Rantz: Judge asked to temporarily close ‘Pervert Park’ in Seattle after Mayor Harrell breaks ‘promise’ to act
Jun 19, 2025, 1:56 PM

Neighbors hope a judge will temporarily close Denny Blaine Park due to public masturbation and other crimes. (Photo: Jason Rantz/KTTH Radio)
(Photo: Jason Rantz/KTTH Radio)
A neighborhood group is asking a King County judge to temporarily shut down Denny Blaine Park, arguing that it has become a haven for daily criminal activity, including public masturbation, sex acts, drug use, and harassment. In a motion filed this week, Denny Blaine Park For All, a coalition of frustrated neighbors and longtime parkgoers, said the City of Seattle has failed to enforce the law and has effectively abandoned the park to a group of repeat offenders.
The motion for a preliminary injunction, filed in King County Superior Court, seeks an emergency closure of the park until the City produces a plan to stop the illegal behavior and restore safety. The hearing is set for July 11 before Judge Samuel Chung.
“For over 100 years, Denny Blaine Park was a small gem in the Olmsted Park System,” the motion stated. “The park is now a venue for public masturbation, public sex, and illegal drug use that attracts criminals from around the region and makes the park a public nuisance.”
Denny Blaine Park has been derisively labeled “Pervert Park” on the .
New video evidence emerges at ‘Perv Park’ in Seattle
The plaintiffs submitted more than a dozen declarations and exhibits, including new video evidence, incident logs, and photos that depict a daily pattern of lewd and dangerous behavior. One declaration identifies individuals by nickname, tracking their repeated and often graphic appearances in the park. Among the alleged conduct: filming of sex acts, harassment of park visitors, used needles and condoms littering the grounds, and aggressive nudity, even in the presence of children.
Multiple witnesses say the behavior has persisted for years, despite repeated 911 calls and formal complaints. The plaintiffs include LGBTQ residents, parents, and longtime homeowners, many of whom say they no longer feel safe visiting the park.
One of the park鈥檚 most high-profile neighbors, philanthropist Stuart Sloan, said he personally met with Mayor Bruce Harrell in 2022 to show him disturbing photos of sexual activity at the park. According to Sloan鈥檚 declaration, the mayor appeared shocked and promised to act. But those promises have not resulted in meaningful change, and the situation has worsened.
Even Friends of Denny Blaine, a nudist-friendly advocacy group, has acknowledged the severity of the problem. A recent poll they conducted found that nearly 50% of their followers had witnessed either public masturbation or sex acts in the park, according to one declaration.
Seattle is choosing to keep the park lawless
Seattle has previously shuttered other parks under similar circumstances, including Hoa Mai Park in the Chinatown/International District, which was closed in spring 2025 due to illegal activity. The difference, plaintiffs say, is that Denny Blaine Park鈥檚 issues are well-documented, yet the City has done nothing.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about banning nudity,鈥 the plaintiffs argue. 鈥淭his is about banning criminal behavior.鈥
But Denny Blaine Park has become politically treacherous for Mayor Harrell, who is in the middle of a re-election campaign. Progressive activists have claimed that criticism of the park is meant to shut down a space that is favored by the Seattle LGBT community as a “safe space.” Advocates for the park have either ignored or downplayed the criminal behavior at the park.
How will the judge respond?
The City of Seattle, which has not yet filed its response to the motion, previously denied the park is a nuisance. Yet internal records submitted with the lawsuit show officials are aware of the activity. One Parks Department webpage even references plans to add a “public masturbation deterrent infrastructure.”
For now, residents are asking the court to step in where the City has failed.
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