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'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

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Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#11

Post by potatolicious »

epochwolf wrote: post #3

> The tables are behind the gates of the park’s Emerson Playground, which the signs in question state is off limits to adults unaccompanied by minors. I keep rolling this around in my mind. It makes sense but at the some time it doesn't make sense at all. I'm sure it's intended to keep people from kidnapping kids or adults from destroying equipment but I fail to see how it would even be remotely effective at that.

> "I'm sure it's intended to keep people from kidnapping kids"

Not a good job at that - the vast majority of kidnappings (or hell, cases of child abuse in general) are done by people known to the family.

The creepy stranger who will swoop in when you turn your back and kidnap your child is 99% a figment of one's imagination.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#12

Post by alain94040 »

Well, not trying to say what is right or wrong here, but the article describes a 40-year old homeless spending time at this playground. Sure, playing chess is harmless, but do you think it would intimidate 5-10 year old kids into not going to that playground? What if a larger group of homeless moved in?

Either the sign is legal, in which case it's good to enforce it (a warning I'm sure is enough for a first "offense"), or fight the legality of the sign.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#13

Post by archangel_one »

"And a police spokesman said that the summonses were part of a larger campaign to clean up the park, driven by complaints from residents about crime. “There’s been an effort over time to address these concerns, and a lot of it begins with very simple innocuous violations such as this,” the spokesman said."

Why couldn't this effort instead begin with addressing the crimes that residents were complaining about? If they're complaining about, say, drug dealing in this playground, why not deal with that first and leave the chess players until after the real problems have been fixed (or try removing the chessboards...).

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#14

Post by oiuyhgtfryhuj »

archangel_one wrote: post #13

"And a police spokesman said that the summonses were part of a larger campaign to clean up the park, driven by complaints from residents about crime. “There’s been an effort over time to address these concerns, and a lot of it begins with very simple innocuous violations such as this,” the spokesman said." Why couldn't this effort instead begin with addressing the crimes that residents were complaining about? If they…

Erm go after the heavily armed drug dealers or the nerdy chess players ?

Give me a minute to do the tactical analysis scenario....

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#15

Post by sliverstorm »

ugh wrote: post #9
jrockway wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don't think this law is related to sex offenses. I think it's related to the fact that adults can easily push children away, and then the taxpayer's money is not being used for the intended purpose. Adults have plenty of places they can go. Kids, not so much. (Similarly, if you're 40 years old, you can't go to the public kindergarten. It's because the program is designed to educate 5-year-olds, not 40-year…

Playgrounds shouldn’t have chessboards if they also have rules prohibiting adults without kids. Stupid planning is responsible for this ridiculous outcome.

What, because anyone under 18 doesn't play chess? Or because a 8x8 grid of colored squares is an expensive feature to add.

If that IS the case, we have bigger problems.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#16

Post by alphaoverlord »

teilo wrote: post #8

Here's a novel idea: Instead of a summons, how about the police calmly but firmly explain the law to them and ask them to leave? If they won't leave, THEN issue them a summons.

Somehow I think thats probably what happened. My guess is the plaintiff in question made a scene, "What? I'm just playing chess." and then a summons was written.

Then, I don't think its a coincidence that this is on the news. He probably kept complaining and got picked up by local news.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#17

Post by boredguy8 »

ugh wrote: post #9
jrockway wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don't think this law is related to sex offenses. I think it's related to the fact that adults can easily push children away, and then the taxpayer's money is not being used for the intended purpose. Adults have plenty of places they can go. Kids, not so much. (Similarly, if you're 40 years old, you can't go to the public kindergarten. It's because the program is designed to educate 5-year-olds, not 40-year…

Playgrounds shouldn’t have chessboards if they also have rules prohibiting adults without kids. Stupid planning is responsible for this ridiculous outcome.

Not to out myself as a nerd, but if my history is any indication, some kids play chess. And even checkers.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#18

Post by ugh »

sliverstorm wrote: post #15
ugh wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Playgrounds shouldn’t have chessboards if they also have rules prohibiting adults without kids. Stupid planning is responsible for this ridiculous outcome.

What, because anyone under 18 doesn't play chess? Or because a 8x8 grid of colored squares is an expensive feature to add. If that IS the case, we have bigger problems.

Not at all. I’m all for chessboards and I’m all for kids learning and playing chess, but the boards should be put in an area where both adults and kids have access.

With a simple rule change you wouldn’t even have to change anything about the playground layout. Just allow unaccompanied adults playing chess and nothing else and the problem is solved.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#19

Post by jim_h »

epochwolf wrote: post #3

> The tables are behind the gates of the park’s Emerson Playground, which the signs in question state is off limits to adults unaccompanied by minors. I keep rolling this around in my mind. It makes sense but at the some time it doesn't make sense at all. I'm sure it's intended to keep people from kidnapping kids or adults from destroying equipment but I fail to see how it would even be remotely effective at that.

If you're at the playground with your kid, you should not be playing chess. You should be paying attention to your kid.

The only people who really should be playing chess are those who aren't there with kids.

Re: 'Police. Step Away From the Chess Table'

#20

Post by oiuyhgtfryhuj »

ugh wrote: post #18
sliverstorm wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What, because anyone under 18 doesn't play chess? Or because a 8x8 grid of colored squares is an expensive feature to add. If that IS the case, we have bigger problems.

Not at all. I’m all for chessboards and I’m all for kids learning and playing chess, but the boards should be put in an area where both adults and kids have access. With a simple rule change you wouldn’t even have to change anything about the playground layout. Just allow unaccompanied adults playing chess and nothing else and the problem is solved.

You say that - but what if the checkers players move in? You could have gang war
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