SEATTLE — The city of Seattle has been ordered to come up with a plan to address public nudity and other sexual acts at Denny Blaine Park.
This comes after a court granted an injunction that was brought forth by the group ‘Denny Blaine Park For All,’ a neighbor association.
The group was calling for the closure of Denny Blaine Park following “nearly daily” instances of public masturbation, sex acts and drug use.
The neighborhood group argued in their injunction that the city has not taken action to address these problems, and that the “city is refusing to even comply with its own code of conduct which prohibits nudity, not to mention sexual acts,” according to the injunction.
In the injunction, the city did not dispute most of the allegations and countered that nudity has been practiced at Denny Blaine Park for years. The city said in the injunction that nudity itself is not considered a nuisance, but the sex acts are.
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In the judge’s ruling, however, the judge agreed with plaintiffs that the public nudity and other sexual acts have reached the threshold to be considered a public nuisance.
“While the city has indeed taken action to alleviate parking problems, it has elected not to reduce or eliminate nudity and sexual problems at the park,” the injunction read.
The court ruled that the city has 14 days to submit a plan of abatement.
The judge did rule against the neighborhood group’s request to have the park closed immediately.
“Today’s decision granted the injunction and confirms the City has failed to stop ongoing illegal activity at Denny Blaine Park — including public sex and masturbation, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct. The injunction is a necessary step to make the park safe for everyone, giving the City two weeks to do what it has ignored for years: respond to very real complaints and restore public safety,” the Denny Blaine Park for All community group said in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s office said the office is reviewing the ruling and exploring legal options with the City Attorney’s Office.
“We have consistently said that we will not tolerate lewd and illegal activities at the park including masturbation, leering, or public sex,” the spokesperson wrote.
The spokesperson also said the city has already offered Seattle Police enforcement of lewd conduct laws, deployed park rangers, added clearer parking regulations and enhanced parking enforcement.
Mayor Bruce Harrell directly addressed the ruling and said he believes there may be an opportunity to keep talks open with the different communities.
A group that has advocated for the continuation of public nudity at the park says the judge’s order, “erroneously links harassment and other misconduct to general nude usage of the park.”
“Our aim is to ensure the case, and the city’s response, focuses solely on actual criminal activity — public masturbation and sexual harassment — which cannot be conflated with mere nudity,” wrote a spokesperson for the Friends of Denny Blaine group.
The ongoing lawsuit is set for trial in April of next year.
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