Reggie Guillary, who has lived all of his 59 years in
the community, is in favor of the skate park. “The Watts Towers, that’s beautiful,” he said at the barbecue. “But I’d like to see the kids around here have a lot more to do. This here isn’t supposed to be gang territory, so any- thing they put in here has a chance of being for the whole community. I just hope that what we’re saying here today, they’re listening.” Loni Borga, a lively young mother of a ten-year-old
girl and two boys aged seven and two, pictures herself sitting on grass under the shade of a tree, watching her kids play in the new park. “You gotta have something for these boys to do,” she says. “That’s what they’re gonna like most, is that skate park.” But 18-year-old Daniel McDonald, a quiet youth
and an artist himself, gazes longingly at the art walk version of the park. A sports facility sends the wrong message about the importance of the Watts Towers, he says. “That’s the image of Watts. It’s what the world sees, and it deserves to be taken care of.” In the weeks to come, TPL staff members will analyze
JONATHAN ALCORN
Watts Towers, site of a soon-to-be expanded park planned with community help.
include a basketball court, an outdoor gym, splash and water features, restrooms, a community building, security cameras and police patrols, space for a farmers’ market, and a dedicated place to tell Watts’s history and recognize famous community members. More detailed suggestions address topics such as park design, safety and maintenance, fitness elements, play areas, and traffic concerns—and, of course, the controversial skate park.
the comments and suggestions, then work with city officials to craft a final plan. When ground for the park is broken, when the sod is laid and the trees are planted, when the paths and benches go in, community members can be confident that a multitude of local voices have been heard in planning the park’s design. In Watts, in Maywood, and across greater Los Angeles, new parks are emerging that meet local needs for one simple reason: their designers took the time to ask “What do you want? What would you like to see?”
Veronique de Turenne is an author, journalist, and photographer. She lives in Malibu, California, and blogs at
laobserved.com/ malibu.
44 LAND&PEOPLE Fall/Winter 2012
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