Pokemon Go poses problem for peace at Eden Prairie park memorial

Crowds and trampled greenery at veterans memorial lead city official to seek relief from the game's maker.

July 30, 2016 at 3:20PM

The four tweens sat on a bench at the veterans memorial in Eden Prairie, shielding their cellphones from the glare of the midday sun. They exchanged notes about their latest Pokémon Go captures. As they hunched over their phones, their feet dangled above an inscribed quote: "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

Purgatory Creek Park has seen a boom of these vigilant visitors recently, said Jay Lotthammer, the city's parks and recreation director. He just wishes that attentiveness extended beyond a handheld screen.

He's sent requests to Niantic — the company behind Pokémon Go, the popular app and augmented reality game — asking them to disperse the handful of Pokestops around the park away from the veterans memorial.

The hundreds of people who come "at all hours of the day and night" have been crowding around the memorial, tromping through flower beds and wandering, eyes down, through the space intended for quiet reflection.

"From what we've heard, this is one of the most desirable spots for the game in the state," Lotthammer said. "As long as the Pokémon are here, the people will come. Of course we want people in our parks — that's great for us — but it's got to be tweaked and dispersed a little."

Over the lunch hour on Friday, the park's parking lot was full. More than 150 people were gathered with their phones, walking around in work attire or sprawled out on picnic blankets, collecting the animated characters.

Jim Beck, 46, leaned up against a bronze sculpture of a battlefield cross — a rifle rising above a pair of combat boots with a helmet placed on top.

"I just think it's a double standard," he said, keeping his eyes on his phone and the Magikarp he was trying to capture. "The city wants people out and active but then want to take away the thing that's bringing us out and off the couch. I would never have come to the memorial if it wasn't for this game."

The director of Fort Snelling National Cemetery, John Knapp, agrees with Lotthammer and has adopted a recently issued nationwide policy banning gaming in the country's national cemeteries. Over the past few days, he's also sent requests to Niantic, asking for the removal of 16 Pokestops in the cemetery. So far, three have been removed and he's personally asked several Pokémon hunters to take their game elsewhere.

"These are hallowed grounds," he said. "We want it to be a space of decorum."

Twelve-year-old Ryan Kelly said he thinks Eden Prairie's memorial should be offered the same respect, but he understands the appeal of trying to "catch 'em all."

After capturing "a lot" of Pokémon around the memorial, he took a moment to walk around with his father and look up at the bronze ­sculpture of fallen soldier slung over the shoulders of a comrade.

"I definitely tried to look around and think about it," he said. "That's important. But I can't say it was the reason I came out here."

Mara Klecker • 612-673-4753

Lexi Reed, left, and Madison Lang share a laugh outside the Veterans Memorial.
Lexi Reed, left, and Madison Lang share a laugh outside the Veterans Memorial. (Special To The Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Chris Sternthal, right, speaks to Pokémon Go players after meeting with Eden Prarie City Council members on how to reduce vandalism in the parks. ] Timothy Nwachukwu • timothy.nwachukwu@startribune.com Pokémon Go trainers were out in full force in search of rare, new Pokémon at Purgatory Creek Park on Friday, July 29, 2016 in Eden Prarie. Members of Eden Prarie City council contacted Pokemon Go creators, asking them to eliminate Pokestops in the city parks, especially aroun
Chris Sternthal, right, spoke to Pokémon Go players on Friday after meeting with Eden Prairie City Council members. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A young Pokémon Go player walks through the park in search of new Pokémon. ] Timothy Nwachukwu • timothy.nwachukwu@startribune.com Pokémon Go trainers were out in full force in search of rare, new Pokémon at Purgatory Creek Park on Friday, July 29, 2016 in Eden Prarie. Members of Eden Prarie City council contacted Pokemon Go creators, asking them to eliminate Pokestops in the city parks, especially around the Veterans Memorial due to players damaging the park's landsca
A young Pokemon Go player walked through Purgatory Creek Park in search of Pokemon on Friday. The city doesn't object to players coming to the park but wants the game's maker to move some of the park's Pokestops away from a memorial. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Mara Klecker

Reporter

Mara Klecker covers suburban K-12 education for the Star Tribune.

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