A councilman from Los Angeles is proposing to ban adults without kids from its public playgrounds and parks. Mitch O'Farrell introduced his ordinance at a recent council meeting in his bid to uphold the safety of the children.
O'Farrell said that he thought of the proposal after learning from some parents that they no longer bring their kids to public playgrounds because of the presence of drug peddlers. Thus, his proposal will ascertain that only adults with children should hang out in the playgrounds and parks.
"We will heavily discourage any adult who might have some sort of predatory ideas or ideas to take over a children's play area for their own purposes," the councilman said, according to KPCC. He also cited that other municipalities have similar ordinances to ensure a safe public playground for families.
According to West Side Today, the councilman has also proposed for the city attorney and the Department of Recreation and Parks to work together to create signs or marks that will indicate the limitations. But the proposal will still have to be approved by the parks board and committee after the holidays.
L.A. Considers Playground Ban on Single Adults - City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell has proposed a motion that wou... https://t.co/6pGXhv2z6K
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But banning adults without kids in public playgrounds in Los Angeles isn't going to curb the real problem, according to an L.A. Times editorial. The news outlet cites that if the council would really like to make the community safer for children then it should go after the drug dealers or enforce stricter policing of illegal activities in the parks.
Since the locals got wind of the proposal, Mitch O'Farrell's Facebook page has been riddled with comments criticizing his idea. "Your proposal to restrict playground areas to adults accompanied by children is a narrow-minded approach and one that I don't agree with," one Hollywood resident shared in the comments. "As the mother of two sons, I do not want fearmongering legislation like this passed in their names. You do not protect my children by removing the rights of citizens to use public spaces," another shared.
