Posted on 05/20/2024 3:46:12 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A revision to the municipal code made it illegal for groups of four or more people to convene in public spaces for commercial recreational activities without a government stamp of approval.
They come in packs. They're often crunchy. They're chameleons: a downward-facing dog one moment, a cobra or child the next. (What versatility!) They do handstands and breathe peacefully. And we can't have any of that.
At least, not on public land. By "they," I'm referring to the world of yogis. And by "we," I mean the city of San Diego, which revised its municipal code in March to prevent groups of four or more people engaged in commercial recreational activities—yoga, fitness classes, dog training, etc.—from convening in public spaces without a permit.
Law enforcement officers are zeroing in on rogue gatherings, breaking up beachside classes before they begin and issuing tickets to the teachers. And despite the city's emphasis on "commercial" activities, park rangers are also busting those groups who meet with no cost of admission. "It's really tragic that the city would take away the opportunity to come to a class for free, to be outside in a public park, and to enjoy nature," Amy Baack, a yoga instructor, told San Diego's KGTV station. And despite what might be the gut reaction here—"Just get a permit!"—it appears the city isn't making that easy: "We are perfectly willing and ready to get a permit," Baack added, "if the city would allow it."
The law was originally tailored to target permitless food vendors. Reasonable people can and should debate the necessity or utility of preventing people from buying hot dogs from someone without a stamp of approval from government bureaucrats. But it would seem even more questionable to apply that concept to people who voluntarily meet by the water to do some stretching. Conjuring safety concerns there requires an active imagination.
Indeed, San Diego says the core issue at stake is safety. Officials expanded the code, which went into effect March 29, "to ensure these public spaces remain safe and accessible," a city spokesperson said in a statement. What danger these groups pose while transitioning from, say, bridge pose to wheel pose remains unclear.
The idea that the code provision ensures accessibility, meanwhile, is richly ironic, as it explicitly excludes from access those taxpaying San Diegans who have the audacity to work out with other people sans a permit. That they have gathered together as opposed to separately, or to do a specific activity as opposed to something nebulous, should not suddenly necessitate approval from the government.
Whether or not the rule will survive is up in the air: An attorney for a group of yoga instructors on Friday served a cease-and-desist letter to city officials. Whatever the case, it's an example of the government implementing a solution in search of a problem, which didn't actually exist until city leaders created it.
I get it! I get it!
You hate everybody and can barely contain your hatred. It’s all you ever spew.
Good luck with that.
“Then requesting ‘donations’ for their time directing the ‘free’ classes”
$20 a head. I posted a photo of about 30 in attendance.
“I get it! I get it!
You hate everybody and can barely contain your hatred. It’s all you ever spew.
Good luck with that.”
You really should take your meds! I think I said something about that yesterday?
“You hate everybody and can barely contain your hatred. It’s all you ever spew.”
Cite one ...
Bet you didn't. Bet you're lying again.
” Bet you’re lying again.”
Cite my lie.
You really should take your meds! I think I said something about that yesterday?
“You really should take your meds! I think I said something about that yesterday?”
Where is the lie?
No kidding...
I think I see a solution to the homeless problem. They are not shooting up, urinating, harassing people, and passing out in the street. They are participating in urban calisthenics.
Officer do you duty!
This isn’t about making a few dollars on citations. It’s about bureaucratic intimidation. Them letting you know who is in charge. And it isn’t you.
And it’s worth noting that the people writing these tickets, are going to shrug and say, I’m just following orders. And when the orders change and become more draconian they will say the same thing. Eventually as they close the door on the boxcar they will still be saying it. I honestly don’t think that slippery slope is an exaggeration.
First they came for the yoga instructors ...
You would think the friggin’ cops would have better things to do, like arresting illegal alien invaders at the border.
But no, the invaders are treated like royalty, and ordinary citizens get harassed.
Just more nonsense from the People’s Republic of Kalifornia.
What the HELL is WRONG with YOU? Are YOU worried somebody might actually "get ahead?"I thought this was AMERICA.. the LAND of OPPORTUNITY?
YOU shouldn't use the "handle" TexasGator.. it should be "TexasGoofyBastard!"
Would you like me to start a "Go Fund Me" page to get you set up to have a LOBOTOMY?
So long as they phone Park & Rec to put in a Reservation for the space so they’re not clashing with your Family BBQ da fuq do you care? They pay their Property Taxes to keep the place up. They’re not out there raising Holy Hell destroying local property values. They show up, flex and bend their Spandex-wrapped physiques for an hour, and leave. And the Instructor pays taxes on the Revenue, INCLUDING the State Sales Tax, AND the Local add-ons.
You act as if the local municipality is getting rooked when, in fact, they’re getting tax revenue on all these activities. If anything, the city demanding instructors take out a paid-for Permit would be double-dipping.
Commercial activities on public or private property require a permit and sometimes license. It’s pretty much always been that way with some exceptions.
30+ years ago, a group of us would go to a small San Diego park and use it for ultimate Frisbee. I wonder if they are cracking down on that as well.
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