Editor:
On sunsetdunes.org/hauntway everyone is invited to attend the Great Hauntway Halloween event at Sunset Dunes “park,” on Sunday, Oct. 26, 1-4 p.m., including the disabled. In an image on the site, a girl in a wheelchair is pictured under the heading “We are committed to a Hauntway that is accessible to everyone,” and a statement, “SFMTA has added a new blue curb parking space at Taraval.”
After reading this, I walked to Taraval to see the new blue parking space, but it isn’t there. There is only the same old blue parking space that has been there for years. A new one would mean two blue spaces; there’s only one.
When it was published, the invitation read, “ADA ramps can be found at Taraval, Rivera, Pacheco, Noriega, Lawton and Judah.” This is untrue. There are no ADA compliant ramps at Rivera, Pacheco, Noriega or Lawton.
As of Oct. 6, Friends of the Sunset Dunes had updated the invitation to read: “ADA-accessible ramp entrances to Sunset Dunes are available at Judah and Taraval. Additional ramps to enter the park (exceeding ADA slope) are available at Lawton, Noreiga, Pacheco and Rivera.”
These are sandy, narrow and debris-covered paths with broken macadam and no railings; hardly ADA compliant. Anyone with walking challenges or wheelchair bound, would be at risk to attempt access from there.
The invitation states, “There are white loading zones at Judah and Taraval as well,” as if they have something to do with being ADA compliant. Do they?
On the Lower Great Highway at Judah is one blue parking space; north of that are two angled blue ones, one at Lincoln and one between Lincoln and Judah, making a total of four blue spaces on the Lower Great Highway. There are zero blue zones for a distance of 10 long blocks between Judah and Taraval. For an event where more than 10,000 visitors are expected, accessibility for the disabled is outrageously lacking.
At Taraval, Judah and Noriega, rental bike stations take up three parking spaces each that could instead be handicapped parking. This was suggested to the City, but no action was taken.
At Noriega there is a porta-potty that is not ADA accessible. Are the bathrooms at Taraval and Judah ADA accessible? I didn’t check.
If it is not illegal to advertise to the disabled that they have full access to a place where access is limited, it is certainly immoral considering all the effort wheelchair-bound and other mobility-challenged people go through to leave their dwelling, get into a vehicle, drive or be driven to a location, find parking and park, get out of the vehicle and make their way to appear at an event. To have to do all that and then just turn around without being able to park or have full access is heartless and unacceptable. The invitation by Friends of Sunset Dunes encouraged it.
If the Great Hauntway celebration is truly inclusive to everyone, then it should be fully ADA compliant so disabled children and adults may also attend. This follows the same pattern of deceit used to establish this so-called “park” by widely spreading misinformation. The park’s events are not open to everyone if disability access is inadequate.
SF Rec. and Park should not issue permits for park events at a venue that is not fully ADA compliant and accessible to all.
Judi Gorski, District 4 Resident
Categories: letter to the editor
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
We’re committed to a Great Hauntway that is accessible to all, including distributing non-food toys through the Teal Pumpkin Project to provide options for families with food allergies and working with trick or treat station hosts to welcome kids with autism. To that end, we’ve updated our website to ensure all visitors have accurate information about accessible park entrances; apologies for this mistake.
Any Hauntway guests with questions about accessibility or accommodation requests can always email trickortreat@sunsetdunes.org, and our all-volunteer team will do whatever we can to ensure you can join us.
LikeLike
I’m not convinced this response shows any real commitment to addressing what Judi raised. Did you even read her letter? She documented, in detail, the missing blue zones, unsafe ramp conditions, and lack of ADA compliance. None of that is addressed here. Adding feel-good language about food allergies and autism doesn’t fix basic physical inaccessibility. If you’re serious about inclusion, start by making the park safe and accessible for everyone, not just rewriting your website.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Agreed. This tepid “apology” is a perfect example of deflection and avoidance of the real issue. Judi makes it very clear that the text about the accessibility of Sunset Dunes is pure fiction. It is breathtaking in its assumption that no one would call them out on this! This is their Achilles heel – their arrogance.
Patricia Arack
LikeLiked by 1 person
The apology above evades naming the actual transgression, so allow me to elucidate. For several days, the Friends of Sunset Dunes on their Hauntway page stated the following: “ADA-accessible ramps can be found leading to Sunset Dunes Judah, Lawton, Noriega, Pacheco, Rivera, & Taraval.”
In fact, only Judah and Taraval appear to have ADA ramps up to the walking path and the highway. This was a gross misrepresentation of the facts. To blame a volunteer does not dismiss the fact that this is serious misinformation sent to the most vulnerable among us. Lucas Lux needs to apologize directly to the disabled community for allowing this mistake to end up on their website. It is hard enough to exist as a disabled person in an ableist culture, but then to have information published that is not true about ADA access makes our lives even more difficult.
Someone just made this up. There is no way this “volunteer” got this misinformation from RPD. I have been discussing with RPD the lack of ADA-compliant for 10 blocks between Judah and Taraval for the last six months; RPD is planning to install more ADA access along the Lower Great Hwy, but definitely not before the end of this month. It is callous and irresponsible for Friends of Sunset Dunes to be so careless. At least now, after an outcry from D4 residents, the misinformation has been removed. It never should have happened in the first place. Going forward, can we trust Friends of Sunset Dunes?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Can you trust Scott Wiener? NOPE
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too Typical!
ADA Crimes are all too common with the ‘Steal Your Highway’ mob.
Example- When JFK Drive was Taken Away, leaving the whole Richmond District without GG Park access for over 30 Blocks, (you have to go South to the Sunset to access GG Park now), ALL the ADA spaces were removed, and are now behind the Bandshell. … IT IS ILLEGAL TO MOVE ANY ADA PARKING SPACE FURTHER AWAY. PERIOD. … This is a CRIME. … For Wheelchair bound people, adding a 1/4 Mile of distance to traverse in a Wheelchair is not Just Difficult, it becomes ‘a bridge too far’, and ADA people Just Stop Coming. … This is Reprehensible!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The bike lobby, who runs this city, apparently, do not give a fig about the disabled community. It’s all about giving the bikers millions of dollars, taking over roads and parking, and ignoring everyone else. They. Do. Not. Care about anyone else, and that includes Friends of Sunset Dunes. We are winning, however. We are 3-0. Joel GONE. Tumlin GONE. Ginsburg GONE. 🤩
LikeLiked by 1 person
All 3 need investigated for fraud and mismanagement of city funds.
LikeLike
So, Judi Gorski, has your letter been sent directly to Mayor Lurie, SF Rec/Park, but not that Ginsburg person? If so, could you write a commentary about that? Thank You!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“apologies for this mistake” -Mistakes, plural. And no apology for the lies?
“Friends of Bullsh!t road park founded by Billionaire money to lie to you”
I don’t understand how these groups can continue to operate in a “world class city” lying to everyone’s faces in public without consequences or so much as a glance from the (oh right, Breed-appointed) City Attorney. Then they try to say “oopsie” like it was all some misunderstanding or typo? No, we don’t believe you and there’s no evidence that anyone should, ever.
LikeLiked by 2 people