Neighbors unofficially closed a park near Boston's troubled Mass. and Cass area, long plagued by worsening problems.
Clifford Park was blocked off with yellow tape and signs Wednesday after multiple requests for the city to address illegal activities taking place on the public property in Roxbury.
"We've seen folks having sex in this park," said Leon Rivera. "There's feces, there's urine everywhere, so we definitely need some type of action."
City workers could be seen cleaning graffiti and dirt off the park with a power washer after taking down the signs and tape on Wednesday.
Residents tell NBC10 Boston the park became a haven for those displaced by Mass. and Cass, an area that attracts dozens of homeless individuals every day about a quarter mile away from the park.
"We definitely need to support those who are struggling, who are using the park to sleep in, but also make sure that we're balancing the need of the community," Boston City Council member at-large Erin Murphy said.
Murphy and neighbors around the park have tried appealing to the city to address the homelessness problem in that section of Roxbury.
"We'll be inviting in the departments to put our heads together and really think how can we work together to get this better for the community," Murphy said.
Neighbors like community activist Domingos DaRosa have long demanded action to address the park's problems.
"I have found loaded needles, I have found bags of different types of drugs, from crystal meth, to a mixture of heroin, and fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, used needles, used condoms, human feces," DaRosa told NBC10 Boston last month. "You name it, we find it."
Until the city takes action on the crime taking place across the street from an elementary school, in Clifford Park, Rivera told NBC10 Boston he and other neighbors would continue bringing attention to the issue.
"We figured, you know, if we're not going to get this place cleaned, might as well close it until something is done," Rivera said. "It's not safe for children, it's not safe for families."
City council members told NBC10 Boston there's a hearing planned to discuss the problems surrounding Clifford Park, and they could find out the date and time for the hearing by Thursday.
