Main Line Dad Shocked Over Police Incident at Local Park

Main Line dad Adam Washington and his family at the Ardmore park where the cops showed up after he was tossing around a football with his son (photo courtesy Adam Washington)

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Main Line Dad Shocked Over Police Incident at Local Park

It was Sunday afternoon and all longtime Ardmore resident and business owner Adam Washington wanted to do was hang out with his family at a local park, enjoy the sun. The nearby choices would normally be South Ardmore Park on Athens Avenue in Wynnewood, Vernon Young Memorial Park on Ardmore Avenue in Ardmore, and the St. Paul’s Tot Lot on St. Paul’s Road, also in Ardmore. But the first two options didn’t seem ideal, since those parks are undergoing renovations. So they went to St. Paul’s Tot Lot, which is not.

Washington’s wife hung out with their two-year-old daughter, while Washington and his 14-year-old son tossed around a football. No roughhousing. Just tossing. And he says he did it far away from where the football might pelt some little kid in the head.

While Washington paused to chat with his wife and some other local residents, he saw a Lower Merion Police Department car pull up. Two cops got out and strolled through the playground, eventually winding up in a conversation with Washington. According to Washington and his wife, the cops told him that someone had called the cops on him. Why? For throwing a football.

“They asked for my name and date of birth,” Washington tells Philly Mag. “I said, ‘You gotta be kidding me. You know who I am. I live 100 feet from this park. I own the local boxing gym.'”

Washington says the cops told him they weren’t allowed to throw a football in the park, and pointed to a sign (that was too far away for Washington to read) of park rules and regulations.

“They were kinda nice, I guess, and then they left,” Washington recalls. “And then I walked over to the sign with the rules on it, and there’s nothing about playing with balls. It’s a park. So I called the police and said that I was the guy who someone had just called the cops on for tossing around a football with my son, and I told them that I read the rules, and there’s nothing about playing with balls in the park. And they eventually tell me that it’s not the ball that’s the problem. It’s that only kids up to age five are allowed to play in the park. In other words, I’m supposedly not legally allowed to hang out in this park with my whole family, since one of my kids is past the age limit.”

But Washington says that while the “stupid” (in his words) rule has him fired up, which has him more fired up is that some neighbor called the cops on him in the first place and that the police would actually respond to a call about a tossed football.

“It makes me sick that this is my town,” Washington says. “Ardmore is changing. It’s changing so much. And not for the better. There’s so much gentrification. And so we are losing community. Ten years ago, no one would have possibly called the cops about this. If someone had a concern, they would just go up to a person and say, ‘Yo, Joe, can I talk to you for a second?’ Not get the police involved.”

Washington tells Philly Mag that he’s dreamed for years of moving to Costa Rica, though he never actually considered leaving Ardmore. “Sunday was literally the first time that I felt like, oh my God, this isn’t Ardmore.”

But he’s not giving up without a fight. He says he intends to contact the township and go to a board meeting about the incident at the park and rules at parks in general.

“They keep changing all these rules and not telling anyone,” Washington says. “All I know is that my whole family should be able to go to a park and play.”

I reached out to the township and the superintendent of the Lower Merion Police Department on Monday and heard back from neither.

Tequilas Is Back!

After being closed for two years due to a fire, the longtime Rittenhouse favorite for tacos and, well, tequilas has reopened. No word on if the waiters still precariously balance margarita glasses on their fingertips.

Open Streets Is Back!

For four Sundays in April, Walnut Street from Broad Street to 19th Street and 18th Street from Chestnut Street to Locust Street will go car-free for the city’s now-apparently-annual Open Streets fest. It’s a lovely event, where pedestrians literally take over the streets. But why can’t we do this year round? And in more neighborhoods?

Shakespeare in Clark Park Is Back!

And this year, they’re honoring the Trump administration by commissioning three new Shakespeare adaptations from trans or non-binary playwrights. A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been reimagined as A Bottom’s Dream. More here.

By the Numbers

15: Eagles seasons played by Brandon Graham. The beloved defensive end just announced his retirement. No one has played for the team for as many seasons in the history of the franchise. And he’s got two Super Bowl rings. Naturally, this being Philly, Graham hung his game-worn cleats on the Rocky statue after bidding us farewell.

$22: What I paid yesterday for a ticket to an afternoon Phillies game in April. The team announced a flash sale on St. Patrick’s Day. The password is: LUCK. But hurry. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. today. Get your tickets here.

$2: Cost of a ticket to the next Sixers home game. Ouch. I know they suck, but the fact that you can get a ticket for the same price as a small coffee at Wawa just hurts.

0: Number of men’s basketball teams from the Philly area represented in the NCAA tourney. It’s been like this for three years in a row now. C’mon, Villanova. Temple. I could go on… There are also zero women’s teams, but at least Drexel made’s it last year.

Reader Mail

In yesterday’s column, I had this to say about a show opening this weekend in Philadelphia: “MAGA loves to hate on drag queens and climate change. So, naturally, the award-winning Bearded Ladies Cabaret in Philadelphia is staging a drag show about climate change on ice! Love it.”

Reader Kevin McCourt, who is associated with the Log Cabin Republicans of Philadelphia, took issues with my assessment. He wrote: “MAGA doesn’t hate drag queens. MAGA hates drag queen shows for children. As a gay with many friends and family who drag, I agree.”

I promise you, Kevin: lots and lots of MAGA hates drag queens. Period. As someone who knows plenty of MAGA folks and who performs with a band fronted by a drag queen, believe me, I know this. That said, I’m willing to accept that you might just be in a slightly more enlightened sect of MAGA. Drag on!

Local Talent

If you’re a fan of local visual artists as well as a foodie or gourmand or whatever people who think they know something about food are calling themselves these days, you’ll want to get to March for Art: Eat, a fundraiser for InLiquid, a local non-profit that promotes Philly artists. It’s happening on Thursday and features lots of art and food, including some dishes from hotshot Philly chef Ange Branca. Then it’s March for Art: Bash, a big party and art auction on Saturday. When in doubt, buy art from local artist! All the details you need are right here.