Some of these things are completely reasonable, but beware, no drinking a glass of wine and asking for directions, or stopping between beers to use the ATM, no staring, no offensive odor from hygiene (excessive nasty perfume, ok), no kissing (or holding hands?), no political materials (on State Street!) or charity work without permission, no kids running in the area with their shoes off after running in the splash park, no more than two bags in your possession (don’t do too much shopping!), no changing your clothes in the restrooms (you hear that bikers?), no moving chairs or putting your feet on them, no eating that ice cream cone in an unapproved area, no taking Visitor Center materials into the rest room, etc etc etc. Take a look. The full document is here. You can’t make this stuff up! A city of rules indeed.
If you’re interested, they will be debating this at the Parks meeting on Wednesday (6:30 Warner Park), but it wasn’t included as an attachment on the agenda when I looked over the weekend.
Inappropriate Behavior, shall include, without limitation by enumeration, the following conduct or behaviors:
– Committing or attempting to commit any activity that would constitute a crime or a violation of City or County ordinances.
– Possessing, selling, distributing, displaying or using any dangerous weapon as that term is defined in Wis. Stats. sec. 939.22(10) upon Visitor Center premises or using or threatening the use of any other object in such a manner that it may be considered a weapon.
– Engaging in any physically intimidating or assaultive behavior. Making any threats of violence or unlawful activities. The City of Madison has a policy of zero tolerance for threats and acts of violence. Any person engaging in such behaviors will be immediately ejected from the Visitor Center.
– Possessing, selling, distributing, consuming or being under the influence of any alcoholic beverage or controlled substance.
– Trespassing by entering or remaining on Visitor Center premises after having been notified by an authorized individual not to do so, and entering or remaining on the Visitor Center premises during the period in which an individual has been banned from the premises.
– Refusing to follow the reasonable directions of City staff to include, failing to take shelter in an emergency as directed by staff.
– Engaging in any behavior that a reasonable person would find to be disruptive, harassing, or threatening in nature to Visitor Center users or staff including stalking, prolonged staring at or following another with the intent to annoy or intentionally behaving in a manner that could reasonably be expected to annoy or disturb other patrons.
– Engaging in any sexual contact, activities or conduct.
– Selling, soliciting, surveying, distributing written materials, panhandling or canvassing for any political, charitable or religious purposes inside a Visitor Center building, doorway or vestibule without prior authorization of the Visitor Center Parks Superintendent or designee.
– Smoking or other use of tobacco products.
– Eating in unapproved areas or failure to eat in approved areas at tables and clean debris when finished.
– Sleeping, napping or dozing in or on Visitor Center premises.
– Engaging in excessive or disruptive conversations, talking loudly, using personal electronic equipment at such a volume or making ongoing noise that is unreasonably disturbing to other Visitor Center users.
– Not wearing shoes or shirt within the Visitor Center.
– Entering or remaining upon Visitor Center premises with a bodily hygiene so offensive that it constitutes a nuisance to others.
– Moving furniture without the express consent of the Visitor Center staff or use of furniture in any manner that may damage the furniture, to include placing feet on the furniture.
– Using Visitor Center materials, furniture, equipment or facilities in any manner inconsistent with the customary use thereof or the theft or intentional damaging of Visitor Center materials, furniture, equipment or facilities.
– Bringing in more than 2 bags, or any bag that exceeds 26″x14″x14″ in dimension, without prior approval of the Parks Superintendent or Designee.
– Blocking of public spaces with personal items or leaving such items unattended on Visitor Center premises at any time. Items may be removed from the Visitor Center premises if they reasonably appear to be abandoned or have been left unattended for 30 minutes or more.
– Interfering with the safe and free passage of Visitor Center staff or patrons on the premises, including but not limited to the placement of objects in hallways, aisles, flooring or elsewhere in a manner that impedes the free passage of such persons about the Visitor Center.
– Bringing any animal into Visitor Center except service animals.
– Entering non-public areas of the Visitor Center without permission, to specifically include the office area of the Visitor Center.
– Improperly using Visitor Center restrooms or facilities for purposes such as bathing, shaving or changing clothes.
– Taking Visitor Center materials into rest rooms.
– Engaging in any other activities that are inconsistent with those activities normally associated with the use of public park facilities that include participation in programs, activities, and services.
– Violating the Visitor Center’s rules for acceptable use of the internet. A user accepts these rules before accessing the Internet through a Visitor Center computer. Copies of these rules will be made available by staff upon request.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand what they are trying to do . . . rid the park of the homeless and “undesirables”, but geesh, they are banning a whole lot of other activities in the process and that means that they will just apply the rules to only certain people based on the way they look and presumptions about their economic status. And that, frankly, is what stinks. Rules should apply equally to everyone or they shouldn’t be there. I’d LOVE to know who drafted this . . . and how “visitors” are supposed to know all the rules.
“Taking Visitor Center materials into rest rooms.”
So if I want something to read while taking a dump I’ll be a criminal?
Is this for the whole Park, or just the building?
The Visitors Center, which may include a piece of the outside area, I’m not entirely clear. But its all park property.
It’ll be really easy for the visitors to our city to be aware of these rules. Simply have copies of that document printed out and hang them up on all the poster kiosks as well as hand out to people.
In fact, as a public service I’ll be happy to do so once the center is open. Tho,I gotta wonder….do the park rules make it illegal to hand out copies of the park rules while actually in the park?
that would be the most delicious of ironies. I imagine this will be a huge headache to enforce.
Sadly, I don’t think it’ll be a headache to enforce at all. They’ll enforce the rules for people they assume are homeless, and everyone else gets a pass. They won’t even expect people to know the rules. This just gives them a toolbox full of ways to say “move along.”