Phoenix can show compassion without sacrificing safe parks

Betty Guardado

Submitted photo/City of Phoenix

I will not support policies that introduce needles into our parks or allow certain types of large-scale food distribution that take away from the safe, family-centered spaces our parks are meant to be.”

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OPINION — On Wednesday, May 6, Phoenix City Council will vote on the amended Safe Medical Care and Food Distribution Ordinance.

I will not support policies that introduce needles into our parks or allow certain types of large-scale food distribution that take away from the safe, family-centered spaces our parks are meant to be.

Our parks are more than open spaces. They are where our children play, where families gather and where our community comes together. I have heard from many of you, especially our neighborhood leaders, who have worked tirelessly to clean up, invest in and reclaim these spaces.

I share your pride in that work, and I will not support efforts that risk undoing that progress after over $14 million investment in our parks over the last seven years.

I have heard your concerns, and I share them. No parent should have to question whether a park is safe for their child. No family should feel pushed out of a space that belongs to them.

This is not about turning our backs on people in need. I believe deeply in compassion, in dignity and in providing support to those who need it most, but compassion without structure is not equity, and equity should never come at the expense of the very communities that have fought the hardest for these spaces.    

We can do both. We can provide services in ways that are safe, thoughtful and appropriate in locations that are designed for that purpose without taking away from our parks or putting additional burdens on neighborhoods that have already carried so much. I will continue to make sure that our parks remain what they were always meant to be: safe and vibrant spaces for our families.

To join the meeting in person or to watch online, visit our council meetings website.

Betty Guardado represents District 5 on the Phoenix City Council. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.