Collier Park

I’ve been to a number of summer get togethers in this park and it’s wonderful. Plenty of shade and sun, really laid back and off the main streets. We set up a 100ft slip and slide yesterday that worked perfectly as Collier is on a hill. The only reason for the ⁴⁄₅ starts is there is no public restroom, nonetheless it’s a great summer picnic spot.

Just like the Native Garden next door, Collier Park is tucked away into a residential corner of Ocean Beach, but is well known in the neighborhood as a cool hang-​out, and a nice urban patch of green.
First dedicated to the «children of Ocean Beach» by the turn-​of-​the-​century developer, D.C. Collier-​the Park has seen it’s share of controversy and political upheaval. According to the OB Rag website,
the land for the park was donated in 1909 to San Diego but it was never really developed and the entire parcel was eventually divided up. It was vacant and unkempt in 1971, when the City of San Diego tried to sell it for development, but that enraged the anti-​development hippie faction. They immediately mobilized and with the assistance of the OB Park and Recreation Dept., voted to keep the land as park.
I remember the demonstration that resulted in March 1971, when the SD Police attacked demonstrators who marched there in favor of the Park-​known as «The Collier Park Riot.» Hundreds of young people stood their ground there and resisted authority and a full-​fledged riot broke out-​resulting in 50 arrests. Afterward, this eastern site was designated as a Park, and the other half –across Nimitz Blvd.- was turned into the YMCA and Correia Junior High School-(once named Collier Junior High.)
Such a tumultuous history for a patch of earth. Still Collier Park is a restful place, with vast expanses of green grass, picnic tables, the Ocean Beach Horseshoe Club, and views of the back of the Ocean Beach Community Garden-​over the barbwire fence. At the far back end of Collier Park is one of the entrances to the Native Plant Garden.
Parts of the park are hilly and strewn with eucalyptus leaves and not easy to transverse, but that is the exception.
Be prepared for the locals to totally ignore the leash laws here-​dogs are everywhere. Really Collier Park seems like another discreet leash-​free zone for the neighbors to run and poop their dogs. That took 2 stars off for me, but I will say that it is a testimony to the spirit and plunk of our Ocean Beach fore-​fathers who stood their ground in the Battle for the Park and refused to back down. It is because of their indomitable spirit that this little green park exists here today.