Earlier this week Pokemon Go players and Veterans argue about setting up a tent at Veterans Memorial Park located in Winona Minnesota. One Veteran took great offense at Pokemon Go players using the park as a Pokemon catching ground.

As you can see from the video below the Veteran and the Pokemon Go players are frequently in each other’s faces arguing between being legally able to play the game at the memorial versus not playing a game at a site meant to respect the veterans. As one Pokemon Go player tries to explain that his actions are legal, and even thanks the veteran for his service, the cameraman of the video clearly provokes the Veteran. As the Veteran explains that the memorial is like a gravestone the cameraman is quick to respond “No it’s not.” This only proceeds to anger the veteran further which resulted in the veteran knocking the phone out of the cameraman’s hands.

The argument continues and only grows in intensity as the Veteran takes his anger out on the tent the players have set up. Eventually the police arrived and seperated the two parties. According to the describtion of the youtube video below the Veteran was charged with disorderly conduct.

While there are many places where it is legal to play Pokemon Go it’s also best to consider where it is best to play the game. While I don’t approve of the level of aggression the Veteran showed in the video, it’s understandable why he feels disrespected by the players treating the memorial like a playground. It is commonly viewed as disrespectful to treat any war memorial as anything other than a spot to honor those who fought in war and many people are very serious about that. So just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.