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Flynn Traynor | Staff Writer

Check Mate for Chess Park

The iconic beachfront park by the name of Chess Park was officially closed on Oct. 28 after the Recreation and Parks Commission (RAPC) unanimously voted to remove chess tables and benches from public access. Chess Park is a .29 acre plot of land mere feet away from the city’s iconic muscle beach and the Santa Monica Pier. This vote, taken at a town hall meeting, was in reaction to reports of stabbings, public drug use, and prostitution at the park. Chess Park is another public park that was recently closed because of the homeless epidemic in L.A. county. The park is frequented by chess clubs, and groups of children in the summer months. Over the years, the park has been subject to deterioration.

On Monday, Nov. 15, at 12:32 p.m., a concerned citizen called the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) to report a man threatening pedestrians with a large metal pole at Chess Park. As officers arrived on the scene, the suspect ran up the block. Before pursuing the man, the officers corroborated reports made about the park. SMPD officers cited rampant homelessness as the biggest issue at a family-oriented park.

Mark, a man who calls the streets of Santa Monica his home, spoke about the community that surrounded the park. “People from all over come down here to have a good time,” Mark said. “Everyone is good to each other.”

Mark has been living on the city’s streets for the past 20 years. He first moved to Santa Monica from Chicago, following the death of his parents. “We knew they was closing the park for a while. They don't like us being here,” Mark said.

While RAPC has deemed the park closed, seating and picnic tables are still accessible to the public as of Nov. 23. The park's closure currently affects the park’s namesake chess pieces. The chess pieces once at Chess Park are now locked behind a padlocked fence, unavailable to the public. The RAPC has voted to remove all public seating from the park. No date has been set for the official closure of the park.

Roger Golden has lived on the streets of Santa Monica for the past two years, and described himself as moving from city to city as a nomad. “I am not technically homeless, I am home free. My position was a conscious decision." Golden said.

Golden shared that he frequents Chess Park. Regarding the deterioration he has witnessed take place in Santa Monica, Golden said, “the level of insanity that goes through that park is remarkable. Just sit in Chess Park for an afternoon and you will see.” Golden blames the park’s closure on lack of enforcement in Santa Monica rather than the homeless population. “It is unfair to blame the homeless population when there is no effort to contain violent criminal acts,” he said.

At a public hearing on Oct. 28, the RAPC reported a lack of reduction in crime near Chess Park after requesting additional resources from local police including increased patrols.

Maxim Elramsisy | The Corsair

Mark sitting in Chess Park in Santa Monica, Calif. on November 15, 2021. As he sits, he describes loosing his arm in an accident involving a train in Chicago.