Once it’s gone, we'll never get it back.

Crocker Amazon currently is a multi-use park for a variety of community groups with various physical abilities, from Thai Chi practitioners and Somoan cricketers to senior walking groups and sports teams. SFRPD says their proposal will reorient and fully renovate the existing baseball and softball fields.

• Look at SFRPD's project pages "Crocker Amazon Baseball and Softball Fields Renovation"

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: SFRPD’s proposal fundamentally alters the access of a variety of user groups, blanketing three-quarters of the park in plastic fields while fencing off access to those who don’t play baseball – a sport with a short season that’s only played from March to July.

SFRPD promises that they will create six new, state-of-the-art baseball diamonds to provide fields of play for Little League teams, CYO, middle school teams and private high schools with tuitions that soar over $40,000 a year.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: If these fields really were state-of-the-art they would be natural grass fields like the Giants and 25 MLB teams play on. The NFL Players Association recently recommended that all artificial turf surfaces be replaced with natural grass. In Europe, FIFA professional players are not allowed to play on synthetic turf. True, plastic fields had their day in baseball back in the 1970s and now RPD is crisscrossing the city with spools of plastic in an attempt to bring the idea back in vogue. The spread of plastic is insidious. In the United States alone, there are approximately 13,000 synthetic turf sports fields with around 1,500 new installations each year. This comes at a time when parents are concerned about microplastic pollution and oil-based carbon use that’s part and parcel with artificial turf playing surfaces.

SFRPD says it will expand Crocker Amazon’s parking lot.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: This expansion is likely to accommodate more out of town school buses and cars seeking to access Crocker’s playing fields. Not only is SFRPD expanding the plastic footprint of the park, they’re also expanding the pavement.

SFRPD says it would install lighting that will expand the hours of play.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: Lighting that gives late night games the feeling of playing in the daylight tends to bother those who live near the venue. Bright lights spill into neighboring yards and streets. Sky glow blots out local residents' ability to see the night sky and stars. Birds, bats and insects get dazzled and disoriented.

SFRPD says it will create a small dog park.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: There is already a dog park on premises. It can be enhanced but a new, small one isn’t necessary.

SFRPD says it will create a picnic and staging area.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: Picnickers at the park will be moved from spacious grassy areas onto a paved area with picnic tables to accommodate teams that will need the space to stage games and tourneys. Park uses will be sacrificing expansive views of nature and surrendering moments of relaxation to accommodate plastic fields and pavement.

SFRPD says that new plastic fields and amenities will be paid for by a donation from the San Francisco Giants along with money from the voter-approved 2020 Health and Recovery Bond.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: The bond has “health” right in its name. While we appreciate spending money on Crocker Amazon, the money was not approved by voters to wash more microplastics into our waterways or expose children to offgassing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals while sliding on fake grass. The bond language says it will “increase residents’ quality of life and provide places to relax, enjoy nature, play, and exercise. Additionally, the Bond will allow the City to make investments in sustainability programs, the Community Opportunity Fund, community gardens, and trails.” RPD’s renovation plan doesn’t live up to the ideals of the bond’s language.

SFRPD says the project will also include improvements to the pedestrian walkways, plantings and irrigation.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: The football field open space will be gone. The new plastic fields will dominate the landscape, forcing other park users to be routed around them and between thousands of feet of fencing. SFRPD says there will be new plantings but they will be cutting down many trees to accommodate the new, reoriented plastic fields, displacing birds like Northern Flicker, Robins and flycatchers that use the trees and natural grass. Trees naturally shed leaves and debris and would create a mess for those maintaining the plastic fields.

SFRPD says the project will create new infrastructure around the plastic ball fields, including batting cages and a free-standing restroom.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL: The infrastructure that really needs to be improved is the worn out and used recreation center. SFRPD doesn’t even offer a coat of paint.

You can see SFRPD’s park renovation slideshow here.

Tell the SF Rec & Park Commission and your Supervisor about the kind of park you want.