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Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:47:17 -0700
marlon from private IP, post #14921482
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pool party
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2026/06/18/michigan-pool-party-homeowner-to-appeal-citations-vows-to-party-on/90614865007/
Birmingham pool party homeowner to appeal citations, vows to party on
Portrait of Max BryanMax Bryan
The Detroit News
June 18, 2026, 9:14 p.m. ET
The homeowner of a pool party that Birmingham police responded to on June 13 shows video from his Ring camera of people leaving the party.
Birmingham — While the owner of a home that hosted what neighbors have described as a raucous pool party admits the event got out of hand, he disagrees with
the citations he received for the incident and plans to appeal them.
The home in the 300 block of Westchester Way in Birmingham hosted a pool party Saturday, during which attendees blocked traffic and danced provocatively outside
the house. Police were called to disperse the crowd and issued citations for disturbing the peace and holding an unlawful gathering two days later, according to
the homeowner.
“That’s my one disappointment, is after all the public discourse and raising of arms, that then there’s an issue with what happened — there’s a ticket
on a Monday for a Saturday issue where they were told things were fine," he said.
The homeowner spoke to The Detroit News on Thursday on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. He said information about him and his children has
been posted online since the pool party.
More: Raucous Birmingham pool party terrifies neighbors, violates ordinance
“First thing, I don’t want to sound like I’m making excuses. I know what happened. I saw the videos," he said. "I’ve been seeing on the news of traffic
congestion, people dancing on top of the vehicle. That shouldn’t have happened ... should have been handled a lot better. I plan to go door to door tomorrow
just to apologize to my neighbors for the disruption that it caused."
City officials said the homeowner rented the pool in his backyard out to a third party, which then rented it out for a weekend gathering. City officials said in
a statement that this practice violates Birmingham's zoning regulations for single-family residential properties. The homeowner said his home is listed on the
rental app Swimply, but that Saturday's party was not done through the app.
He said police did have communication with the partygoers during the day and that attendees "were told that things were OK, and so that’s why the party
continued until the time that it was supposed to end.”
The homeowner claimed the party was contained in the backyard until its scheduled end around 8:30 p.m. He said the incident in question "was a very short period
of time," but acknowledged the situation should have been handled better.
Birmingham police have acknowledged that officers should have shut down the party sooner, and said the department is reviewing its procedures to avoid similar
incidents in the future. The city also later issued a statement, noting: "The city confirms that with this emerging type of residential rental activity, renting
a private residential pool to a third party violates zoning regulations governing single-family residential properties."
"The behavior and activities associated with the event were inconsistent with the peaceful character and expectations of Birmingham’s residential
neighborhoods," it further read. "The city takes such violations seriously and will continue to enforce its ordinances to help protect the health, safety,
welfare and quality of life of residents."
The homeowner said he usually hires valet service to prevent congestion, but said the party was moved at the last minute from the day before. He said he was not
anticipating as many people as did show up, but claimed it was under the city's cap, contrary to reports that more than 100 people were on the street at once.
He also said he watched the video of the partygoers leaving his home from his Ring camera as he was not present for the party.
“People are leaving the party, walking down the sidewalk down to their cars. From the way it’s being described, you would think that you had just a bunch of
people running up and down the street throwing glass bottles through people’s windows and things like that," he said. "Are you used to seeing that many people
on the block like that? No. Was it intended to be that way? No. But there was nothing illegal about that, and I hate how people are being described."
The homeowner said he was under the impression that police had successfully responded to the crowd at the end of the party. He said he was surprised when a
citation showed up at his front door on Monday. The communication and timing of the citation are two of the reasons why he plans to appeal it.
“If the cops would have said at 6 p.m., ‘It’s loud over there — here’s a warning,’ the party would have shut down at that point, because we don’t
want to risk a ticket or anything like that," he said.
The homeowner also said reports have circulated online claiming that his position as an alternative hearing officer for Birmingham influenced the officers'
handling of the situation. Hearing officers in the city are responsible for hearing disputes from city residents over fee collections.
BPD Chief Scott Grewe said the homeowner's title was revealed after police responded to the pool party. Birmingham Mayor Clinton Baller also said in a text
message to The News that "His position had NO bearing on police response."
This isn't the first time the homeowner has hosted a pool party at his home. He said he usually tells his neighbors beforehand and invites them. He also said he
has a rapport with Birmingham's police because of past times they've been called to his parties.
"Unfortunately, I am Black, I’m in Birmingham, and I throw parties, so I get the police called on me almost every time I have people over here," he said. "It
comes with the territory, and each time the police come over here, they come respectful, they check out the scene, and they see that there’s nothing wrong
going over here."
On that note, the homeowner said he doesn't appreciate comments on social media about Saturday's partygoers, who were Black. He said he's seen people on social
media call them "animals."
Asked if he'll keep throwing pool parties in the future, the homeowner said he will — just not as large, crowded and raucous as the one on Saturday.
"I live here. I pay taxes. I have a right to have gatherings here just like anyone else," he said.
mbryan@detroitnews.com
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 20:48:26 -0700
marlon from private IP
Reply #15704598
didn't know there were blacks in Birmingham
Sat, 20 Jun 2026 18:11:16 -0700
marlon from private IP
Reply #14195165
https://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/2026/06/birmingham-man-to-mend-neighborly-relations-after-raucous-pool-party.html
Birmingham man to mend neighborly relations after raucous pool party
Updated: Jun. 20, 2026, 6:11 p.m.|Published: Jun. 20, 2026, 5:59 p.m.
Street sign
Street sign for Westchester Way in BirminghamPeg McNichol
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By Peg McNichol | pmcnichol@mlive.com
BIRMINGHAM, MI - A Birmingham homeowner plans to mend some fences by talking with neighbors after a raucous pool party last weekend that resulted in multiple
police visits, tickets and one arrest.
The homeowner spoke to MLive but asked not to be named because he said he and his family, including his teenaged son, were doxxed by someone in the
neighborhood.
The June 13 party, in the 300 block of Westchester Way, infuriated many of the neighbors, who turned out in force to the June 15 city commission meeting.
Kathy McCarthy lives on the street, spoke at Monday’s meeting and responded to the police department’s June 17 social media statement. Her daughter’s car
was damaged in the hit-and-run crash with a parked car. No one was hurt in the crash. Police said a suspect was arrested minutes later.
In response to some social-media comments that it was a racial issue — the homeowner is Black and most of the neighbor’s residents are white — McCarthy
responded with her own post, saying race wasn’t the issue.
“The concern was a large commercial event in a residential neighborhood that disrupted the people who live there. (Three-wheeler) vehicles on sidewalks, a hit
and run by an intoxicated driver, gridlocked streets that an emergency vehicle couldn’t access if needed to name a few,” she wrote. “Those would be
legitimate concerns regardless of who attended.”
She and her husband, James McCarthy, attended Monday’s meeting and said some of the party guests were using 3-wheelers on the sidewalk, so he asked them to
stop for the safety of children playing outside.
“You can’t be a hostage in our own house or if you do go outside and ask people to calm down, they say things like ‘We’re gonna take over your
neighborhood,” he said.
The McCarthys said the party lasted about six hours and attracted hundreds of people whose vehicles blocked the street.
The homeowner is an attorney who is appointed as one of the city’s hearing officials, an unpaid job. Hearing officers mediate disputes property owners and
residents have with the city over bills or fees before the city begins a collection action.
The backyard pool is rented for $180 an hour for up to 40 people, he said. The money goes to a non-profit scholarship fund, he said. IRS public records confirm
he founded the nonprofit.
The city issued citations Monday for a zoning code violation and for expired construction permits.
The projects never received final inspections, according to public records. Jeff Zielke, the city’s building official, told commissioners Monday that the
expired permits were for the pool, a deck and a detached garage.
The homeowner told MLive he thought the contractors handled final inspections for permits. He questioned why the city didn’t contact him earlier about the
permits, which expired in 2024.
He doesn’t dispute that the party got out of hand, as far as noise and inconvenience, he said, calling it “certainly unfortunate and unplanned.”
The homeowner had a complaint of his own: The doxing and way some neighbors used social media to comment on the situation, which he said “involved a lot of
unfortunate commentary ... referencing (the people at the pool party) in very disparaging ways.”
While some people are the party were “certainly doing things they shouldn’t have done, I can’t tolerate people having a peaceful celebration at a home
being called animals,” he said.
“I don’t care what they say about me. I have tough skin,” he said. “I’m not talking about the woman dancing on the top of the car. But to say that an
entire population of people at a party are ‘animals’ is ridiculous. If someone who goes to a Red Wings game gets drunk, you don’t call everyone at the
game animals.”
The homeowner said he filed a police report after a neighbor posted his and his son’s personal information online.
He said he plans to talk to most of his other neighbors individually.
“They were frustrated and they have a right to be,” he said, adding that he has good relationships with most neighbors and recently hosted some of them for
his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party.
“I’m open to hearing from neighbors who will engage in a respectful dialogue,” he said.
The homeowner said he rented the pool to an acquaintance for $180 an hour but also advertises the pool for rent on swimply.com — where dozens of Oakland
County residents offer to rent backyard pools or fire pits for $23 an hour to $240 per day. The ads show party limits from five to 100 people.
The party, scheduled for Friday for about 40 people, 25 years old or older, was rained out and rescheduled for Saturday, the homeowner said. He’d planned to
be there Friday but had an out-of-town wedding Saturday.
To ensure the party ran smoothly in his absence, he hired a security team and valet, he said. Westchester is a narrow street with no curbs.
Birmingham police praised the security team, saying they were cooperative and understood the issue.
The commission approved a 180-day pause on short-term rentals after an incident on April 11 in which gunfire erupted at a short-term rental in the 1400 block of
West Lincoln Street, less than a mile from the pool party. No one was injured but three 18-year-old men were arrested and charged with several felonies,
including assault with intent to commit murder. The three men, Larry Hunter, Jaelin Johnson and Malik Jerome Albert Parker, remain in Oakland County Jail
pending their next court appearances.
During Saturday’s raucous pool party, neighbors said they witnessed public intoxication and lewd behavior on the street, along with loud music and a street
crowded with cars. Multiple videos posted on social media documented moments of chaos. Police and the homeowner said the private security team had searched
every attendee to ensure no weapons were present during the pool party, which started Saturday afternoon and was shut down by police shortly after 8 pm. Police
told city officials they were called to the scene five times.
While the party was loud, Birmingham Police Capt. Michael Simpson told commissioners at Monday’s meeting, police who measured the sound said the noise did not
exceed the city’s limits until after 8:30 p.m., when the party was shut down. He told city commissioners on Monday that police issued noise-violation tickets
to the homeowner and the party host.
The homeowner said the party ended on time.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott A. Grewe issued a statement on Wednesday saying the party should have been shut down earlier, because “renting a private
residential pool to a third party violates zoning regulations governing single-family residential properties.”
City rules require a permit to operate an outdoor amusement or recreational facility, but bars residents from using their outdoor swimming pools as such. The
zoning ordinance requires commercial pools to be at least 300 feet from any residential property.
Police acknowledged that officers called to the scene were unaware of the zoning violation, as those are typically handled by code-enforcement officials, who
work for another city department.
Grewe used social media to share a longer statement.
“We recognize the disruption this incident caused for neighboring residents and are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the event while
reviewing procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,” Grewe said in part of Wednesday’s statement.
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