Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Karbassi, Neighbors Respond to Tragedy With Good Ideas
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 5 years ago on
February 24, 2020

Share

The Millburn Overlook and the San Joaquin River have provided many good memories for Tiffany Bremer and her family.
“I caught tadpoles down there as a kid,” she says while pointing over the overlook’s back railing to the river below. “Twenty years ago, this park was a selling point” for families moving to the northwest Fresno neighborhood.

Portrait of GV Wire News Director Bill McEwen
Bill McEwen
Opinion
But, on this Friday afternoon, the gates to the parking area are locked.
On the north edge of the park, there is a makeshift memorial to 24-year-old Brandyn Harris. He was shot dead there in broad daylight on Jan. 17.

Gates to Overlook Could Open Today

The good news is, the overlook can become a safe memory-making place again. Not just for nearby residents. But for everyone who wants to see and enjoy the river in a city with too little river access.
The morning after Harris was gunned down, northwest Fresno councilman Mike Karbassi found himself on the hot seat.
Residents flooded his office email account with complaints about the overlook. It had become a magnet for drug deals, couples having sex, and litter. The emailers, of course, wanted Karbassi to do something about the problems. That’s how democracy works.

Neighborhood Meeting Produces Good Ideas

First, Karbassi asked city officials to temporarily lock the park’s gates so that vehicles couldn’t park there but people could still walk in. Then he called a neighborhood meeting. Out of the meeting came several suggestions that should improve the overlook and address at least some of the neighbors’ concerns.

“I would love to see as many ideas as possible. The challenge is combining river access — which we need more of throughout the city — and safety. You can’t have one without the other.” — Fresno City Councilman Mike Karbassi
As for the gates, they could be open again as early as today.
“It was an excellent meeting with a lot of good ideas,” Karbassi says.

New Lights Are in Place

One of them already is in place. The overlook’s nonfunctional overhead lights have been replaced and upgraded to LEDs at a cost of $1,200 from Karbassi’s district fund.
In addition, other changes are under discussion. These include trimming the perimeter shrubbery, installing surveillance cameras, and replacing the parking lot with grass.
Trimming the shrubs would increase visibility and discourage illegal activities, Karbassi says. And, if cameras had been on site last week, police might have tracked down Harris’ killer by now.
I like the idea of removing the parking lot and increasing the greenspace. If that happens, Karbassi says, the city would likely allow parking on the street near the overlook between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Or, perhaps, it’s time to redesign the overlook entirely so that it is more appealing and can be used by more people.
“I would love to see as many ideas as possible,” Karbassi says. “The challenge is combining river access — which we need more of throughout the city — and safety. You can’t have one without the other.”

Parks-Public Safety Tax Proposal Coming

These are not easy challenges to solve. The Fresno parks department operates on a skeleton budget, violent crime is abnormally high, homelessness is soaring, and police officers run from call to call as soon as they clock in.
Karbassi showed real leadership in his response to the killing of Harris and the decade-long decline of the overlook.
But the bottom line is, it’s next-to-impossible to have safe, well-maintained greenspaces unless citizens are willing to invest more in parks and public safety.
Chances are, there will be a sales-tax proposal on the November ballot. While the devil is always in the details, all who want to elevate Fresno’s quality of life should give it serious consideration.
[activecampaign form=19]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

DON'T MISS

Is It Bad to Chew Gum All Day?

DON'T MISS

Dollar Doubts Dominate Gathering of Global Economic Leaders

DON'T MISS

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

DON'T MISS

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

DON'T MISS

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

DON'T MISS

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

DON'T MISS

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

DON'T MISS

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

UP NEXT

We Need Proof of Life for the Makeup Artist Trump Sent to El Salvador

UP NEXT

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

UP NEXT

Lights, Camera, Board Vote: Fresno Unified’s Carefully Choreographed Production

UP NEXT

Given Its Failures, Can California Manage a Transition to a Carbon-Free Future?

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday: What’s the Future of Fresno Unified and the Superintendent Position?

UP NEXT

Over a Century Later, California May Need Another Revolt Against Its Utility Companies

UP NEXT

California’s Economy Was Already Sluggish Before Trump’s Global Tariffs

UP NEXT

Anonymous Donor Gives $2.5 Million to Terry’s House at CRMC

UP NEXT

Will Fresno Unified Sacrifice Another Generation of Students? The Choice Is Ours

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

13 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

13 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

17 hours ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

17 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

17 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders Is Still Waiting for a Call as the NFL Draft Enters the Final Day

17 hours ago

Israel’s AI Experiments in the War in Gaza Raise Ethical Concerns

17 hours ago

Paul Skenes Strikes Out 9, Wins Duel With Yamamoto in Pirates’ Victory Over Dodgers

17 hours ago

Eovaldi Outlasts Verlander as Rangers Beat Giants

18 hours ago

Rams Take Oregon Tight End Terrance Ferguson in Second Round After Trading Out of First

18 hours ago

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

President Donald Trump said Saturday that Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine had left him concerned that Russia did not want to end ...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

Trump Says Putin May Not Want Peace and May Need to Be ‘Dealt With Differently’

12 hours ago

Is It Bad to Chew Gum All Day?

12 hours ago

Dollar Doubts Dominate Gathering of Global Economic Leaders

13 hours ago

US Judge Temporarily Stops West Texas Immigrant Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act

13 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders’ Long Wait Ends When Browns Take Him in the 5th Round of the NFL Draft

17 hours ago

Only About Half of Republicans Say Trump Has Focused on the Right Priorities

17 hours ago

ICE Deports the Mother of an Infant and a 2-Year-Old Who Is a US Citizen

17 hours ago

Israeli Airstrike Kills 10 People, Half of Them Children

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend