Man with no kids at playground

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly what law gives this man any right to just wander around a children’s playground without kids??

I am not a fan of random men in playground areas. That said, public playgrounds are usually part of public parks and open to the public. Suspicious behavior can be reported, but simply being an adult in a public space isn't a crime.

While public parks are certainly open to the public, courts have found that it is in fact legal to pass ordinances that restrict a tiny bit of the park, such playgrounds to kids 12 and under and their caretakers. Many jurisdictions do just that because of situations like the OP describes. It sets parents on edge to have a grown man circling the playground equipment repetitively. The adult can circle the outside of the playground all they want and walk all over the park. It doesn't matter if there adult male has a disability or not. OP never stated if he did or not.

The other factor is that play equipment is safety designed at most city parks for ages 5-12 (with separate equipment for younger kids). Adults using standard ages 5-12 playground equipment like swings and slides can often cause the chain or plastic to prematurely wear and break.

If cities want playgrounds for all ages then they should be specifically built with specialized equipment for larger weight loads.

Parents go on playground equipment all the time when they're there with their kids. If you stood at any playground near us for an hour you'd see an adult on the slides and swings at least a couple of times. You're vastly underestimate the strength and durability of playground equipment.

Doesn't mean they should though.

TBH, what OP describes would make me wary as well. Have none of you read The Gift of Fear? My 10yo is old enough to go to our neighborhood playground on thei own, but if I knew some random childless guy was always there lapping the playground then I probably wouldn't let them anymore.

So much bigotry and ableism is justified by that book. When kids act hatefully in my classroom, it is often justified by their parent as “well I read The Gift of Feat and I tell him to listen to his gut. His gut tells him not to interact with so and so.”

[Anonymous]

Our society is so “tolerant” now that we have abandoned common sense and identifying abnormal behavior.

What happened to believing women and trusting your gut? Something about the situation feels off to OP. It does not have to be illegal to be wrong. OP is not trained to identify whether this is a threat or not so that is why you call the nonemergency police just to come check it out. It could be anything from an avid walker, a clueless man, a neurodivergent person or, it could be something worse. The police will figure it out.

The park is for everybody but people need to use common sense. The other day I was at the park and los of kids were playing when a gym bro set up his stretch bands and started stretching and exercising on the monkey bars. Was it illegal? No. But it was inappropriate and he was clueless. He moved when it appeared to click that kids were trying to play around him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly what law gives this man any right to just wander around a children’s playground without kids??

I am not a fan of random men in playground areas. That said, public playgrounds are usually part of public parks and open to the public. Suspicious behavior can be reported, but simply being an adult in a public space isn't a crime.

While public parks are certainly open to the public, courts have found that it is in fact legal to pass ordinances that restrict a tiny bit of the park, such playgrounds to kids 12 and under and their caretakers. Many jurisdictions do just that because of situations like the OP describes. It sets parents on edge to have a grown man circling the playground equipment repetitively. The adult can circle the outside of the playground all they want and walk all over the park. It doesn't matter if there adult male has a disability or not. OP never stated if he did or not.

The other factor is that play equipment is safety designed at most city parks for ages 5-12 (with separate equipment for younger kids). Adults using standard ages 5-12 playground equipment like swings and slides can often cause the chain or plastic to prematurely wear and break.

If cities want playgrounds for all ages then they should be specifically built with specialized equipment for larger weight loads.

It is legal to pass such ordinances but OP’s community clearly hasn’t. Putting someone at risk, by calling the police on them for something that could be illegal but isn’t is bizarre. I have lived in places where you can get a plastic bag for free at the check out. Should we call the police on those businesses because we know from other places that it’s possible to make a law against that?

OP has not said that this playground is in a larger park. Some are and some aren’t.

Also, he’s clearly not getting on the equipment, he’s walking around it. Can I assume that you call the police whenever you see someone who isn’t 5-12 on the equipment? Because I see toddlers and parents on it all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly what law gives this man any right to just wander around a children’s playground without kids??

I am not a fan of random men in playground areas. That said, public playgrounds are usually part of public parks and open to the public. Suspicious behavior can be reported, but simply being an adult in a public space isn't a crime.

While public parks are certainly open to the public, courts have found that it is in fact legal to pass ordinances that restrict a tiny bit of the park, such playgrounds to kids 12 and under and their caretakers. Many jurisdictions do just that because of situations like the OP describes. It sets parents on edge to have a grown man circling the playground equipment repetitively. The adult can circle the outside of the playground all they want and walk all over the park. It doesn't matter if there adult male has a disability or not. OP never stated if he did or not.

The other factor is that play equipment is safety designed at most city parks for ages 5-12 (with separate equipment for younger kids). Adults using standard ages 5-12 playground equipment like swings and slides can often cause the chain or plastic to prematurely wear and break.

If cities want playgrounds for all ages then they should be specifically built with specialized equipment for larger weight loads.

It is legal to pass such ordinances but OP’s community clearly hasn’t. Putting someone at risk, by calling the police on them for something that could be illegal but isn’t is bizarre. I have lived in places where you can get a plastic bag for free at the check out. Should we call the police on those businesses because we know from other places that it’s possible to make a law against that?

OP has not said that this playground is in a larger park. Some are and some aren’t.

Also, he’s clearly not getting on the equipment, he’s walking around it. Can I assume that you call the police whenever you see someone who isn’t 5-12 on the equipment? Because I see toddlers and parents on it all the time.

Have you lost all common sense? What a stupid analogy! A toddler isn’t a potential creep lurking at the park.

We don’t know the set up of the park if it’s a park or standalone playground are there other walking paths or what not again she feels there’s something wrong with the situation. She should speak up and have somebody who is trained come out and check it out.

[Anonymous]

I am a woman and I now have three kids, but I was childless for many years. The park near my house on Capitol Hill only has tables with seats inside the playground area. Before I had kids, I would go in there on my lunch break and eat my lunch. My only other option was a few benches in full sun right next to a bus stop. I chose the nice tables in the shade on the playground. Because I was a young white woman, nobody ever said anything to me. But, I bet they would have if I was a man.

Put tables in the shade outside of the playground area and people would use them. There could be something about this park that you aren't realizing - like the route he is taking is in the shade, the ground cover is flat there but bumpy in the rest of the park and he is not steady on his feet. We all see the world through our own filters and don't see things from the perspective of people differently situated to ourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe I have seen signs at playgrounds that indicate that the playground area is for children and their caregivers/parents. Other adults without children are not allowed. This seems appropriate to me and should be the rule at all playgrounds. I see no reason for a childless adult to be at a playground.

Every playground needs a sign saying men without kids are now allowed in.

[Anonymous]

The common sense solution here is to encourage the town to put up signs explaining that the playground is reserved for children and their caregivers.

The number of people on this thread who are attacking OP for noticing suspicious behavior is alarming. A grown man unaccompanied by children walking circles around playground equipment is not normal behavior, the gaslighting from some of the PPs is next level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The common sense solution here is to encourage the town to put up signs explaining that the playground is reserved for children and their caregivers.

The number of people on this thread who are attacking OP for noticing suspicious behavior is alarming. A grown man unaccompanied by children walking circles around playground equipment is not normal behavior, the gaslighting from some of the PPs is next level.

Yes, at some point some of noticed that it's not right to use men with guns to enforce "normal" behavior, as decided by paranoid busy-bodies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe I have seen signs at playgrounds that indicate that the playground area is for children and their caregivers/parents. Other adults without children are not allowed. This seems appropriate to me and should be the rule at all playgrounds. I see no reason for a childless adult to be at a playground.

Every playground needs a sign saying men without kids are now allowed in.

How many lawsuits would be filed and won. Ridiculous. It is your responsibility to look after your child in public places but until this man does something illegal he has every right to sit on a park bench.

[Anonymous]

This poor man, whose only crime is exercising his right to sit on a public park bench, has become public enemy # one by a crazy woman who thinks every male is a pedophile.

Personally, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to spend even one minute with the cacophony of American brats and their Karen mothers. It's a tossup as to which is more objectionable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe I have seen signs at playgrounds that indicate that the playground area is for children and their caregivers/parents. Other adults without children are not allowed. This seems appropriate to me and should be the rule at all playgrounds. I see no reason for a childless adult to be at a playground.

Every playground needs a sign saying men without kids are now allowed in.

How many lawsuits would be filed and won. Ridiculous. It is your responsibility to look after your child in public places but until this man does something illegal he has every right to sit on a park bench.

He’s not sitting on a park bench though. Did you even read the Original post?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This poor man, whose only crime is exercising his right to sit on a public park bench, has become public enemy # one by a crazy woman who thinks every male is a pedophile.

Personally, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to spend even one minute with the cacophony of American brats and their Karen mothers. It's a tossup as to which is more objectionable.

He’s not sitting on a park bench. learn to read.

[Anonymous]

Some of you are truly delusional. I will continue to trust my gut and teach my kids to watch for suspicious behavior as well. People do not have the right to act however they want in a society and expect others to adjust to them. Sorry, that is just not how it works. No one lives in a vacuum or total freedom. There are expected social norms and behaviors and if you deviate, know that you will be looked at suspiciously. Still your right to choose to behave oddly but it is also others right to be wary of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a woman and I now have three kids, but I was childless for many years. The park near my house on Capitol Hill only has tables with seats inside the playground area. Before I had kids, I would go in there on my lunch break and eat my lunch. My only other option was a few benches in full sun right next to a bus stop. I chose the nice tables in the shade on the playground. Because I was a young white woman, nobody ever said anything to me. But, I bet they would have if I was a man.

Put tables in the shade outside of the playground area and people would use them. There could be something about this park that you aren't realizing - like the route he is taking is in the shade, the ground cover is flat there but bumpy in the rest of the park and he is not steady on his feet. We all see the world through our own filters and don't see things from the perspective of people differently situated to ourselves.

Eating a sandwich at a shaded table during the lunch hour is much different than circling a play structure for extended periods every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This poor man, whose only crime is exercising his right to sit on a public park bench, has become public enemy # one by a crazy woman who thinks every male is a pedophile.

Personally, I cannot imagine why anyone would want to spend even one minute with the cacophony of American brats and their Karen mothers. It's a tossup as to which is more objectionable.

He’s not sitting on a park bench. learn to read.

Ok even more ridiculous. Maybe this is his exercise. He still has a tight to walk in circles, squares, rectangles or triangles!