But Sears and others aren’t giving up without a fight. They continue to use the park with their pooches, calling it an act of “civil disobedience” and insisting they have a right to the space. In recent weeks, Sears told The Standard he no longer obeys rangers’ orders immediately; instead, he takes a few minutes to leave.
“We’re just trying to get a piece of that park when it’s not being used,” Sears said. “They’re paying these staffers to evict people trying to use the park. It comes across in this militaristic way.”
At times, the encounters have turned violent, according to Carlos Carpio, who lives across the street from the park with his dog, whom he refused to name. Carpio alleges they were cornered and pushed against a fence by a park ranger as they attempted to leave the park on April 1, 2022.
“I just felt really targeted,” Carpio said. “I guess I wasn’t moving fast enough for him. … He was touching me, so I ran away, and he cornered me.”
Parks Department spokesperson Daniel Montes said dogs damage the athletic field, making it unsafe to play on and costly to repair. Montes did not respond to a request for comment on Carpio’s allegation of assault.
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