Reader comments
Pioneer Park: Prestigious past, perilous present

ATX | 6:43 a.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Good for the Deseret News. Now the drug dealers know exactly what to look for.

Mary | 7:18 a.m. Oct. 21, 2007

For over a hundred years, politicians and others could not come up with a plan for the park, so it's turned into a drug haven. Whey doesn't the city sell it to the LDS church (since they buy so much other land) and let them rebuild the fort and establish something positive there? It would irritate a lot of people that once again the Church is taking over, but it would also force the drug dealers to go find some place else to do their deal. Simple idea, but has it ever been thought of?

JosephCee | 9:39 a.m. Oct. 21, 2007

There is no solution to the drug problem as long as users are treated as victims. If first time users were caught a mandatory 60 day sentence in a "boot camp" type facility would make the problem go away.

Comments continue below

Phil M. | 10:22 a.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Need to make park into a "Farmer's Market" with buildings/shelters with roll up doors for the summer which would be closed in the winter for a year-round type of market space, have a park ranger assigned to the park/market.

The Olympic museum idea was good | 12:13 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

but no one wanted to "ruin" the park.

At least it would have drawn tourists, there'd still be room for festivals and Saturday farmer's markets....and it could have become an EVENT CENTER.

But no. The Olympic "museum" went onto a sliver of grass by UofU stadium, where tourists have to look hard for it.

We don't need anymore "corporate religion" (of ANY kind) using their money for real estate investments. If they have that much money, you'd think they could find a charity that could use it.

been there | 1:23 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

This problem won't go away just because they cleared the park Thur.They will be back and it will happen again that's adiction.

utahkeith | 1:26 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

I somewhat agree with Mary, but if that wouldn't work, why not just have those who have ancestors who settled the valley be in charge of self monitoring the area in patrols of two and clean up the area as concerned citizens with the aid of police. This was (IS) our land rich in heritage, why should we let these people continue to desecrate what is sacred and wonderful to us? When will we stand for what is right and take the streets back once again? I will gladly help in this fight! Who will climb on board and be a doer instead of a complainer?

Student | 1:26 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

The problem is not going to be solved with "boot camp", the people who are selling drugs need hope for a better life with opportunities for employment and a chance to see a different way to survive. How to do that is my question.

Dig | 2:11 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

The drug trade is pernicious and will only be addressed if both ends can be approached. If the Users and the Dealers were both proactively dealt with then perhaps the neighborhood might have a chance. It won't be long until the entire area is revitalized, and it will shift somewhere else, but the problem will still remain until things are dealt with properly.

Anonymous | 2:42 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

I'm not a Nancy Saxton fan but I do like her idea of a mounted officer for the park. Why don't we try that first instead of Rocky's 4 million dollar makeover?

San Diego | 2:52 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Parks become swapmeets for drugs because they are "there". One solution is to turn the entire area into a residential subdivision, with small neighborhood parks, perhaps even gated. At that point, there is no more "there" there, and the drug dealers will be robbed of this free swapmeet venue.

Resident | 2:58 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

I live nearby, and I really think re locating the shelter will help. They need to police the rules around the shelter as well, the signs say the sidewalks close at 11, but people roam and sell drugs at all hours.

oldman | 3:03 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

In order for vitality to retun to SLC the illegal activities in and around the park need to be brought under control... the first step would be to move the homeless shelters and food kitchens that are so concentrated within in that part of the city.

Mary | 3:14 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

And you will never stop the drug dealers who can make $1000 in a night, as no employer will pay that much for a day's work. Only prison sentences that are upheld and carried out will work to stop the drug dealers. If they can be arrested 2-4 times in a month, then there is no reason to stop selling. Do what Nevada does: When one prison fills up, build another and another and another, out in the desert somewhere, where no one cares about having a prison in your back yard....new jobs for prison guards as well.

errrr... | 3:25 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Closing down the park to dealers will just move the problem somewhere else. Another hot-spot is on State Street past 13th South. Sure, we can "clean up" the park, but the problem is a failed drug policy. We already have a higher percentage of our citizens in prison than any other nation, arresting people is clearly not the solution. I suggest building a "lord of the fliesesque" facility on Antelope Island. Then we can put up cameras and sell the idea as reality TV.

WHAT?? | 4:31 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Two hours in prison?? That is ridiculous selling drugs puts you in prison for two hours!?? I think that doing away with the park would make people happy--ya' know the parks gone yay! Where are the drug dealers? I think that they are better there than at a school or something... go undercover cops!

Jamie | 8:45 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

I think they need to do something about this because I have family that lives out there and those stabbings could have been one of my brothers. Plus two hours in prison is not long enough. All they do is come back to the park to do more drug deals. I want them to take more action. They need more protection for the people that live out near there. Also Pioneer Park is not supossed to be a place for homeless people it is meant for the family. Come on and take a stand.

assets | 9:00 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Pass a law that police can seize the drugs AND the money the dealers are made. Even if they don't do time, they would stop because it isn't profitable.

re: errrr | 9:26 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

That's a great idea. Put a few thousand drugees out on antelope Island, give em a few knives, drugs, and let them kill them selves to the end. We really need to crack down on stopping drugs and those that deal them. If this could be done, there would be so few crimes prisons wouldn't be overcrowded. Make the penalties for drugs SEVERE, exile victims to Antelope Island, Australia or somewhere and let them kill themselves off.

AZ boy | 11:01 p.m. Oct. 21, 2007

Every time I come to Utah I refuse to even rent a hotel room near the area due to the scariness of it. Kudos to the cops for busting this up.

C. Smith | 10:58 a.m. Oct. 22, 2007

I live a half block away from the park and had my vehicle broken into twice in one week. The second time, the police caught the guy in the act. The officer who questioned him (in Spanish) said to me, candidly, that they arrest several undocumented Hispanics everyday but there's nothing they can do about it because they're barred from checking on legal status.

I was told that before Mayor Anderson's administration, the police had an arrangement with INS to process suspected illegal immigrants. Returning to this practice would go a long way to cleaning up the park. No doubt immigration is most often positive, but there's no denying that criminals are over-represented in the population of illegal immigrants. It's time to get past being PC and dealing with reality.

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