Pokémon GO Players’ Ban from 14 City Parks, A Cautionary Tale of Trespassing Accusations

Update: Trainers, the player contacted the director of the park. It turns out it was all a misunderstanding and the ban has been lifted. They decided they want to give it another go, and it looks like they will be visiting the park tonight.

Here is how the story went:

“Update #1:

Called Parks and Rec department’s phone attempting to appeal and was given another number to call. That number didn’t ring on the phone, so I called back and they said they’ve been having problems with the phone

I’m given the courts number, had to leave a voicemail

Update #2:

Finally got a hold of public safety (administrators of the trespass) and told me they can’t do anything and that I have to call the park / the person who had me trespassed.

So I called and am now waiting for a call back from the park recreations manager

Update #3:

Being ping-ponged by different numbers. The park recreation manager had their assistant speak to me and said I needed to write a letter to the city council in order to get it appealed.

Ended up calling a variety of elected council members but mostly got hit with voicemail.

Decided to call my district city representative and they forwarded me over to the assistant city manager who is talking with directors of both public safety and parks and recreation and said they’ll get back to me shortly.

If all else fails, seems legal action will be the only way to go

Last Update #4:

TLDR;

Finally got to speak with the director of the park. It was a misunderstanding overall and the trespass was lifted.

What rubbed me the wrong way was that the one who issued a trespass was a part-time security guard who reported us “trying to climb a fence” which is just not even remotely true. The director of the park was upset that the security guard didn’t talk to us at all. She mentioned he should’ve felt safe coming up to us.

She read to me the report and it never mentioned us circling the same parking lot he was in watching us for 10 min. The report only said we tried to climb a fence and then walked away to another complex. We never even touched the fences we would walk by.

Want to appreciate everyone’s support whether it be for legal action, courses of action, or talking points.

Will be going there tonight to play and hope to encounter that part-time security officer”

Previous Story: Trainers, gather around and lend an ear to the tale of two fearless Pokémon GO players. This story will leave you questioning, laughing, and maybe even shaking your head in disbelief.

Once upon an evening, our two heroes found themselves in a bustling city park. A Pokémon haven filled with gyms, PokéStops, and the promise of a good catch. The park was their regular battleground, one they had explored many times. But that day, things took an unexpected turn.

As they were leaving the park, celebrating their raid victory, the flashing lights of a police SUV caught them off guard. A security guard had been watching them, and their innocent Pokémon hunt had been misconstrued as something far more sinister.

You see, they’d been walking close to a locked stadium fence to access some hidden gems (read: PokéStops and gyms). Their habit of looping around the park and waiting for a raid while incubating eggs caught the attention of the park security.

What could have been a delightful evening ended with the cold realization that they were now banned from 14 parks in their city. That’s right, 14 parks! All because they appeared as if they were “staking out” places to the park police.

The actual police officers were relaxed, even offering advice to appeal the ban. Still, the incident left a sour taste in their mouths. Their favorite park, a stone’s throw away from their home, was now off-limits.

Here’s where it gets puzzling. The park security never confronted them, not even when the police were talking to them. They drove right by, leaving the couple to their fate. One could argue that a public place should remain just that – public. Unless you’re committing a crime or damaging the property, trespassing shouldn’t even be a conversation. And our protagonists were doing neither.

Trespassed in all City Parks for playing Pokémon GO
by u/BlindVisionary98 in pokemongo

But fret not, dear readers, for there’s a silver lining to this cloud. One player suggests that the courthouse, where they’ll appeal the ban, might just be a PokéStop or even a Gym.

So next time you find yourself on a Pokémon GO adventure, remember this tale and tread carefully. Who knows, a simple stroll in a park might just turn into a story of your own.