We get reports from time to time of activities in Thornton Creek where it passes through Maple Leaf.
Most often they are about people cutting trees, or loitering.
Now we have one about fire starting.
Stephanie emails this morning:
I live on Eighth Avenue Northeast & Northeast 104th Street and there is a creek behind my house. I like to walk my dog through the trails on a regular basis. Last Wednesday I started walking him down when I saw a kid (potentially teenager) attempting to start a fire. As soon as he saw me he stomped on it and ran off. Just wanted to let people know who live around there to keep an eye out for kids & teens in the creek area that might be up to no good.
@Observer: Thanks for your work in keeping the trash out ot the park!
I have seen:
Camping in the park, multiple times
Drug use, including heroin, meth, crack
Alcohol use
Pot (oh, never mind)
Prostitution
Trees tagged, Trees hacked
Fires, one big enough to call the SFD
Vandalism, including gunshots into tree trunks
Cars abandoned (next to the Park on NE 106th)
Trash strewn, I have removed hundreds of bottles, an engine block, a rear end, bed frames, tires, junk of all types
The guy with the meth RV (Breaking Bad style), was rinsing his gear in the creek
Bank robber (yes, the bicycle guy)
But, I have also known dozens of people who take this Park under their wing and organize clean ups, invasive weed eradication, paint over tagging on the “graffiti wall”, path maintenance, and a host of other volunteer efforts.
Thanks to those folks, and shame on the others. The police have been responsive when called, and I thank them, as well.
Keep an eye on the park, folks, and try to walk through it and enjoy the beauty. It is an oasis in an urban area, and deserves your attention.