Mom wants to ban adults without kids from playgrounds after son scratched by hypodermic needle
A mother in San Diego is proposing a ban on adults without children from city playgrounds after she claims a discarded hypodermic needle scratched her son.
Sandy Algra often takes her child to Fanuel Park in Pacific Beach; however, she has noticed that many city parks are becoming littered with “unsavory items,” including the seemingly used hypodermic needle that she said scratched her 2-year-old son.
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“I was helping another mom, and then I heard my son say, ‘Hey mama, what’s this?’ And I turned around and in his hand was a bent, bloody hypodermic needle,” Algra told San Diego’s Fox 5.
According to Algra, he then spent the next six hours at the ER for an infectious disease consultation and will require HIV and Hepatitis C tests every six months.
Beyond the hypodermic needle, Algra claims that the parks are filled with syringes, crack pipes and even people living on playground equipment.
“My proposal is to for the city to enact an ordinance that designates this playground equipment as a park specifically designed for children — as children’s designated play areas — the same way you have a passive-use park, where you’re not allowed to have cleats or organized sports,” Algra told Fox 5. “The same way you have mixed-use parks where there’s baseball and soccer and every other sport in between. This is just another designation for the use of this space; it’s for the children.”
Tomas Arment, a neighbor to Fanuel Park, told the outlet he would support Algra’s proposal, especially after he allegedly witnessed a man taping off his arm to get a vein. He believes the ban would keep drug users and pedophiles out of the playground. “I have a grandchild who comes out here, and I just want to turn her loose and let her enjoy, and you really have to be on your toes,” he said.
“This is not build-a-wall legislation. I’m not trying to keep people out. I’m trying to keep the people who are supposed to be there safe,” Algra said. “I’m not looking to lay blame, and I don’t think this is going to solve all the problems, but I’m trying to take one step in creating safer places for children.”
Currently, more than 1,500 people have signed her petition. She plans to present the petition to the San Diego City Council.
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