The Heart or Heartbreak of San Diego Leaders

Balboa Park is known as the “People’s Park”, welcoming to all including the homeless community. People become homeless due to a host of unforeseen circumstances and they should not be stereotyped as lazy or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other conditions such as mental illness can lead to homelessness due to unstable financial status especially with high cost of housing in city of San Diego.  The park is one of the last public places that welcomes homeless individuals.

During the Field Trip at Balboa Park my teammate and I, encountered two people who we think identify as homeless middle-aged White males. The first encounter was originally on the sidewalk near El Pardo and then transitioned to the courtyard outside of El Prado restaurant. The male was wearing a grey oversized hoodie, with khaki pants, closed dark grey tennis shoes, and appeared to have some sort or mental illness as he was wondering and looking for items to fidget with in his hands. He eventually came across a trashcan and searched until he found a coffee cup to either fidget with or consume the leftover coffee.

Our second encounter was near the outside of the Botanical Garden. There was a male in a purple hoodie, blue jeans and black tennis shoes with crutches by his side. He seemed to be enjoying the six-stringed acoustic Spanish guitar played by a musician on the other end of the ledge. Even though we found it difficult to capture photos or take video clips of the homeless due their vulnerability, we tried to document the social despair that they have to face on daily basis.

The century old, Balboa Park is the cultural and historical hub in San Diego. It is home to museums, art organizations, nonprofits, international cottages, trails, lush landscapes, and the world famous San Diego Zoo, so there is something for everyone. The full spectrum of human demographics – race, gender, religion, political views, and physical abilities – can be observed enjoying the park: it is truly a diverse environment. However, diversity and inclusion, though used interchangeably, are two very different concepts. Inclusion is to provide a welcoming environment where diverse groups of people feel safe and celebrated. 

Has the park leadership done anything to promote inclusion?

• Their mission is “To provide expertise, advocacy and resources to envision, enhance and sustain for all visitors in partnership with the City of San Diego and in collaboration with other organization in the park and the community.”
• The Parker Foundation awarded Balboa Park Cultural Partnership a grant of $38,000 to support inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility projects.
• Currently, Balboa Park hosts 19 international cottages, representing 34 nations. The San Diego City Counsel approved construction of nine new cottages for Mexico and India among others.

Do park leaders need to do more to support inclusion? Definitely yes. For example, they could initiate constructing gender-neutral bathrooms.

If you had an opportunity to draft initiatives for San Diego City leaders, what would you propose to eradicate homelessness and/or enhance diversity and inclusion in Balboa Park?