8249 North Loop Dr.

El Paso, Texas, 79907

(915)433-6861
April 5, 2016
Mr. Bernie Sanders
Presidential Candidate
Socialist Democratic Party
Dear Mr. Sanders
I strongly believe in your campaign and your fundamentals, they truly represent the America we
love and are proud of, reason why I chose to direct myself to you and not to any other
presidential candidate. I am writing to bring light to a certain issue affecting the American
communities all around the U.S., in the hopes for you to see the importance this possesses, and
when you do become president and are able to implement your agenda, you remember this letter
and the purpose it represented. For years we have seen the American people shift away from the
outside-interactive life, due to rapid advancing technology and comfort of our homes. Parks and
recreations are becoming an obsolete subject, and are becoming less of a priority to the local
governments. This issue nowadays is accepted by the public and only set aside as if it was not
responsible for many positive effects on the community. In the following letter I will make
mention of a few key factors parks and recreations are responsible for in the community, and are
not taken into account for, such as the low juvenile crime rate resulted from these sites, the nonmarket value brought to a community, a low obesity and heart problem rate, and the positive
effect that parks bring to families in the community.
Parks all around the country have provided a safe haven for many young teens, in the efforts to
keep them out of trouble. There have been case studies all throughout the states, where they have
left the parks basketball court open for kids to play late, midnight basketball. The results they
received were astonishing when they saw that they juvenile crime rate fell exponentially. This
grew interest in parks in zones where crime rate was high, and in other cities and states the
interest derived from something a bit different. Health issues are notorious in this country, and
are something we have been battling for decades, being obesity, heart disease, and blood
problems, due to the lack of physical exercise. Communities in many cities have done rallies or
interactive racing games monthly, in the effort to unite the community and bring the park some
livelihood, as the crowds kept increasing month after month in these events, the health issues
consequently decreased; less obesity, lower stroke cases, healthier kids and middle aged adults.
Nevertheless, people all around the states saw the evident in these case study results, but they
never observed the value brought to their community by these sites. Non-market value is seen all
around communities by their worth and not their price, to be clearer, the non-market value is
something more than just a price; it is the time you invest in it, as well as the scarce resources
you exchange such as time and money (taxes), to attend and interact with these sites. Parks and
recreations have a bigger value than just the maintenance that is invested in them monthly by the
local government, it is the place where our countrys youth can grow and have a healthy life,

away from crime and trouble, which is a value that cannot be, put a price on.
Case studies such as The STARS program (Success Through Academics and Recreational
Support) nicknamed Midnight Basketball that took place on 1990 in Fort Myers, Florida
revealed to provide a 28 percent drop in juvenile arrests. The length of the program was intended
to last only a one-year period, but due to the high efficiency rate, it grew in many cities all
around The U.S., for example, Fort Worth, Texas had a 28 percent drop during their year in the
program, and Kansas City, Kansas had a 25 percent drop.
Therefore, Mr. Sanders I truly hope I have made my few, but precise points clear, on the
importance that parks have in our communities, and when you do become president, you are
able to add the investments of local parks to your agenda. The results are evident and the value
does not have a price, many local governments are maintaining less and less parks in
communities due to the lack of interest from the communities in these parks. Most of these sites
do not have and entrance fee, or charge for maintenance services; they are solely based on tax
payer money, and when the government sees no interest form the community, they stop
investing. The evidence is in front of you Mr. Sanders, only thing left is to change this growing
issue all around the states, and bring communities together for their own landscapes and future
youths. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I hope my purpose seemed strong
enough Mr. Sanders
Sincerely.
Jesus K. Silva
Student at University of Texas at El Paso