Seattle parks smoking ban is ‘unnecessary’ advocates say
May 10, 2015, 11:17 PM | Updated: May 11, 2015, 8:38 am
The smoking ban in Seattle city parks is unnecessary, human rights advocates say. (AP)
(AP)
The smoking ban in Seattle city parks is unnecessary, human rights advocates say.
The city already has a rule of no smoking within 25 feet of other people in parks, American Civil Liberties Union spokesperson Doug Honig said. It doesn’t need to ban it completely.
“We think it’s both unnecessary and, in practice, would disproportionately target homeless people and low-income people,” he said.
Seattle park commissioners want to ban smoking in all public parks in the city.
The proposed rule would make it illegal to smoke within all public areas under the city’s parks’ jurisdiction. The rule would not become part of the Seattle Municipal Code.
If the rule is passed, anyone violating it would receive a warning. Repeated violations would result in park exclusion.
The Board of Park Commissioners will deliberate on the issue at its regular meeting on May 14. A public hearing was held April 16.
If it passes, Honig said homeless people who spend a good portion of their time in parks will be primary targets. People who can’t afford their own property will be forced to pay fines, he said.
