Matt Leslie
The City of Fullerton is planning to spend over $ 83,000 to build a perimeter fence around the downtown plaza. During a review of the budget for capital improvements by the Parks and Recreation Commission on March 13 city staff cited drug dealing in the plaza as a rationale for the proposed fence.
The Downtown Plaza covers over an acre of land on Wilshire Ave., between Pomona Ave. and Harbor Blvd. It was built at considerable public expense, involving the purchase of privately held properties and the demolition of existing structures. It is the site of numerous non-profit fundraisers and other events throughout the year, including the popular weekly Downtown Market held Thursday nights between April and October. Homeless people sometimes congregate there, particularly when the large church next door feeds them once a week.
The plaza is located on the north side of Wilshire, which is closed to vehicular traffic on market nights and during some events, making it, at least temporarily, a rare pedestrian boulevard in suburban southern California. Although the plaza itself consists only of benches, a fountain, a stage, and some over-scaled stucco and styrofoam columns*, it is nonetheless a public space for anyone who cares to stroll around in it at any hour of the day or night. The addition of a fence around the entire plaza would dramatically change it as a public space, both by restricting access and, presumably, by cutting off the plaza side of the street from the park to the south.
Like the closure of the Hunt Branch Library, a fence around the Downtown Plaza would represent something of a betrayal of the city’s mandate to ensure safety in public places (despite the omnipresent police cameras). And like the Hunt Library, the plaza may become, at least in part, more of a private space. A perimeter fence would be a very convenient way to demarcate the area for private rentals intended to provide extra cash for the city budget.
* Plans described in a Los Angeles Times article from 1986 included an IMAX theater, as well as “the museum and exhibit center, more than 35 art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and outdoor waterfalls.”
My family and I love that plaza and park. We visit it on our walks at least once or twice a week, and have done so since before my 7-year-old was born. My wife owns a business in Downtown Fullerton, and we have recently purchased our first Fullerton home. I’ve always played the ostrich with politics (head in the sand!), but want to know what I can do to help prevent this fencing project from moving forward.
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What a terrible idea. A fence isn’t going to end homelessness or drug dealing; it’s just going to push it out into the surrounding neighborhoods. Get more police on foot or bicycles instead of cruisers. Build the homeless shelter. Deal with the situation face to face; don’t run away from it.
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My small family town in Texas did this. What it was for? : to make ready for “charging admission” to downtown celebrations formerly free.
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Matt, I just spoke to one of the park and rec comissioners. They said that the issue is being explored. Nothing is being planned nor is there any approval to proceed.
Your post seems to imply that this is a done deal and apparantly it is not. You might consider talking to those involved for the facts.
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John, correct, it has not been approved in a budget yet, but someone is sure planning for it.
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Have you spoken to the Museum people? If not, you might get an idea of how much planning is going on as well as a sense of their perception of the ‘problem’ within the plaza.
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Tell me if I understand this right:
Knowing that drug dealing is going on there, rather than take advantage of this knowledge to catch the dealers, they prefer to build a fence to keep EVERYONE out at certain times, so the drug deals go somewhere unknown? And then build a fence wherever that is?
Makes perfect sense.
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This is one of the dumber ideas to surface recently. The City has an actively monitored camera that can scan and zoom, which covers the entire plaza area. A fence is not needed, just a police response when something happens.
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$$$ , gearing up to charge people for use of the commons. I guess it isnt about the commonwealth, but the wealth of the few.
Same story, but super dumb idea none the less.
Drug dealing ? how about a different class of people who still need a place to exist in. cant have a house to be in, so the park is an option.
A.
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