by Nikki Silverstein
HERO: While many view the Boyd Memorial Park closure as a violation of the rights of the homeless, we have a different perspective. Our close friend who lives within shouting distance of the park had his life disrupted daily as park-goers screamed obscenities, threatened to kill one another and had physical altercations. Unfortunately, this behavior occurred at all hours. Drug-use, litter and human waste made it a harsh environment for families to enjoy Boyd Park. Hurrah to the San Rafael City Council for temporarily closing the park, cleaning it up and planning organized activities once the park reopens. It’s time for the mayor and council to take the next step. Anyone displaced by the closure should receive access to shelter, drug counseling and job training.
ZERO: Some of us want a peaceful walk by the bay after our workday. Blackie’s Pasture is a beautiful, safe setting. Sure we have to listen to people yelling into their mobile phones, dodge dog poop and watch out for speeding cyclists, but we manage. Now, there’s a new menace to our Zen time: a drone with cameras, flown by a middle-aged man. It loudly moved several feet above the fields and walking path. It hovered for minutes over three women at the water fountain. What’s he gawking at? The scenery. He also claims to be at Blackie’s frequently and is emphatic that drones can’t read your mobile phone screen, though his “is a pricey one.” His noisy toy is intrusive, creepy, and should be banned from the park.
Got a Hero or a Zero? Please send submissions to
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Product idea: Tiny surface-to-air missiles, the size of a bottle rocket, that launch from a soda straw, and seek out small peeping drones. Pow! Pop! Crash! Small, easy to launch surreptitiously; they’ll never know what hit ’em.