeatedly witnessed and documented men masturbating in broad daylight—on benches, sidewalks, and outside homes.
In their suit, they claim that the city and parks department have failed to act “despite years of complaints.”
“These acts are not occasional. Incidents are persistent, aggressive, and illegal. The park has become a magnet for indecent exposure, harassment, drug use, and trespassing,” the group said in an email to KIRO 7.
People who use the park disagree. Several said they’ve never seen the acts described, others saying the few times they have, park users call it out. Erin has been visiting the park for more than ten years.
“If we do see bad eggs, we do a good job of calling it out, stop doing that, don’t cross the line,” Erin said. “We want to keep this a nice, chill place to hang out, be free, and be naked.”
The calling-out strategy isn’t for everyone.
“There’s a lot of people that are intimidated by that who don’t want to have to call it out,” said Y’Vette, a frequent user of the park.
Y’Vette has been going to the beach since it was first known as a lesbian-topless beach. She says around 12 years ago, it started to change, and people of all backgrounds began migrating to it. She sees the small size of the beach, combined with its popularity, as part of the problem for users and neighbors alike.
“It’s completely legitimate that they want the City to do something. I live in the neighborhood and when it gets busy in the summer, there are no bathrooms and people are going to the bathroom in people’s yards,” she said.
The lawsuit is calling on Seattle Parks to “enforce its own Code of Conduct” and dedicate resources to restore safety.
According to an email from the group, “if the City can’t ensure a safe environment, the suit urges temporary closure of the park until it can. ”
“This lawsuit isn’t about prohibiting access to the park or targeting expression— it’s about forcing the City to stop illegal, predatory behavior that endangers residents and parkgoers alike. Public spaces should be welcoming to everyone, but that’s impossible when harmful behavior goes unchecked. The City’s inaction has turned Denny Blaine into a place where aggressive, illegal behavior is tolerated—and that puts the whole community at risk," the group said in an email.
Mari Allday, who attends the park regularly in the spring and summer, says she hasn’t seen or felt the predatory behavior described and feels the community is welcome.
“Coming here as a single female, I feel safe,” Allday said.
She says that one of the reasons, even if she did see people touching themselves at the park, is that she has seen that in other settings across the city as well.
“How does the city enforce that anywhere? If you’re on a city bus? I feel like I have been more uncomfortable just on, like, places on the street,” Allday said.
The Mayor’s office has said park rangers and SPD patrols have increased, which was confirmed by Erin.
According to the suit, neighbors have been reaching out to the city since at least 2017.
The city of Seattle told KIRO 7 that it cannot comment on pending litigation.
In a statement to KIRO 7, the city of Seattle said:
“Creating clean, safe, and welcoming parks has been a top priority for Mayor Harrell from day one – including resolving encampments in parks across the city, increasing park maintenance, and increasing the number of park rangers from 2 to 28.
“The mayor has consistently stated that while individuals have a right to be nude at parks under state law, no one has the right to commit lewd, illegal, and unwanted sexual conduct at our parks, and no one has the right to make others feel unsafe at the park. Under this administration, efforts at Denny Blaine Park have included SPD enforcement of lewd conduct laws, deployment of park rangers, clearer parking regulations and enhanced parking enforcement, more frequent litter pickup, installation of portable toilets, and signage restoration."
KIRO 7 has also reached out to Seattle Police for information on enforcement for lewd behavior.
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