In response to homeless, Ocean Springs closes downtown park at night
Marshall Park has hours now.
From 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., no loitering, no trespassing, no sleeping on the benches or in the gazebo. The park at the entrance to downtown is being watched.
The closure is designed to stop homeless people from using the park as living quarters. A part of the downtown business district, the park is a focal point for festivals and the Saturday market.
A member of the Historic Ocean Springs Association, the organization that maintains the park, pointed out to city leaders recently, “It’s not a bed and breakfast. It’s not a short-term rental.”
Whether closing it at night will solve the problem is yet to be seen.
Workers at businesses on that end of Washington Avenue said they appreciate the effort on the part of the city.
Everybody wants to do something. But nobody knows what to do.
Johnny Groue
director of Public Works“I feel like it has been better,” said Gayle Jones, owner of Poppy’s. “Anything they do is going to be beneficial.”
About the homeless, one worker said, “There’s a sense that they’re always there. As a woman, it makes me aware of what’s going on.”
Thomas Foreman of Island Outfitters, a new business on the block, said, “There’s the occasional person, but I don’t think they mean any harm.”
Those who have been there longer recall disruptions, and last month a fight outside that scared customers.
Susan Denyer, whose husband is on the Board of Aldermen, works downtown. She said she believes closing the park at night is about safety.
The city ordered Public Works Director Johnny Groue to put the signs up. It was a tough call, he said.
“Everybody wants to do something. But nobody knows what to do.”
Police Chief Mark Dunston said patrolmen will enforce the hours and pointed out that other parks in the city, especially neighborhood parks, are closed at night. The city closes parking for Fort Maurepas on the beach after a certain hour, he said.
He said HOSA was kept in the loop on the decision.
Karen Nelson: 228-896-2310, @NelsonNews_atSH
This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 10:52 AM with the headline "In response to homeless, Ocean Springs closes downtown park at night."