The view of Nashville doesn't get much better than this. It's what makes
Love Circle a popular place to be. But according to neighbors, after
the sun sets, things look much different here.

"It's turned into a place to go party. An after hours private - public party club place" says Love Circle resident Clarke
"I
have a nine month old, 2 1/2 year old and my wife and you want to live
in a safe place and i don't feel real safe up here at night" says
country star John Rich.
   
    Rich is one of many that say for
years they've been emailing and meeting with officials trying to get
them to do something about the noise and illegal activity they say goes
on after dark.
"I've had my car broken into, house broken into, car vandalized" says Clarke Gallivan

Following
such complaints, these signs were put up a couple years back, making it
illegal  to be on the hill or parked on the circle from 9pm to 6am, but
residents say the signs are ignored.

"Last night, came in from
studio about 11 and made one loop and counted 18 cars parked up here,
just like ants crawling all over the hill" says Rich.

During one
daytime visit we saw a sign ripped out of the ground and during a late
night visit we observed first hand the party residents are complaining
about
Dozens of trespassers, most of which were not there for the view.
We confronted several people. Some told us they didn't see the signs while others say they saw them but don't care.

"We are just coming up here to chill. Nothing recklessness" said one trespasser.

It's not just the late night partying that has Clarke Gallivan upset. It's also the aftermath.

"People in the neighborhood are constantly picking up the trash they throw around" says Gallivan

Fox 17 contacted Metro Nashville Police. They  insist Love Circle is not a major crime area.
We
checked out their dispatch history from January 1st 2010 until July 6th
2012. Police were dispatched 956 times.Many were routine checks, but
others ranged from break-ins and fights, to suspicious persons, a
suicide and even a rape.Residents admit that crime comes in waves, but a
recent death has them shaken.

"You shouldn't come to love circle and die that is a terrible thing" says Rich.

   
54 year old Darrell Fielder of South Nashville fell down the hill on
June 10th, suffered a head injury and died two weeks later.
   
Police say Fielders blood alcohol was 4 times the legal limit and that
he only had one arm - both playing a factor in his fall.
    But
residents can't help but wonder if that fall could have been prevented,
had the hill had the lights they've been asking for.

 "We met
with anyone we can think of to get lights - and we never got lights on
the hill. I just shook my head at that story and said had he been able
to see how to get down the hill, would that have happened" says Rich.
We
looked into why lights haven't been installed on top of the hill and it
seems the problem is confusion as to who's responsible it is. The
grassy hill is owned by Metro Water but the street surrounding it is
not. But it only took us snooping up here for a couple of days for to
get answers - and fast. There is a light up on the hill, the problem is
that it's not been working and Metro Water didn't know until we
contacted them. Then in one day nes was up here and the light was fixed

"Most
our activity is during the day so until you called yesterday i didn't
know light was out. We called nes today and they are getting it
repaired" says John Kennedy with Metro Water.

It also wasn't until our investigation that metro water service was  informed that someone died after falling on it's property.

"When
I saw the email from  Don Aaron to you yesterday was the first I was
aware someone has fallen. We don't want people getting hurt anywhere,
little alone on our property" says Kennedy.

    Crime, noise and now a death. But not every resident agrees lights are the solution.

"I
am not sure about lights. I like it dark up there. 12:33:55 it's always
more pleasant when there is no crowd. I really don't find it a
nuisance" says 22 year resident J Aaron Brown.

    These issues are new to council member Burkley Allen
    She didn't take office until late last year.
    But now that she's aware, she's eager to be part of the solution.

"Maybe it's worthwhile to have a public meeting to get all the concerns out"

   
Upset residents want to be clear that they aren't trying to keep people
from visiting the landmark, they're just hoping that bringing attention
to the issue will mean they're one step closer  to the party coming to
an end!

"For proper use it's a special place but a few bad apples can really spoil it" says " GallivanThe Dark Side Of Love Circle: John Rich And Other Residents Speak Out