Neighbors say a machete-wielding man is terrorizing their local park. S.F. has no idea what to do about it |
Sebastian Luke points out a plant in Jefferson Square Park in San Francisco on Jan. 21 that he believes was damaged by Ignacio Dzul, a homeless man who lives at the park and has a history of destroying plants.
Broken tree branches at Jefferson Square Park could be the work Ignacio Dzul, a homeless man with a history of damaging the landscape at the park.
Sebastian Luke picks up a plant that could have been damaged by Ignacio Dzul.
It’s been seven years since San Francisco resident Sebastian Luke says he first encountered a disgruntled man hacking apart plants in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood with a machete. Luke remembers watching in disbelief as the man dismantled a young tree in front of the Harry Bridges Memorial Building and hauled away some branches, leaving behind a mangled mess.
“It just broke my heart,” Luke, an avid gardener, told me recently. He immediately called 311, hoping to salvage what was left of the baby tree.
Luke didn’t know it at the time, but this would soon become a familiar and frustrating ritual.
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Ignacio Dzul camps on the sidewalk on Jan. 21 next to Jefferson Square Park in San Francisco.
That’s because the man with the machete, Ignacio Dzul, ended up pitching his tent in nearby Jefferson Square Park, where Luke goes on daily walks. Luke said Dzul is calm some of the time, but on bad days, he chops off tree branches, pulls flowers out of the ground, scrapes away mulch and leaves behind bald patches of dirt before sweeping everything away with palm fronds he’s torn off trees in the park.
In a hierarchy of San Francisco’s biggest issues, the destruction of plants may seem relatively minor.
But court records show Dzul has encountered San Francisco law enforcement about 50 times since 2014 and has been arrested for, among other things, carrying a concealed dirk and dagger, possessing methamphetamine and illegal drug paraphernalia, burglary, shoplifting, knowingly violating protective orders, contempt of court and illegal squatting. Before moving to Jefferson Square Park, he lived in a homeless encampment on Larch Street near Opera Plaza, where conditions were so chaotic that fed-up property owners sued the city. Twice, residents obtained restraining orders against him for allegedly threatening them with violence; both have since moved out of San Francisco, in part, they told me, because of Dzul and the disorder he caused.
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Neighbors worry it’s just a matter of time before Dzul’s behavior escalates — and impacts the vulnerable communities surrounding the park.
A rare green oasis for those in nearby schools, public housing complexes and senior living facilities, Jefferson Square Park has recently become a hot spot for drug markets and other illegal activity. Last February, an overnight raid in the park led to the arrests of more than 80 people.
Ignacio Dzul is suspected of vandalizing roughly 1,000 square feet of landscaped area since 2024, destroying about 75 plants, in Jefferson Square Park and elsewhere, according to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
The city has since installed lights and increased park ranger patrols. But many residents remain concerned. And Dzul, they say, is a big reason.
Police officers, park rangers and everyday residents know Dzul by name.
“Most of the officers here have probably engaged with him at some point in the course of their duties,” Capt. Patrick McCormick, who leads the San Francisco Police Department’s Northern Station, told me.
Chief Park Ranger David Murphy agreed: “One minute I get reports that he’s sweeping the sidewalks, the next minute he’s pulling up plants,” he said. “It’s just a challenge.”
Sage Phoenix, who frequently walks his dogs at the park, told me he........