Support Friendship Park and Separated Families This Sunday Afternoon

Visitors meet among the native plants at Friendship Park (photo by Michelle Landis).

By Tommy Hough

Located along the far western boundary of the U.S. and Mexico just up the beach from the Pacific Ocean, Friendship Park backs up to the southern end of Border Field State Park on the San Diego side, and is just a few feet away from the Plaza de Toros Monumental in Las Playas on the Tijuana side.

Recently featured at our club's April meeting, Friendship Park was established in 1971 as a placid space where family and friends meet, exchange food, hold hands and perhaps exchange a beso through the border fence. Unfortunately, the park is now in imminent danger of being destroyed by some truly tone deaf decisions being made by the federal government, as a new segment of 30-foot border wall is set to be installed right across the binational park and native plant garden.

Instead of embracing Friendship Park in a manner similar to that of Peace Arch Park in Blaine, Washington, along the U.S. border with Canada at the northern terminus of I-5, the Biden administrstion and the federal government is simply seeking to eradicate Friendship Park, along with the view into Playas toward the Bullring by the Sea and the setting along the beach at Border Field in one fell swoop.

So join us this Sunday, May 14th, beginning at 1 p.m. at 1250 Monument Rd. as San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action join Friends of Friendship Park and other coalition partners to march in opposition to the installation of the new 30-foot Border Wall segment.

Following a press conference wrapping up on-site by 1:45 p.m., the 1.5 mile march will be led by dozens of puppet butterflies through the nearby Border Field estuary and beach, and will culminate at Friendship Park.

Long-term, the two to four year goal of Friends of  Friendship Park is to build an international park where visitors from both sides of the border can enter and exit safely and securely to visit, embrace and share time together, similar to that of several binational parks along the U.S. border with Canada, including Peace Arch in Blaine.

Additional details are available at the Friends of Friendship Park website, or you can contact Friends of Friendship Park via e-mail.

Photos by Michelle Landis and Josh McNair.

Looking toward Friendship Park and the Plaza de Toros Monumental (photo by Josh McNair).