Seattle park ordered to close unless city addresses public sex, lewdness: judge

The ruling, issued Monday, comes after a neighborhood group, Denny Blaine Park for All, filed a lawsuit earlier this year accusing the city of allowing the waterfront park to become a “regional venue for criminal and uncivil behavior.” The group claims the park has been overtaken by lewd conduct, drug use, and harassment, creating an unsafe environment for nearby families and parkgoers.

“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,” said group spokesperson Lee Keller in a statement to KOMO News. “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.”

Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison had previously urged the court not to shut down the park, arguing that while criminal behavior such as public sex and drug use should be addressed, nudity alone should not be considered a nuisance. In court filings, Davison defended the park’s identity as a “queer nude space” with “social utility.”

But Judge Samuel Chung disagreed, ruling that the way nudity has been expressed at the park, including alleged public masturbation and sexually aggressive conduct, amounts to a public nuisance. “I'm finding that nudity, as constituted at the park, does constitute a public nuisance, so that should be an included item in the abatement plan,” Judge Chung said.

The court ordered the City of Seattle to submit a comprehensive abatement plan within 14 days to avoid the park’s temporary closure.

Filed in April, the lawsuit details a series of disturbing incidents over the past several years. These include allegations of men masturbating openly in the park, a man reportedly laying naked on his car hood for six hours, exposing himself to the public, a man urinating in front of two teenage girls and later spitting in a neighbor's face after being confronted, as well as drug use and illegal parking that allegedly blocks emergency vehicle access. The plaintiffs argue that the City of Seattle and its Department of Parks and Recreation have “created and sustained a public nuisance” and failed in their responsibility to maintain a safe public space.

Rather than increasing patrols or enforcement, city officials have proposed a $500,000 improvement project that includes so-called “public masturbation deterrent infrastructure.” The city has not clarified what that infrastructure would entail, leading to public ridicule and skepticism about the seriousness of the response.

Denny Blaine Park, located in an upscale neighborhood along Lake Washington, has long had a reputation as an unofficial nude beach. While public nudity is not illegal in Washington unless deemed lewd, neighbors say the park’s culture has shifted toward open sexual behavior and harassment. In 2023, tensions flared when a resident offered to fund a playground in the park in hopes of discouraging nudity. The proposal was scrapped by Mayor Bruce Harrell following backlash from LGBTQ community members who saw it as an attempt to displace them.

The lawsuit names Mayor Harrell, City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, and Parks Superintendent AP Diaz, accusing them of failing to take action out of fear of political controversy rather than addressing public safety concerns.

City Attorney Davison emphasized that while criminal conduct should not be tolerated, the city has chosen not to enforce nudity regulations at Denny Blaine Park. However, Judge Chung’s ruling now compels the city to include nudity in its court-mandated abatement plan.

The City of Seattle has until July 28 to submit its plan to address the public safety concerns at Denny Blaine Park. Failure to do so could result in the park being closed, at least temporarily, until the court determines that sufficient action has been taken to resolve the alleged public nuisance.