Opinion

I am a parent of a Wolverine Mighty Mite. He’s smaller in stature, so he is entering his third year playing with the Mites. He’s a lot like his Mom though, because he packs a lot of passion and determination into that modest package. I’m very proud of the person that he is, and the person that he continues to evolve into. I support his endeavors, and because he is a young child, still try to shield him from controversy and hypocrisy. He has a lifetime to become jaded, and I’ll hold that off as long as I can.

I am also a peace loving, libertarian leaning, independent thinker. That’s not something that I would discuss on the sidelines of a football practice because my views find me critical of both major political parties and frequently alone in my beliefs. I only mention that here, because it is important to me that anyone reading this realizes that I support the right to free speech for all. I support that right when I disagree with the viewpoint that they are espousing, when they are hurtful, and when the cause that they are supporting is unpopular and seems ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to insinuate that there shouldn’t be consequences of a person or group’s use of their right to free speech. I am simply stating that free speech is something that I support. I also believe that rules are rules. From my perspective, there are far too many rules in this world made to protect us from ourselves, but that’s another article for another time. I don’t believe that rules exist for some and not others. I don’t believe in preferential treatment. Laws and rules should exist for all and include all individuals, regardless of their race, orientation, organization, annual income, or political position. Crazy, huh? I have little respect for those that champion rules and then flagrantly break them in a public fashion, insinuating that they somehow are above the restrictions placed on the masses.

After a hectic season of negotiations and applications to get permission to use Brodie Park South for practice, football and cheer practice started up last night. I have to tell you that I was very excited for the start of the season. The weather cooled off nicely, and I have been looking forward to watching my son play his favorite sport and visit with the football families that are quickly becoming friends. It’s silly, but I started the evening having second thoughts about staying to watch practice and enjoy the park, which I like to do as often as possible. My second thoughts centered on my worry that “Friends of Brodie Park South” would be doing a drive-by and use the amount of cars parked as a renewed argument to take away the practice space that we had worked so hard to continue using. I went anyway. I was late, having decided to stop for a coffee and snacks for my other children, and was greeted by a group of the “Friends” sitting on Mrs. Hale’s porch taking pictures and videotaping. My stomach sank, though I noticed that the cars were all pulled safely off of the road, and the sounds of the kids playing were not overly intrusive from the street.

We had a group of concerned parents who were worried because someone else had parked a little further down the street, and that they had gone all over trying to locate that person and have the car moved, but couldn’t find them. Might it have been a dog walker that was using the park, or even a plant from across the street? Regardless, the illegally parked car was causing a lot of stress. I tried to ignore it, and told myself that I would not be bothered by these people that had every right to sit across the street and videotape us, and walk around the field pointing and taking pictures of our kids. It got to me though.

I noticed that I was affected as practice was wrapping up, and I found myself getting short with my children for not placing their toys in their backpacks quickly enough, as I was stressed about leaving the park quickly. I found myself shielding my kids from Maria’s camera as she stood across the street with her video camera trying to intimidate and antagonize. I found myself worrying about how this group was going to manipulate this practice and make it seem ugly. I worried about trash being inadvertently left and plastered all over New Hartford Plus the next morning, and made a quick run across the field with my kids finding none. I joked with my husband later, that I felt like a bullied child. It was much harder to ignore those that have spent months trying to harm the program that means so much to my children, than I had hoped. With that group there trying to intimidate us and remove us from that property, I found it very difficult to enjoy the evening that I had looked forward to.

I am writing this to illustrate to anyone who was not there, how difficult it is to live under scrutiny. A friend posted on my Facebook timeline that she had driven by Brodie North after practice where there was still 12 cars in the parking lot and a tennis game going on. She also drove by Callahan Park to find 10 children playing basketball. It was officially dusk, so would Maria Moore be visiting them as well with her camera and videotape?

It’s almost noon, and maybe she’s decided to take the high road, or maybe she couldn’t find any issues, because the only thing posted on New Hartford Plus that caught my attention this morning was a piece about Maria Moore’s visit to Brodie South walking her dog Sunday night with dark skies and impending storms, depicting the early onset of darkness. I’m perplexed, as I did not think Maria Moore had gained any special exemption for visiting the park after dusk. How can this woman, who works so hard to have rules instituted to bar our program, so boldly print a piece of her breaking the rules that she champions so strongly. Where is the outcry? Will she be reprimanded for her public dismissal of this rule that she fought so hard to use to bar our practice evenings? I doubt it.

Friends of Brodie South, I respect your right to your opinion. I respect your right to free speech. I respect your right to make me feel uncomfortable as you videotape me and my children. I do not respect your right to brazenly ignore the rules that you champion.

Krista Maloney