Funny picture in the Bee’s report on the fence controversy in River Park:
Are the “Stop the Fence” crowd asking to have the existing fence taken down as well?
I’m not sure where I stand on the whole thing. If the residents were alarmed at being asked to pay for it, that would be one thing. But statements like “If they can, the whole river will be caged in, in a matter of years” make this sound like a middle school student council debate. If I lived down there, I don’t think I would like the look of a fence across that entire park, but then again I honestly don’t like the look of the folks the fence would be designed to keep out after dark.
Sac Bee commenter “marvsimmons,” who says “If you don’t want to put up with the negatives of living next to a park, don’t buy a home next to the park” sums it up pretty well. How is this handled in other neighborhoods adjacent to wildlife access, like Ancil Hoffman or William Pond?
What about River Park residents who are also Sac Rag residents? What do you think?
The Sac Rag 
What’s most interesting to me in this story is that there are three pages of comments, and no one has blamed the problems at the park on Obama, “you libs”, or the Bee’s editorial staff.
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This is lame.
I live in River Park, pass through the park each day on my daily run on the levee, and spend a significant time at the beaches with my dog.
The problems are during the DAY, not the night. Sure, there are parties at night, but there are fights, thefts, RAPE, etc. during the day.
Also, a simple police presence will remedy this entire situation. I see cops at the park at 9am on a Tuesday, but they’re nowhere to be found on Saturday afternoons. Or if they’re around on a weekend, it’s to write stop sign tickets to residents or bust dog owners for having a dog off leash on the grass.
I’m tired of all this BS and am moving to Idaho.
/ranty grumpiness
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I live in the R.P., and also enjoy running on the levee. Our neighbors with levee access don’t even have fences in their backyard, and they don’t have trouble with theft, etc. I think a fence is a non-solution to what are deeper social problems. Put the money into those programs, not into fences. A fence won’t end sexual violence. And it won’t keep offenders out of our neighborhoods. We need funding for programs to help provide long-term solutions: rehab, job training, anger management, education. A fence seems like the type of solution you call for when you don’t want to get involved with your community, but would rather ignore it and hopes it goes away–on the other side of a fence, in someone else’s neighborhood, someone else’s problem.
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My house is about 2 blocks from where this fence would go and I run on the levee daily. Put a fence up. Don’t put a fence up. It’s not going to stop many pedophiles or attackers, but it’s not going to create any either. So who cares?
People worry too much about stupid shit, really.
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I was talking to a stealing rapist and asked him about this. He said a fence will totally stop him. “When I go out to rape and steal, I always thank god there isnt a chain link fence!” Now what happens the first time a female is caught and raped while trying to run to a house, because the fence slowed her down? Why not ask retired police to patrol and write tickets as volunteers?
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