EOTR DC Children Deserve Safe Playgrounds Too. Repair the Marvin Gaye Playground!

EOTR DC Children Deserve Safe Playgrounds Too. Repair the Marvin Gaye Playground!

Started
December 15, 2021
Petition to
Washington DC Mayor Mayor Muriel Bowser
Signatures: 611Next Goal: 1,000
Support now

Why this petition matters

Started by Mandla Deskins

Children deserve safe, clean places to play. Especially children in the eastern end of Ward 7, where play spaces for children are few and far between. Yet, one of the gems of our community, the beautiful Marvin Gaye Playground(6100 block of Banks Place) at the end of Marvin Gaye trailhead, with slides, swings, a smaller kids area and a splash park, all themed to our very own legend Marvin Gaye, is in complete disrepair. The playground has a broken slide, broken landscaping, a missing section of fence, a rusty drain, a completely destroyed play surface, and a general design that needs some upgrades to make the area more safe. 

It should honestly be embarrassing to all of our city leaders. Tweet thread showing the condition.

City leadership and the relevant agencies, DC DPR and DC DGS, have not acted on repeated requests for repairs going all the way back to 2017.

But this is not just an issue of unresponsive city officials and agencies, this is an issue of equity. This park serves mainly Black children in an area where many parents are struggling to make ends meet. ALL DC children deserve safe, clean playgrounds, including our (mostly) Black children living east of the river in Northeast Boundary, Capitol View, and Marshall Heights.

Community members have complained and sent requests through the "proper" channels for years, but this travesty remains. Let's remind city leadership that we all believe in safe, clean playgrounds for ALL DC children, and we support children having safe, clean Marvin Gaye Playground (6100 block of Banks Place NE).

Join me in calling on Mayor Bowser to work with all relevant agencies to repair and improve the Marvin Gaye Playground for our children ASAP!

The children can't wait any longer.

Support now
Signatures: 611Next Goal: 1,000
Support now
Share this petition in person or use the QR code for your own material.Download QR Code

Decision Makers

  • Mayor Muriel BowserWashington DC Mayor