For four years, residents of a Colorado Springs neighborhood enjoyed a weekly summertime pickup game of kickball … until other neighbors called the police.

Gazette reporter Debbie Kelley wrote about a weekly evening kickball game being shut down by police earlier this month (“CSPD shuts down street kickball game in Old North End, says activity could lead to child abuse charges,” Aug. 10 Gazette).

It’s one of those neighbor disputes that couldn’t be sorted among the residents. Some favored the game, been played on a dead-end street in the quiet Old North End neighborhood of Colorado Springs the past four summers, as an innocent diversion. Others cited concerns about potential traffic interruptions and property damage that might be caused.

Some of those opposed called Colorado Springs Police to step in. Police visited on separate weeks and encouraged game organizers to get a special-event permit from the city. Organizers did seek a permit, but the city denied the request due to “paperwork discrepancies, such as people not living on the immediate block filing the request.”

“The problem, police say, is that children and adults are playing in the middle of the street for more than an hour,” the article states.

“Because parents organized and encouraged their children to break the law, failure to move out of the road and stop the activity can escalate to charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a felony, Cmdr. Tish Olszewski said to the group.”

Parents argued that the games were paused when a car needed to get by, and said if any damage was caused (and they were unaware of that happening), they would repair or pay for it.

However, some of the non-game playing neighbors said they didn’t like that the games blocked their driveways, and were concerned about their cars getting hit or their yards getting messed up.

The police commander trumped all, citing safety concerns.

“What if a car comes screaming through here, trying to get to the hospital, and you can’t get a kid out of the street in time?” Olszewski said to parents. “When we were driving up, there was a delay” in people moving out of the street.

Two parents received tickets during the Aug. 9 game and face possible fines.

Neighbor Linda Railey, who’s lived on Tejon Street with her husband, Matt, for 45 years and watches the games from their porch, told The Gazette she understands all sides of the issue but supports children playing outside.

“The kids have a ball,” she said, “and if it’s irritating some neighbors, we need to work it out. I don’t see a controversy.”

Nonetheless, the games have been effectively “kicked to the curb,” to borrow the reporter’s phrase, due to the police intervention.

Is there a right or wrong in this scenario? Who’s side do you take, if any? Have there been similar situations in your neck of the woods? Please send your “take” on this topic to Editor Michelle Karas at michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Submissions may be edited.

For four years, residents of a Colorado Springs neighborhood enjoyed a weekly summertime pickup game of kickball … until other neighbors called the police.

Gazette reporter Debbie Kelley wrote about a weekly evening kickball game being shut down by police earlier this month (“CSPD shuts down street kickball game in Old North End, says activity could lead to child abuse charges,” Aug. 10 Gazette).

It’s one of those neighbor disputes that couldn’t be sorted among the residents. Some favored the game, been played on a dead-end street in the quiet Old North End neighborhood of Colorado Springs the past four summers, as an innocent diversion. Others cited concerns about potential traffic interruptions and property damage that might be caused.

Some of those opposed called Colorado Springs Police to step in. Police visited on separate weeks and encouraged game organizers to get a special-event permit from the city. Organizers did seek a permit, but the city denied the request due to “paperwork discrepancies, such as people not living on the immediate block filing the request.”

“The problem, police say, is that children and adults are playing in the middle of the street for more than an hour,” the article states.

“Because parents organized and encouraged their children to break the law, failure to move out of the road and stop the activity can escalate to charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a felony, Cmdr. Tish Olszewski said to the group.”

Parents argued that the games were paused when a car needed to get by, and said if any damage was caused (and they were unaware of that happening), they would repair or pay for it.

However, some of the non-game playing neighbors said they didn’t like that the games blocked their driveways, and were concerned about their cars getting hit or their yards getting messed up.

The police commander trumped all, citing safety concerns.

“What if a car comes screaming through here, trying to get to the hospital, and you can’t get a kid out of the street in time?” Olszewski said to parents. “When we were driving up, there was a delay” in people moving out of the street.

Two parents received tickets during the Aug. 9 game and face possible fines.

Neighbor Linda Railey, who’s lived on Tejon Street with her husband, Matt, for 45 years and watches the games from their porch, told The Gazette she understands all sides of the issue but supports children playing outside.

“The kids have a ball,” she said, “and if it’s irritating some neighbors, we need to work it out. I don’t see a controversy.”

Nonetheless, the games have been effectively “kicked to the curb,” to borrow the reporter’s phrase, due to the police intervention.

Is there a right or wrong in this scenario? Who’s side do you take, if any? Have there been similar situations in your neck of the woods? Please send your “take” on this topic to Editor Michelle Karas at michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Submissions may be edited.

For four years, residents of a Colorado Springs neighborhood enjoyed a weekly summertime pickup game of kickball … until other neighbors called the police.

Gazette reporter Debbie Kelley wrote about a weekly evening kickball game being shut down by police earlier this month (“CSPD shuts down street kickball game in Old North End, says activity could lead to child abuse charges,” Aug. 10 Gazette).

It’s one of those neighbor disputes that couldn’t be sorted among the residents. Some favored the game, been played on a dead-end street in the quiet Old North End neighborhood of Colorado Springs the past four summers, as an innocent diversion. Others cited concerns about potential traffic interruptions and property damage that might be caused.

Some of those opposed called Colorado Springs Police to step in. Police visited on separate weeks and encouraged game organizers to get a special-event permit from the city. Organizers did seek a permit, but the city denied the request due to “paperwork discrepancies, such as people not living on the immediate block filing the request.”

“The problem, police say, is that children and adults are playing in the middle of the street for more than an hour,” the article states.

“Because parents organized and encouraged their children to break the law, failure to move out of the road and stop the activity can escalate to charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a felony, Cmdr. Tish Olszewski said to the group.”

Parents argued that the games were paused when a car needed to get by, and said if any damage was caused (and they were unaware of that happening), they would repair or pay for it.

However, some of the non-game playing neighbors said they didn’t like that the games blocked their driveways, and were concerned about their cars getting hit or their yards getting messed up.

The police commander trumped all, citing safety concerns.

“What if a car comes screaming through here, trying to get to the hospital, and you can’t get a kid out of the street in time?” Olszewski said to parents. “When we were driving up, there was a delay” in people moving out of the street.

Two parents received tickets during the Aug. 9 game and face possible fines.

Neighbor Linda Railey, who’s lived on Tejon Street with her husband, Matt, for 45 years and watches the games from their porch, told The Gazette she understands all sides of the issue but supports children playing outside.

“The kids have a ball,” she said, “and if it’s irritating some neighbors, we need to work it out. I don’t see a controversy.”

Nonetheless, the games have been effectively “kicked to the curb,” to borrow the reporter’s phrase, due to the police intervention.

Is there a right or wrong in this scenario? Who’s side do you take, if any? Have there been similar situations in your neck of the woods? Please send your “take” on this topic to Editor Michelle Karas at michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Submissions may be edited.

For four years, residents of a Colorado Springs neighborhood enjoyed a weekly summertime pickup game of kickball … until other neighbors called the police.

Gazette reporter Debbie Kelley wrote about a weekly evening kickball game being shut down by police earlier this month (“CSPD shuts down street kickball game in Old North End, says activity could lead to child abuse charges,” Aug. 10 Gazette).

It’s one of those neighbor disputes that couldn’t be sorted among the residents. Some favored the game, been played on a dead-end street in the quiet Old North End neighborhood of Colorado Springs the past four summers, as an innocent diversion. Others cited concerns about potential traffic interruptions and property damage that might be caused.

Some of those opposed called Colorado Springs Police to step in. Police visited on separate weeks and encouraged game organizers to get a special-event permit from the city. Organizers did seek a permit, but the city denied the request due to “paperwork discrepancies, such as people not living on the immediate block filing the request.”

“The problem, police say, is that children and adults are playing in the middle of the street for more than an hour,” the article states.

“Because parents organized and encouraged their children to break the law, failure to move out of the road and stop the activity can escalate to charges of child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, which is a felony, Cmdr. Tish Olszewski said to the group.”

Parents argued that the games were paused when a car needed to get by, and said if any damage was caused (and they were unaware of that happening), they would repair or pay for it.

However, some of the non-game playing neighbors said they didn’t like that the games blocked their driveways, and were concerned about their cars getting hit or their yards getting messed up.

The police commander trumped all, citing safety concerns.

“What if a car comes screaming through here, trying to get to the hospital, and you can’t get a kid out of the street in time?” Olszewski said to parents. “When we were driving up, there was a delay” in people moving out of the street.

Two parents received tickets during the Aug. 9 game and face possible fines.

Neighbor Linda Railey, who’s lived on Tejon Street with her husband, Matt, for 45 years and watches the games from their porch, told The Gazette she understands all sides of the issue but supports children playing outside.

“The kids have a ball,” she said, “and if it’s irritating some neighbors, we need to work it out. I don’t see a controversy.”

Nonetheless, the games have been effectively “kicked to the curb,” to borrow the reporter’s phrase, due to the police intervention.

Is there a right or wrong in this scenario? Who’s side do you take, if any? Have there been similar situations in your neck of the woods? Please send your “take” on this topic to Editor Michelle Karas at michelle.karas@pikespeaknewspapers.com. Submissions may be edited.