It's not a surprise to find some of our flyers torn down near the park. Clearly there are some in the community who don't support the idea that Jackson Park (or at least a portion of it) should be zoned as a park rather than 100% as an athletic field. Or they don't believe anyone in the neighborhood should be able to access our public space. It's unfortunately quite similar to some of the nasty comments I've seen on Nextdoor and Instagram.  

But we can push back against this negative energy! It's easy enough to tear down a paper flyer, but it's impossible to tear down a digital share. In an earlier update, I provided links to printable and digital assets you can use to help spread the word. Feel free to use them however you like. Or it's also super easy to share the petition directly from Change.org.  

Sadly, the park rangers were back at their game of intimidation and harassment this morning. An older female park ranger, car #65100581, drove around the park around 9:15am today yelling at dog users on her loudspeaker. The lawn was completely empty at the time, aside from 4-5 dog users trying to exercise their pups. I was a block away and unfortunately I wasn't able to get video of one point where she berated one user from about 15 feet away, using her loudspeaker.  All because of what appeared to be the park user asking a question and/or "daring" to suggest that they were in a part of the park that was not part of the athletic field. The ranger's tone was condescending, mean-spirited and bullying in nature. This is simply not acceptable.

Let's keep the momentum going. Let's push back against all this negative energy. I'll get out there and replace the torn-down flyers. You all can help by sharing the petition digitally.  Change.org says people need to see it multiple times before they take action.

All we can do is keep putting our message out there:

1) We're tired of being harassed by park rangers who feel empowered to throw their authority around and make tax-paying community members feel less-than, just to make sure the park stays empty. 

2) We don't agree that 100% of the acreage at Jackson Park should be zoned as athletic field - we believe dog users SHOULD have access to Jackson Park. 

3) We're not willing to wait until 2029 or 2030 (5-6 years from now!) when the renovation will be complete.

4) The current renovation design is not satisfactory. It only includes a tiny dog run suitable for small breeds. It does nothing for large, athletic breeds who need significant space for exercise.

Together, let's push back against the negative energy and keep sharing the petition.  We are 300 strong today.  When we get to 500 or 1000 or more, Parks & Rec will be forced to listen to us. If we get to 10,000 we may be able to get an initiative on the ballot. Surely when they see how much support we have, and they see how reasonable our viewpoint is, they will agree to give us a stake in our park, by making a simple zoning change now. 

Thank you so much for your support!!