Dunseith Park/Shalane’s Play Yard, West Oakland: 263 Dunseith Street
Named parks and playgrounds catch my attention, and I often want to learn more about the person they honor. Unlike the grand parks, such as Schenley, Frick, and Mellon, which are associated with wealthy donors, smaller spaces often have official city names and given names. In the case of this tot lot playground in West Oakland, it’s known as Dunseith Park AND Shalane’s Play Yard.
Parks with given names tend to fall into two categories: honoring someone for a long life of service, or memorializing a life cut short. Unfortunately, this spot belongs to the latter. Shalane was a neighborhood teenager murdered in her home by a family member in 2008. It was, and still is, a horrific story. At the time of Shalane’s death, Dunseith Park was in a woeful state of neglect, and advocates rallied to support its refurbishment as a way to remember her life while providing a play space for others.
Nearly 20 years later, this neighborhood of breathtakingly steep streets has changed as Oakland’s population has increased. But even as time moves on and places evolve, friends and family never forget a loved one whose life is taken too soon.
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