Violence, Trash, Drugs Shut Down Lodi Park For A Day
LODI (CBS13) — The decision to close Lodi's Kofu Park for a day is in contrast to some rough stories coming out of the park.
Park goer, Gabriel Buzon was there for one of the outbreaks.
"The cops came and kicked a few kids out." Buzon said.
This situation happened last month after a pretty ugly scene.
"One of the skaters actually hit one of the children and one of the parents got upset and one of the skaters retaliated." Buzon added.
But Lodi's Kofu Park mishaps didn't end there. Lodi City Officials tells CBS13 a maintenance worker was threatened and feared for his safety. Following the incident and the skate park was shut down for the day.
Witness, Gabriel Buzon has seen a growing disrespect between skateboarders and parents who bring their kids to play at Kofu. He has also noticed a lack of respect for the park itself:
"A lot of kids have been trashing this place—a lot of garbage over the floor." Buzon said.
On top of the violence and trash, the park has been plagued with drug and alcohol use.
Police believe substance abuse played a role in the most recent skate park incident.
When Lt. Sierra Brucia with the Lodi Police responded to the call he saw open containers, some alcoholic containers lying on the ground and he could smell marijuana in the air.
While changes could be coming for Lodi's Kofu Park, CBS13 spoke with park goers who have suggestions for improvement. They'd like to see full-time security or a skate park watchdog group. The City of Lodi Parks Department takes up the issue next Tuesday.