Jake and Spike clash over who’s to blame for Denny Blaine Park: Park-goers or city?

A judge sided with a neighborhood group on Monday to temporarily close nude beach Denny Blaine Park unless the City of Seattle comes up with a plan to address crime within two weeks. The group has cited rampant public sex, masturbation, indecent exposure, lewd conduct, drug use, and harassment surrounding the park.

While KIRO host Jake Skorheim agreed the city needs to clean up the park, KIRO host Spike O’Neill believes the park-goers should be responsible.

“If the queer community in Seattle can’t police their own respected, treasured area of Denny Blaine Park, then they’re going to lose it,” Spike said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Jake noted that the park is the city’s property.

“Whatever community has adopted it, it’s not their responsibility to clean it up and take care of it — that’s the city’s responsibility,” Jake added. “They can’t police the thing themselves.”

Spike kept his stance, saying, “Well, I would think it’s on the users of the beach.”

“Are they going to make a citizen’s arrest?” Jake asked.

Spike says Denny Blaine Park-goers should speak up

“The community that’s using the beach needs to speak up to the people who are coming to that beach and breaking the law, the sex acts, the drug use,” Spike responded. “If you want to have the privilege of having a nude queer beach in Seattle become a part of the of the culture of the city, as [City Attorney Anne] Davison says, then it behooves the users of that park who enjoyed for its aesthetics, to speak up and say, ‘Hey, look, see something, say something.'”

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.