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Mourning mother wants Pokémon Go players to avoid cemetery

The cemetery is a hot spot for the game. 

If you have kids and they have a smartphone, then you’ve probably heard of the game Pokémon Go.

Through your phone’s camera and the app, you play in augmented reality. The creatures appear at the office, on the street and in the grocery store.

But one local woman says there’s one place these players shouldn’t go.

Gen Meade visits Rose Hill Cemetery in Fairlawn several times a week.

“I just love it here. It’s just such a beautiful place,” said Meade.

MORE | How to request removal of PokéStop

Her 20-year-old daughter was nine months pregnant when she died unexpectedly. Ashley and her son, Zenith, are buried at Rose Hill together.

“I read stories to Zenith. I talk to Ashley about things that we did, things she was interested in,” said Meade.

For five years, the plot has been a place of peace for Meade, but now it's packed with Pokémon Go players.

The cemetery is a hot spot for the game. It’s full of PokéStops. Those are real-life landmarks where you check in and receive tools to further you in the game.

At Rose Hill, those stops are places like specific headstones, memorials and statues.

Meade's seen the number of people, cars and noise increase over the last few weeks. The game was released in most regions this July.

While there, we came across people walking through and driving through the cemetery. They weren't there to visit loved ones, they were playing Pokémon Go. Many told us they never viewed their presence as hurtful.

“That’s the game. It’s bringing us here and everybody’s playing it right now,” said 31-year-old Mark Kabacinski, who was driving through the cemetery and playing music in his car with the windows down.

“As far as respect for the dead, they’ve past on. Their bodies lay here. That’s it. Their souls is gone,” said a woman at the cemetery, several of her young children were playing the game.

Meade wants players to look up from their phones and see the cemetery through her eyes.

“Just a great, great girl. I miss her terribly,” said Meade. “And I really think this is disrespectful.”

As you probably could tell from the link earlier in this story, there is an official process for getting a PokéStop removed.

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