He reasoned about the vandal's motive: "I have to think you don't want the neighborhood to be better," he said. "You want people to be scared of you, and scared to come into the park."
Near what Kunze called the "drug bench" lay damning evidence - drug packets, one with traces of a white powder, and a blunt wrapper.
If anything, the threat has united the park lovers and expanded their network.
Kunze's band of neighbors is working with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to create fliers and host community meetings to build awareness of dog fighting.
They anxiously await Payton's meeting, perhaps a last-ditch effort, and plan to work with his office to get a police security camera.
They are also documenting the tree damage and the fear they see creeping back.
That sticky afternoon, Lisa Handy watched as her curly-haired 3-year-old daughter took turns on the slide with a friend.
Handy used to bring her every day. "Now I can't count on coming to the park," she said. "If there's dogs, we keep walking, and I tell her we're going to the store. If there's no dogs, we're going to the park - surprise!"
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Contact staff writer Kia Gregory at 215-854-2601 or kgregory@phillynews.com.
