'Hippie Hill' Crackdown Expected At SF's Golden Gate Park, 4/20 Festivities
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— This Sunday, April 20th is Easter Sunday and Golden Gate Park is expected to be busy. That's because every year on 4/20, which happens to be the date on Sunday, mostly marijuana lovers take to "Hippie Hill" to celebrate.
San Francisco officials will be beefing up enforcement in the park and the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood this weekend to make sure the celebrations don't get out of control.
During last year's 4/20 smoke out there were complaints against the counterculture holiday that brought thousands to the park, but also left an abundance of trash leading to a $15,000 cleanup and created heavy traffic gridlock in the area.
The territory covers San Francisco Supervisor London Breed's district. She said with the combined holiday and celebrations that the park should be abuzz with activity.
"A lot of folks will be visiting the de Young Museum, they'll be visiting the Academy of Sciences. There's a huge event going on with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence going on. We will be out in full force," she warned.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said law enforcement aren't naïve enough to think that they can prevent everyone from smoking marijuana; medicinally or otherwise.
"There are plenty of other things that came with it that we will not have," Suhr said.