SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Even as thousands of people walked, biked, and soaked in the sunshine at San Francisco’s soon-to-be-opened coastal park this weekend, vandals once again tried—and failed—to dampen the excitement, San Francico Recreation and Park officials announced today.
Spray-painted messages, apparently left overnight, were discovered Sunday morning scrawled on the former Great Highway and surrounding areas near Noriega Street. They included slogans opposing the park, which was mandated by San Francisco voters in November, as well as misspelled grievances such as “gentriffy” and “Your bringing trouble….” San Francisco police and park rangers responded. Rangers have increased their patrols.
“Resorting to vandalism is both counterproductive and frankly, ridiculous,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “There are countless constructive ways to engage in conversations about our city’s future, but spray-painting public spaces isn’t one of them. We’re focused on creating something beautiful for everyone, and that work will continue.”
By Sunday evening, the vandalism had been removed, thanks to swift action from Friends of Ocean Beach Park volunteers and Rec and Park painters.
“People are loving the oceanfront park, and while there will always be a few outliers who choose to be destructive, we’re not going to let that get in the way of the community enjoying this space,” said Friends of Ocean Beach Park President Lucas Lux. “This weekend, thousands of people took advantage of the nice weather to use the park, even while it’s under construction. Destructive behavior by a few won’t get in the way of our work to make the coast enjoyable and accessible by all.”
The 2-mile park will officially open April 12 with a community celebration.
It is not the first time the future park has been marred by vandals. On March 15, one day after the Upper Great Highway closed to vehicle traffic between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard, a mural by local artist Emily Fromm at the Judah bathroom was heavily vandalized. Fromm and a muralist working on a similar project in the area also reported verbal harassment. In the past, vandals tampered with park equipment and business wayfinding signage was sawed through in an attempt to destroy it.
Despite the isolated instances of bad behavior, enthusiasm for the park continues to grow. Approximately 4,000 people flock to the area each weekend. The Great Park Naming Contest drew more than 4,200 entries in 16 days and since Thursday, more than 1,700 people have weighed in on a list of finalists.
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