Can a park really save a child from being attacked by a sexual predator? That does seem like a pretty far fetched, even ridiculous idea, doesn’t it? Yet across the country parks with commercial playground equipment are being built to protect children from sexual predators. The communities in which these parks are being built demanded action against these sexual predators, and with these parks the community leaders listened to the needs of the citizens. The parks though, are not without controversy.
In California, if you are a registered sex offender you cannot live within 2,000ft of a school or a public park. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Harbor Gateway, there were over a 100 registered sex offenders living within a few miles of a school. When parents came to pick up their children from school, and the children were waiting for them at the bus stop, they found numerous sex offenders dangerously close to the children. Frustrated and scared, the parents and local citizens turned to local politicians for a solution. What the politicians came up with would spread like wildfire.
Pocket parks, tiny parks or a park in miniature whatever you might want to call it is what the citizens of Harbor Gateway and thousands of others across the country have had built to keep sexual predators from harming children. Since in California and in many other states sexual offenders cannot live with within 2,000ft of a school or a public park, no matter what the size is built then a sexual offender cannot live there and must move. Many of these parks are so tiny that they just consist of one swing on a strip of grass. It doesn’t matter if a child even enters one of these parks. As long as they are there.
Many activists say that in building these parks with commercial playground equipment that it is forcing out sexual predators and giving them no options regarding places to live. They go on to say that by forcing the sexual predators to find someplace else to live adds incredible stress to their lives. In many instances they have an almost impossible time finding a place to live and end up homeless.
The parole boards in numerous states warn that homeless sexual predators are much more difficult to track than ones who have homes. Although this might be an issue, it is one that parole boards and local police can overcome. In Concord, New Hampshire there is a local police detective assigned full time to homeless sexual predators. He generates a random list each week of where they live, such as “green and white tent, south edge of the river” and a full physical description of the person and then officers go out to find the man. If the person is not found, a warrant is not listed for the person.
Pocket parks are an innovative idea that can and are working to keep children safe from sexual predators. We have to put our children first. Our very future depends upon it.
