Neighbor Wars·
THE SWING SET SCANDAL
A park-goer who frequents a neighborhood swingset finds themselves the subject of police attention after a neighbor misreads routine visits and parking as nefarious activity.
Was the call fair, or just a routine?
Be one of the first to vote.
Police showed up at a neighborhood park for the second time after someone decided a person swinging on the swingset too often looked suspicious.
The poster says they live near a small park and go there frequently to use the swings. It's become part of the routine: drive over, park under a tree right by the park entrance, and head straight for the swingset. There are two ways into the park, but neither is especially convenient. One entrance sits beside a busy road with nowhere to park. The other opens onto a residential street where street parking is available near the entrance. For the poster, the choice is simple. They'd rather not walk a mile or so in 80-90 degree weather, especially after spending time swinging in the hot sun.
That routine is what apparently drew attention.
According to police, someone who lives in a house that backs up to the park thought the poster's parking pattern and frequent visits were suspicious enough to call them in. The poster says this is the second time police have been called on them at this park. Before that, when the current park was under construction, they were called on at another nearby park for the same kind of thing. They say they've been going to the park for over a year and do not understand why anyone would suddenly object now.
"I just got the cops called on me for the *second* time bc I apparently come to the park too often to swing on the swingset and that's somehow suspicious?" the poster wrote.
The police apparently told them that a neighbor whose house abuts the park believed the frequent visits and the way they parked meant something nefarious was going on. The poster couldn't hide how ridiculous that sounded to them. "I'm sorry, but I don't think my little Toyota Prius with Hello Kitty and rhinestone butterfly decals looks all that ominous," they wrote.
What exactly did the caller think was happening at the swingset remained unclear. "What do they even think I'm doing??" the poster asked.
They described the whole thing as trivial, but still deeply stressful. Being confronted by police is not a small matter to them. "I have anxiety and CPTSD, and being approached by the cops is extremely nerve racking and a rather unpleasant experience," they said.
For the poster, it all came down to one simple habit: going to the park, parking close by, and swinging on the swingset. For someone else in the neighborhood, that was enough to make a call.