During Tuesday night’s Centralia City Council meeting, councilors approved an ordinance granting authority to the parks director and Centralia police officers to temporarily or permanently ban individuals and groups from city parks for breaking rules or engaging in criminal activity.
Originally, only the parks director could ban people from a city park.
The ordinance was passed on its first reading by a vote of 5-0. Councilors Adriana Garibay and Cameron McGee had excused absences and were not present during the vote.
Centralia Deputy City Manager and Parks Director Amy Buckler and Police Chief Stacy Denham explained the changes in city code the ordinance would make. If enacted, it could enable faster response times when park violations occur and act as a deterrent for possible rule breaking or criminal activity. The ordinance requires a second reading for passage.
The move followed a rise in reported criminal activity in city parks, included a recent incident when a Centralia man recklessly drove through George Washington Park, causing nearly $900 in damage to the park’s lawn, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
“(This) derailed our parks maintenance staff from other important projects they had to do that day, but it was also dangerous. There were people in the park at that time that could have been hurt,” Buckler said. “So I would say, this would be the type of act that would warrant a person getting excluded from being able to use our parks.”
For a person’s first violation, they can be banned from a park for up to a full year. If someone offends again within a year, they can be banned from a park permanently, Buckler said.
Those who are banned from a park can file appeals with the parks director or city manager, Buckler added.
First offenses would see the individual or group banned from only the park or city facility where the violation occurred. According to the language in the ordinance, someone who commits a second violation within a year may be “permanently excluded from any or all city parks from the date of the exclusion notice.”
Some residents spoke out during public comment on the ordinance, raising concerns the ordinance is meant to target those experiencing homelessness, specifically at George Washington Park. Denham said that’s not the aim of the ordinance.
“This is not a Washington Park issue, because we have issues that may crop up at anyone of our parks to include (the Borst Park) ball fields and things like that, where people are kicked out by referees for belligerent activity, drinking inside those facilities, things like that,” Denham said.
He added the goal of the ordinance is to ensure the safety of park visitors, no matter who they are and what park they are at.
Kat Thompson of Cascadia Cares was one resident who spoke. She asked if there was any contingency plan for those who suffered from a mental health crisis in a park.
“People who are experiencing a mental health crisis could potentially unknowingly break a law and then they have quite a harsh punishment of not being allowed back into the park,” Thompson said.
She also felt the ordinance did not give people due process.
“We already have laws in place to address behaviors that are inappropriate. I know that people are unhappy with having people who are unhoused in the community, but they are citizens just like us and they have a right to due process,” Thompson said.
Denham replied, noting the appeal process. He said he believes the ordinance is a tool to prevent people from being arrested.
“If people are being excluded from a park where they normally like to hang out, hopefully that is also a way to help them get into services,” said Denham, later adding, “I will tell you, a lot of the issues that we’ve had in the parks from law enforcement’s perspective has not been homeless people.”
He hopes the changes to city code will allow his officers to gain compliance from those causing issues without having to arrest anyone.
The ordinance will receive its second and final reading at Centralia City Council’s next regular meeting on Aug. 22. To read the ordinance, visit https://tinyurl.com/4pa3u8zs and go to page 90 of the Aug. 8 city council agenda packet.