Knife Pulled at Enslen Park

As my son walked across Enslen Park yesterday on his way to the corner market, he called me saying there is a fight developing at Enslen Park.  What he witnessed were two homeless men verbally harassing a group of young adults (who were at the park all morning, doing what, I am not sure) when the gals of the group started going after the homeless dudes.  Then the young men started going after the homeless guys, and that is when one of the homeless men pulled a knife and the group backed off.  This all took place behind the backstop of the baseball field.  I witnessed the screaming and folks running.

One of the homeless guys, is a guy that rides around on a unicycle. Maybe he is not homeless, but just a vagrant.  It also "may" be the guy that verbally assaulted me last week when I confronted him for smoking marijuana during the "Zumba" event (not "Red). Not for sure, but just an instinct of mine.

This is exactly why I do not walk across Enslen Park when I go to the "Green Store", or Millennium Market at Morris/Sycamore.  I just gets me more infuriated so I choose to drive.  My son is much more brave than me.

Now I want some answers from those whom this blog gets emailed to.  I want some accountability! I keep this blog basically private as it goes to city council members, the Chief of Police (interim), the Mayor and a few others.  I try not to open this up to public consumption too much.  I want to work with city administrators and do not want to turn this into a bitch session.  However, I am getting ever so closer to opening this up and getting park residents across the city to join in a mass effort to hold the city accountable to keeping our parks safer.

The Blue Ribbon Committee findings have been set aside.  I have heard of nothing about park patrols and what WAS on tap initially in experimenting with camera's etc.

When this incident happened yesterday, I did not call the police.  I used to in the past, and I normally received a good response with an officer at some time or another driving by the park.  Lately, that is not happening, so I do not bother.  I know, budget cuts, etc, but last year we were in the same boat, and at the very least, a patrol would come by.

Another note

As I sit down to type, I get the aromic smell of pot being smoked across the street at the Enslen Park.  Not a vagrancy issue, just some punks.  Yes, it is that easy to sit down at a table at the park and smoke openly at a picnic table while they probably scrawl some graffiti on the bench.  I am sure they have their medical marijuana cards though!

Got a response from my last posting telling me that the Blue Ribbon Committee's reports have been "shelved for the time being".  All that hard work, and we are just going to let it sit for a bit.  How long?

For us residents of the College area, I would like to see our Rank Security be able to approach the "do gooders" who come out and do feedings.  They would need to be armed with literature trying to show that there is a coordinated efforts in the feedings and not to be totally against what they are doing.  Of course, that is done by evaluating what the Blue Ribbon did, (see above for their status).

I would like to see the Department of Mental Health get up from behind their desks and go on a sabatical of sorts.  If officers or social workers could, ask the vagrancy at the parks if they utilize the services provided by the city?

I think I now have a contact high from the pot smoke, I am getting giddy along with the school children that just walked through the haze!

Zombies and Modesto Parks

I did not find it surprising when hearing about an assault that took place last Saturday at Mancini Park in Modesto.  I also do not find it surprising that it took place in broad daylight, because who in their right mind would stroll through a Modesto park at night?
It was only a matter of time where an incident so violent would occur at a park and actually reported.

Folks complaining about "quality of life" if a shopping center is erected at the corner of Sylvan and Oakdale ought to be thankful they do not live across the street from a park. Now THAT is a "quality of life" issue.

"Zombies" are the latest craze as we get closer to Halloween.  If you are fans of zombies, then make a picnic and go to your local park.  The amount of homeless, vagrancy, and mentally ill that stroll around will amuse you.  I have literally seen these folks walk around in a circle going nowhere.  Just the other week I witnessed a man who was a spitting image of "Animal" from the Muppets, just throwing trash all over Enslen Park.  He picked up a trash bag as if it was a big find and carried it around before disposing it under the stands.

On Saturday morning while the In-Shape/City of Modesto's kids Zumba event was going on at Enslen Park, I noticed a dude rolling a joint at a table.  (When you are doing something and consistently looking up looking for authorities, you are probably up to no good). He proceeded to smoke it with a regular resident, "Red" at the horseshoe pits.  Now "Red" has always been an ally of ours in keeping the park safe from it's curses.  However when I approached him to question his decision on smoking while there are a ton of kids at the park he got defensive.  "Do you see any kids in this area?". Uh "yes" I replied. Then the other dude confronted me and while cussing me out (at the same time he retreated cause he thought maybe the police would be on their way and knowing he had substance on him he got out of "dodge"), but he went kicking and screaming.

At our CANA security meeting, the main emphasis was the homelessness and the vagrancy. That is still our main concern.  We are going to work on a few questions to how we can stop the issues.  Questions like, why are we letting the Modesto Inn continue?  Why are we still seeing park feedings?  Where is the Blue Ribbon Committee and it's findings at?  We recognize that these are a society issue, and if we succeed in eliminating the issues at Enslen and Graceada Park, that it will only continue somewhere else.  However, we are at such a infuriating state of mind, we don't care.  Just get it out of our parks.  That thought process is wrong, but we need help and the city needs to look over its park patrol system first, then see how they want to deal with homelessness and mental illness issues next. If we are going to provide services, then do so in a coordinated effort.

I don't really find any humor in this.  It actually pisses me off, but it is true.  This is from a Modesto Facebook site that makes fun of Modesto even though they say, "it is all in fun". An article in today's Bee chronicles mail box thefts so you can no longer find the blue mail boxes and then there is the pot busts going on daily.  At least law enforcement is making a dent in those busts, but we need to get it together Modesto!