16 Replies to "Playground plea for Westcrest Park: Please don't take the toys!"

• JanS October 4, 2015 (12:11 pm)

  Sadly, there are people in this world who have no shame, and deem it their right to take whatever they want. And then, what are they teaching their children?

  And, yes, there IS actually a crime here…it’s called theft…it may be petty, but it’s still theft !Let’s not excuse people because of impressions that what was taken is not that important.

• 2 much Whine October 4, 2015 (1:45 pm)

  Some people (I am not one of them) believe that leaving toys at a kids park is littering and a blight on the community.

• legalityshmality October 4, 2015 (2:30 pm)

  I think it is breaking the law.

  Please remake the signs which indicate that each of the smaller, mobile toys have been donated by young community members and parents to the City of Seattle Department of Parks for the enjoyment of the Westcrest Park users. State that the toys are now the property of the city of Seattle and that removal of the toys (somebody should make labels to stick on the toys stating all of this) is prohibited by law and is theft of city property.

  Do-good donors: once you donate to the city Park and forfeit your ownership, you have given ownership to the city/Park Dept. Maybe contact them for ideas how to ID/label the stuff, but don’t have high expectations with that Department. They are the goofballs of city government.

  Anyway, it *is* theft.

• Vanessa Eng October 4, 2015 (3:49 pm)

  We’re having the same problem in the Westcrest P-Patch. People are stealing vegetables (not just a couple but entire crops), stealing whole plants and vandalizing plants and fences. It’s very disappointing.

• JanS October 4, 2015 (5:09 pm)

  2 much whine…the toys had labels on them…there are too many people out there who can’t read, too…

  but..a good point was raised…don’t just leave stuff there. Make sure the Parks Dept. knows, and is onboard with it.

• Emmyjane October 4, 2015 (10:18 pm)

  Ercolini has tons of toys right now – too much for the park to handle. You should take some over to westcrest!

• Julia October 4, 2015 (10:32 pm)

  Maybe park employees are removing them, considering them to be a liability issue.

• Vanessa October 4, 2015 (11:25 pm)

  Vanessa- I’m so sorry to hear that about the p-patch! Westcrest is an amazing park and there is so much community involvement happening there. I wish whoever is visiting at night had a little more respect for everyone’s hard work.
  Julia- It isn’t parks removing the toys, the smaller kid toys are still there. It’s the bigger toys that are disappearing. There was also a plastic shopping cart that someone broke the top off of.

• Susan October 4, 2015 (11:44 pm)

  When one does a charitable act with young children, like donating toys to a city park within a low income area of our community, perhaps it would best further the lesson of charity by not characterizing the disappearance of the cast off toys as “theft/crime/stealing” but rather as something else, whether it was really the case or not. It’s a good opportunity to talk to your kids about the reality that there are other children who do not have so many toys that they can give away extras at a park, and maybe those little children, or their parents, were so happy to find toys that were left behind by those who no longer needed them that they took them home to borrow, and those kids will pass them along to the next group of kids when the toys are outgrown, and so forth. Suggest that now there are some happy little children nearby who can play full time on the toys, just like the kids who donated them get to do at their houses. It’s really about reframing the entire situation for young children so that they can see it from another side because lets face it: the toys are valueless and who would “steal” them but kids or parents who possibly need them more.

• Jim P. October 5, 2015 (12:17 am)

  Many are probably leaving with the families who came to play.

  Can’t upset little Junior after all and it’s public stuff, so …..

  As other parts of the world have learned: The People’s property is no one’s property so why not make it your own property.

  Sadly, some people will steal stuff just because they can, even if it has no value or use to them and can’t even be traded for “smokes” or a bottle.

  Ask any grocery store manager about casual theft or just look around most neighborhoods and count the shopping carts.

• neighbor October 5, 2015 (7:33 am)

  Westcrest Park rocks. The reservoir improvements have transformed the space. I was recently there for sunset with my kids and am so happy for the opportunity to cap the day in such a beautiful setting.

  Sorry that the toy donation has not panned out so far. Thanks for you efforts.

  Good fences make good neighbors. Creating a clear boundary might stop some veggie theft. Like with the toys though , it seems like some theft is inevitable. Hard to dissuade this type of behavior but I think it helps that the park is seeing so much more use not that the secret is out.

  I’m glad that the park hasn’t seen much graffiti or vandalism. Seems lightyears safer and nicer than a decade ago.

• Corine October 5, 2015 (10:21 am)

  This is sad indeed. But I’m not all that surprised. I live a few blocks from Westcrest and even had a small slide stolen out of my front yard. Great example these people are setting for their children they are presumably giving these to.

• Ula Mkembe October 5, 2015 (11:46 am)

  Stealing happens in every neighborhood and parks, doesn’t it? Prove that it does not. Why tell a parent to take without asking? This is not a temple for charitable service with temple rules. This is owned by government with government rules. Parents in any neighbors must teach respect and responsibility.

• Mcbride October 5, 2015 (3:06 pm)

  Toys left in parks are not the property of the Parks department. Parks (the department) does not want them. Why? Because, usually they have wheels, and things with wheels are a non-starter due to liability and insurance premiums (Parks has a very thorough insurance policy). Because, usually these toys are plastic. When subjected to heavy use and constant exposure to the elements they break, creating all kinds of opportunity for injury (Parks has very high safety standards, please see “insurance”). Because, when they break, they become trash, and Parks has plenty of that to begin with. Because, usually these toys are used, and while it is possible to gift items to Parks, it’s a much more thorough process than a dropoff at the thrift store.
  .
  When toys are left at a park, they are a gift to the Public. Sometimes they stay, sometimes they go, and when they do it’s probably for the best in the long run. Treat it as the gift it is, they’ve made someone happy (I get a kick out of burying matchbox cars in the sandbox).
  .
  Alternately, just play on the toys Parks does own which are liberally sprinkled about the play area. Those are fun too.

• WsEd October 5, 2015 (8:01 pm)

  I have mixed feelings about this. While I am glad there are people who “donate” toys to these parks I have observed that a good portion are junk that some don’t want and can’t be bothered to get rid of legally. Additionally I quit brining my own kids toys to Ercalini (spelling?) after being chastised by a gaggle of the local mom’s when one of my daughter’s wasn’t sharing the riding toy we brought with us because I guess it was too difficult to discern a brand new toy that is private property from the park junk. It creates a burden for the parks department due to disposal of the junkers and probably a liability if someone is injured since they leave them there. But my real issue is with the people who dump toys that are broken down junk that they don’t want to dispose of themselves. And yes many are junk. Oh and the comment about Highland Park being low income was adorable. There really is not much that qualifies as a low income area in Seattle these days.

• Susan October 7, 2015 (4:04 pm)

  WsEd–i agree with your whole point about broken toys being convenient to dump at local parks.

  The comment about low income families living by that park is very, very real. The high percentages of free and reduced lunch program recipients at the local schools in that neighborhood should tell you everything you need to know. Poverty here is very real.

Sorry, comment time is over.