The other day I happened to notice a small park just near the public library.
A prominent sign said the park was closed from 10pm until 6am.
Why?
That makes no sense.
In El Paso, Texas it doesn’t even begin to cool off until 10pm.
If I wanted to sit outside in a park, after 10pm would be the perfect time.
So here you have a public good that is inaccessible to the public during the hours when it would be most attractive.
What exactly are the rulers of El Paso afraid of?
Are they afraid that teenagers might sit in the park drinking beer?
What’s wrong with the public consumption of alcohol? Why must it be a crime?
There are countries where it is not criminal. There are countries where people do drink in public without any damage to the social fabric.
If there is a problem with the consumption of alcohol in this country, then someone should ask: why? Maybe there is an overall invisible level of oppression which leads to excess when those who have been trodden upon finally have a little space to breathe.
During my recent visit to Vienna, one of my most pleasant evenings was spent sitting in a park talking to a friend until 1 or 2 in the morning.
No one bothered us, and our activity was perfectly legal.
Of course, there is another angle here. If it is illegal to be in a park after 10pm, then should you want to socialize, either you invite your friends to visit your home, or you go to a bar. If you close the parks, there are no free public spaces in which friends can meet.
Something is wrong with this country.
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