A member of the Los Angeles City Council has proposed a ban on adults without children hanging around the city’s parks and play areas.
Council member Mitch O’Farrell proposed the ban after residents complained about drug-dealing in parks, WJW reported.
O’Farrell said signs would be posted around the playground perimeter, and adults without children could be ticketed.
“As city leaders, we owe this to families to create safe spaces for their children at city play areas. Our park facilities should be a safe haven, and we must do our part to provide proper shelter for our kids,” O’Farrell said in a statement to KTLA.
Some adults who enjoy spending time at the park think the ban is unfair.
“I don’t have kids. Yet. I wish, maybe in the future I might have them, but it’s me and my dog. So you’re going to kick me out of the park for walking my dog close to a playground? That, to me, is just not fair,” Mitchell Paris told KTLA.
KTLA reported that California state law already makes it a criminal offense to loiter at a playground or school “with an unlawful purpose,” and police already have the option to patrol parks to crack down on illegal activity.