The Guilty Loner in NYC

In keeping with today's theme (or so it would seem) we notice a story out of New York City about a woman who is facing a thousand dollar fine and up to 90 days in jail for sitting on a park bench. Why? Because she did not bring a child to the park. (No, her name was not Aqualung.)

The Rivington Playground on Manhattan's East Side has a small sign at the entrance that says adults are prohibited unless they are accompanied by a child.

Forty-seven-year-old Sandra Catena says she didn't see the sign when she sat down to wait for an arts festival to start. Two New York City police officers asked her if she was with a child. When she said no, they gave her a ticket that could bring a one thousand dollar fine and 90 days in jail.

The city parks department says the rule is designed to keep pedophiles out of city parks, but a parks spokesman told the Daily News that the department hoped police would use some common sense when enforcing the rule.

The spokesman told the paper that ticketing a woman in the park in the middle of the day is not the way you want to enforce the rule.

Translation: enforcement of the rule should be waived if the parks department is going to be embarrassed. "Common sense," a commodity in short supply these days, would dictate that if the existing rule doesn't work, fix it or get rid of it.

How about a rule that says no children should be brought to the playground unattended by parent, teacher, babysitter or nanny? Why is it the role of the police to do a job that a child's parents should be doing? Why should innocent citizens looking for a little fresh air be considered guilty until proven innocent? What's to keep a pedophile from bringing his or her own little child to the park? Nothing.

This is another case of personal freedoms melting away because a small minority of people pose an actual threat.

Child safety is important.

So are civil rights. And the Oklahomilist's sanity.