Yesterday the Court denied the plaintiffs’ request to close Denny Blaine Park. The park remains open to everyone. Nudity remains lawful and permitted on the lower beach, and toplessness remains permitted throughout the park, including the upper area. These have been our core goals from the day we intervened in this case: preserving Denny Blaine as the historic, clothing-optional gathering place it has been for generations of Seattleites, including LGBTQ+ communities who have long found safety and belonging there.

The Court ordered the City of Seattle to take additional steps at the park, including developing a park-specific user plan and code of conduct, increasing staffing and maintenance, and improving landscaping and signage. Friends of Denny Blaine has always maintained that Denny Blaine works best when everyone — park users and neighbors alike — feels safe and respected. We will do everything we can to support the City in this work, just as we have to date through our community guidelines, volunteer stewardship, and ongoing outreach, and we remain committed to being good neighbors and to a park that is welcoming and inclusive of all.

We respectfully disagree with portions of the Court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. In particular, we believe the ruling gives substantial weight to conditions that predate the abatement measures now in place, and does not fully reflect the significant improvements at the park over the past year — improvements the evidence at trial documented. We believe that the evidence reflects that the Park is not currently a nuisance and that the Park should ultimately be restored to its full historical status as a fully clothing optional Park. We are reviewing the order carefully and evaluating our next steps.