April 25, 2025 Denny Blaine Park for All open letter to our community

Members of our community group have filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle for its ongoing failure to stop illegal and dangerous behavior at Denny Blaine Park.

The lawsuit argues the park has become a magnet for public masturbation, illegal indecent exposure, harassment, and prowling near private homes. These acts are not rare—they are routine, aggressive, and well-documented. Despite years of outreach to City officials, the situation continues to deteriorate.

Our concern is rooted in public safety. Every resident and visitor to Denny Blaine Park—and all Seattle parks—deserves access to a safe public space. But when criminal behavior becomes normalized, ignored, or downplayed, that commitment is lost.

Hundreds of incidents of this type called into Seattle Police by neighbors and documented. The lawsuit is not based on speculation, it's based on first-hand accounts and documented examples of unsafe behavior, including:

• A man exposing himself to a female neighbor while making sexually aggressive remarks

• A nude man masturbating on the hood of his car for over six hours

• Four public masturbation incidents in a single week this March

• Ongoing trespassing, indecent exposure, and menacing behavior to nearby residents

These incidents happened—and they’re documented through video, police reports, and criminal charges. In a moment when public institutions feel unreliable, and narratives often pop up without facts, the courts remain one of the few places left that can seriously consider the problems at hand and offer a solution.

One case illustrates the stakes. According to police reports and charges, a man repeatedly seen masturbating in public assaulted another parkgoer—yelling homophobic slurs, beating the victim, and dragging him into the water. The assailant was arrested and charged with a felony hate crime. After his release, he missed court dates, had a bench warrant issued, and was arrested again—back at the park—for public masturbation. His felony hate crime trial is scheduled for May.

The incidents detailed in the lawsuit—and those reported to police—reflect just a fraction of the ongoing behavior occurring at Denny Blaine.

Some have claimed the park can be “self-policed.” But the facts say otherwise. When public lewdness is routine and repeat offenders return to observe nude sunbathers and masturbate, safety can't depend on a park visitor. A bystander is not a deterrent to crime. Safety and de-escalation should not be left to the public. What’s been branded as “community-based safety” is not a serious solution.

This case is being brought by people with a direct connection to the park—neighbors, visitors, and members of communities who’ve long relied on Denny Blaine as a shared public space, including LGBTQ residents. The issue isn’t who uses the park—it’s the City’s failure to enforce the rules that make it safe for everyone.

Seattle’s own Parks Code prohibits behavior that prevents others from safely using public parks. Denny Blaine is clearly in violation. After years of documentation and inaction, we’re asking the court to compel the City to act—or to temporarily close the park, as it has done elsewhere, until safety is restored.

Denny Blaine should be a place for recreation, expression, and connection. And for many visitors, it may feel that way during their time in the park. But for others—especially those who live nearby—the experience is very different, and increasingly disturbing. What feels like a rare and unsettling incident to some is a part of their daily life for others. These problems aren’t going away. They’re getting worse, and the City’s failure to enforce the law is enabling these problems to happen and allowing them to grow.

This park should remain a place for community—but that’s only possible if the City does its job. Until then, this lawsuit is the path to restore safety and accountability.