âA smoking ban is pretty much unenforceable in Seattle parks,â Parks Commissioner Jourdan Keith said today in protest of Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagherâs ban on smoking in all city parks. âMy concern is it will be disproportionately enforced to affect the few people who are already displacedâpeople who donât have anywhere else to go.â
Keith heard this concern repeatedly during weeks of public testimony leading up to the boardâs decision on February 11. As an asthma sufferer, Keith was proud of the boardâs compromise to keep smokers in parks while minimizing their affect on othersâhence the ban on smoking at beaches, play fields, playgrounds, and within 25 feet of other park users.
Gallagher sat through the three-hour-long meeting while board members debated this issue (going an hour over the meetingâs scheduled time to do so), only to reject their recommendation in favor of a full ban yesterday.
What happens when we have large events like Seafair? Keith asks. Will we have hoards of officials out ticketing hoards of smokers? Or will police primarily use the ban against the homeless, the poor, and street kids?
And again, no answer from Gallagher, who is out enjoying his hard-earned vacation.