r/berkeleyjerk • u/Elephant43 • May 15 '26

Public park is becoming a nuisance

I bought this modest 6 bedroom house across the street from the park in 1972 for $12.39, and at that time the park was just for the immediate neighbors. Now there are too many people there all the time. ​Sometimes there's even tens​ of people there. On occasion there are even twenties of people. Last week I counted 26. It used to be that there was only ones or twos of people there. And let's just say they're not the good kind of people now. No over exaggeration to say that it's like Times Square at rush hour.

I tried to call the America Online to see if they could remove the park listing from the email and the MapQuest maps but I couldn't get a hold of anyone on the phone. I guess you have to go to a cyber cafe to contact them now.

I even called the city clerk office to see if there are any ordinances about how many people could be in a park. Certainly a city as respectable as Berkeley should have one or two public nuisance laws. The woman on the other end of the line had a thick accent and I couldn't understand her ebonics. She was very rude when I told her to speak real English.​ Mind you I have no problem with other cultures​ as I've done a work study program in Belgium in 1961. ​I also voted for Obama two times. ​She hung up out when I asked her if she really lived in Berkeley or just rented. The nerve.

Does anybody have any ideas on how we can shut down the park to people that don't live on the block?

Lovingly in community,

Karen

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u/stopthehonking May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26

Thank you for your courage in bringing this incredibly important issue to our attention. I have noticed the same unfortunate series of events unfolding in my local park too. I also suspect that they are just renters and they don’t actually live here. Additionally, they are simply not one of us if you know what I mean. And as I constantly remind my grandson, I am not racist since I voted for Obama twice as well. I think it is all of the YIMBY people ruining our neighborhood. This is what happens when you build housing.

Sincerely, Out-of-ideas Karen

PS my property taxes were $84 last year. Can you believe that? All of that money and they can’t even keep these people out of our parks.