BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — "We have children here that come and play every day all day long. They have no where to go," said Demetruis Davis, who goes to Shoshone park daily.
Kids and adults have no where to use the restroom at Shoshone park. The doors are locked.
"Not too long ago a little girl had to go to the bathroom. I felt so sorry for her. I didn't know what to do," Nadine Waiters said. She gives out free lunches at the park every day.
Davis volunteers with Waiters to pass out the lunches.
"The public restroom isn't public," said Davis.
The Hertel North Park Youth Baseball and Softball League manages the restrooms for the city, which means these bathrooms are usually only unlocked when the bases are loaded and the bleachers are full. Councilman Rasheed N.C. Wyatt just learned about the issue.
"As we were here, I got a couple of complaints from some folks questioning why the bathrooms aren't open," Councilman Wyatt said.
"I don't know if they can use the bathroom when the baseball field is open but I know any other time it's not available to us," said Davis.
But according to Councilman Wyatt, that might soon change.
"At the end of the day, I wasn't aware of it. The city wasn't aware of it. We thought everything was fine. But I'm glad you're doing this story because I did hear from the folks, and I do know that we need to make some adjustments," Councilman Wyatt said.
The Hertel North Park Youth Baseball and Softball League said they've been forced to lock the restrooms because of vandalism in the past. They send WKBW a statement which said,
"Last year we left them open and someone attempted to get into the main building by removing the dropped ceilings... without an attendant there, people clog the toilets on purpose, steal the boxes of soap, mark up the walls, etc."
"They're good intentions. They want to keep them clean and in order and sometimes when they're unattended they can be out of order," said Councilman Wyatt.
Councilman Wyatt said he'll be in touch with the league to find a solution.
