have you ever walked along the lakefront after dark following a hot summer day? Or, have you sat on a bench with a great view at a local park following a late shift? Maybe, you’ve sat at fountain square after a late dinner and movie? Maybe you’ve woken up at 5 AM to go for a run through James Park or Twigs Park because you care about health, but your shift starts at 7 o’clock and you want to spend the evening with your kids and family.

“If someone works at Target or Food 4 Less – or pick any business or profession, a nurse– and they get off late … and would like to decompress peacefully at a park, I think they should have a right to do that without harassment from law enforcement.” - Devon Reid, 8th Ward Councilmember.

Do you believe any of these actions should be illegal and cause for arrest? I’d appreciate folks sharing your opinions, experiences, and thoughts.

“This is simply to end the criminalization, end the fact that police will be allowed to arrest someone in a park merely for being in a park after 11 o’clock. For me, I think this is a quality-of-life issue,” Reid told committee members.

It's important to note, park equipment would maintain hours of use, which end at 9pm. Encampments are and could be more expressly prohibited. We have to end the criminalization of acts, which, on their own, cause no disturbance.

https://evanstonroundtable.com/2022/05/03/despite-debate-evanston-parks-will-still-have-closing-times/

Should cities allow access to parks without residents fearing arrest, so long as, no separate offenses against the public are being committed?