Wait...Did you just argue that gathering in a park (a public gathering place) and playing a board game can be illegal? Where do you live that has laws like that?
I believe it's relatively common to gamble on dominoes, and gambling is often illegal. Even so, it's an innocuous crime and probably not the real reason they were hassled.
Today I learned that people gamble on dominoes. Not that I agree with gambling, or with it being illegal, but I suppose that is more justified than just playing dominoes.
But I'll bite.
> The newcomers with dogs would chuck their dog's droppings over the fence and onto the ballpark.
This seems more like douchebaggery than entitlement. If I had to hazard a guess, douchebaggery isn't limited to gentrifiers.
> Seems like the newcomers didn't like the bodega feel when they were out walking their dogs.
Seems like a function of (middle-to-upper-class) western life and its disappearing third places. But perhaps playing dominoes in the park is illegal?