Neighbors fed up with Pokemon GO players in park ask city to act

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WJBK) - People playing Pokémon GO in Wahby Park in St. Clair Shores are being asked to stop by homeowners living near what has become one of the hottest spots for players.

"We're having other issues with people coming out of the park, trespassing on private property, people staring in our windows," said Scott Dodich, who lives next to the park. "They're there until 2 o'clock in the morning half the time."

The park at 10 Mile and Jefferson has been overrun by herds of people with their noses in their phones, some so entranced with trying to catch ‘em all they wander onto private property.

"Ninty percent of the time they're polite, but there's always that 10 percent ... they threaten you," said Eddie Parks, who lives next to the park. "They do all kinds of crazy things."

Neighbors say they're going to go to city hall about the problem.

"We're all going to speak our minds on the problems that it is causing along with the destruction to the park," Dodich said. "This used to be a beautiful park, which is just getting completely destroyed from this traffic that it was not designed to handle."

There have also been reports made to police of vandalism and theft, including a stone bench that was stolen.

Neighbors said the weekly concerts in the park for seniors have also been disrupted.

"I had one of the S. Clair Shores cops actually ask me when it first opened what was going on because he heard people were going into people's backyards," said Dennis Delpier, who plays the game.

Nicholas Henderson said there are always going to be some bad eggs.

"You just have to act right and more people will follow," he said.

St. Clair Shores police said they are ticketing players who are in the park after dark, but there not much else they can do to thin the crowds.

For anyone wanting to speak up about the issue, there will be time set aside at the upcoming city council meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday.