Residents Claim Royalty Abuse Park

On several occasions, police officers protecting the family of a Saudi Arabian prince have ordered children playing in a Cambridge park to leave parts of the facility, Cambridge residents said last week.

Some residents also complained that cars driving the family of Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud apparently violated city rules by entering Mayor Thomas W. Danehy Park in North Cambridge and turning around on the playing fields.

At 5 p.m. last Sunday, a three-car motorcade carrying Prince Turki's family arrived at Danehy Park. The family, staff and a group of Cambridge and Harvard police officers emerged from the vehicles. Someone then lowered the chain to the park's service road and the cars, including one white stretch limousine, proceeded into the park where they turned around on an athletic field.

A number of city residents using the fields and the playgrounds said the entourage came to the park regularly and alleged that police ejected people from areas that the royal family wanted to use.

Cambridge native Marjorie Adams grew angry as she described the actions of those accompanying the prince's family.

"They kick the kids out from playing football because some little jerk's down there," she said. "If the truth be known, nobody could care less who he is. This park was dedicated to the city of Cambridge; it wasn't dedicated to the prince of Saudi Arabia," she added.

Another woman objected to the motorcade being allowed into the park and on the fields. "I don't think they should drive limos in there," said Marcy Davis, who said she was visiting the park with her children for the first time.

Cambridge Recreation Director Paul R. Ryder said he had received no complaints about the prince's group ejecting people from sections of the park, but that he was aware that the motorcade had driven on the fields.

Ryder said "no one" should be allowed to drive into the park. "My staff didn't open it up," he said.

According to Ryder, the Saudis have made no reservations for fields at any Cambridge park.

Other park visitors agreed that police often kick people off fields when the entourage arrives.

"Soon as they come around, everybody's got to go. They've got to have their own little spot," local resident Richard Andrews said, as his young son played in a nearby sandbox.

In addition, a handicapped parkgoer said his entrance to the facility was obstructed by the motorcade. Eric Dietrich, a 28-year old local resident, said he had to take his wheelchair off the pavement and onto the grass because the cars were blocking the service road.

"Just because they're special doesn't give them the right to take up space," Dietrich said.

While some residents objected to the conduct of the police and the prince's staff, others said they hadn't seen anything that appeared improper.

Ronnie Waters, who lives nearby, said that the large security squad and the limousines were the only thing that separated the prince's family from any other.

"They just sat here on the bench," Waters said.

City officials contacted by The Crimson said they had not received complaints about the use of the park but were concerned about the allegations.

"That won't be tolerated. We wish to make life pleasant for our visitors, but that doesn't include excluding [Cambridge residents] from use of a major recreational facility. We will work to resolve that post haste," City Councillor Edward N. Cyr said.

During a visit to Danehy Park yesterday, the royal motorcade remained outside the facility. Some people left a soccer field after the family arrived, but said they had done so voluntarily because the royal group was larger than theirs.