Judge sides with neighbors to close Denny Blaine Park, orders city to act within 2 weeks

King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung sided with the neighborhood group Denny Blaine Park for All on Monday to temporarily close Denny Blaine Park unless the City of Seattle acts within two weeks.

“Today’s decision granted the injunction and confirms the city has failed to stop ongoing illegal activity at Denny Blaine Park — including public sex and masturbation, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct,” Denny Blaine Park for All wrote in a statement. “The injunction is a necessary step to make the park safe for everyone, giving the city two weeks to do what it has ignored for years: respond to very real complaints and restore public safety.”

The court has ordered the City of Seattle to submit a plan of abatement within 14 days.

Seattle City Attorney pushed back against motion to close Denny Blaine Park

Last week, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison pushed back against a motion to close Denny Blaine Park, a nude beach that has faced scrutiny for criminal activity.

Davison said the park should stay open, asserting nudity is not the issue and wrote that the “queer nude space has a social utility” in her response to the lawsuit filed by neighbors in King County Superior Court, The Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported Thursday.

Reported criminal behavior at Denny Blaine Park

Denny Blaine Park for All filed the motion seeking an emergency closure of the park, citing public masturbation, sex acts, drug use, and harassment, according to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Davison noted that while nudity is not the problem, criminal behavior should not be tolerated.

“The city submits that nudity at Denny Blaine is not a nuisance and is not properly abated by this court,” Davison wrote in the response to neighbors’ motion for a preliminary injunction. “Public nudity is subject to city regulation, and the city has chosen not to enforce nudity regulations at Denny Blaine. However, the city has not consented to the alleged drug and alcohol use at the park, or to illegal parking and masturbation.” 

Denny Blaine for All has submitted evidence of daily dangerous incidents, alleging that visitors are harassed, there are blatant sex acts, and the park is littered with condoms and needles, “The Jason Rantz Show” reported.

Despite countless 911 calls and one neighbor meeting with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, plaintiffs said nothing has changed.

This story was originally published on July 3, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.

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