Rantz: City of Seattle installs ‘public masturbation deterrent infrastructure’ at Perv Park, makes matters worse

In response to a court-mandated abatement plan, Seattle officials have installed the “public masturbation deterrent infrastructure,” which the city previously said wasn’t seriously being considered. It destroys a gorgeous park, rather than do anything to stop the public sex and masturbation that caught the ire of neighbors and a local judge.

Fencing and signs at Denny Blaine Park now divide the so-called “Perv Park” into clothing-optional and clothing-required zones. The move comes amid mounting concerns from neighbors over repeated instances of lewd conduct at the waterfront park.

Last week, city crews erected the chain-link fence topped with green mesh along the park’s eastern section—creating a “public masturbation deterrent infrastructure” that was previously mentioned in a city-requested RFP for “Access Improvements and Plan for Denny Blaine Park.” The intent is to shield the clothing-optional zone near the lake from view and curb the visibility of perverts having sex or masturbating in public. It does not, however, stop the underlying lewd behavior at the center of a lawsuit alleging the city has done virtually nothing to stop the public sex.

Fence just protects the public sex

The fence barely lasted a day at Perv Park. On the night of August 16, Seattle Police responded to a vandalism incident at the park.

A homeless man, described as in his 30s to 40s, allegedly tore down the green tarp from the fence, stuffed it into a portable restroom, and caused damage to the structure. Witnesses say the man often frequents the park and reportedly resides in a nearby tent encampment.

City crews restored the barrier the next day, but community reaction remains sharply divided. Some visitors criticized the fence’s appearance and questioned its effectiveness—calling it visually intrusive, gaudy, and a poor deterrent that might even enable lewd behavior to occur out of sight.

Denny Blaine Park For All, the group behind the lawsuit that triggered the injunction, warned that the temporary fence could exacerbate existing safety problems without resolving them.

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