"Reactive, not proactive": City cleans Roxbury playground after neighbors put up caution tape
BOSTON - Clifford Park playground was cleaner than usual on Thursday, as students returned to school and recess in Roxbury. But it wasn't as cheerful on Wednesday.
"If we don't bring any kind of dramatic scene to it, it's just dismissed," said Domingos DaRosa.
Concerned neighbors wrapped caution tape around the playground entrance, worried that it wasn't sanitary for kids. A tweet of the caution tape caught the attention of one Boston city councilor.
"We do have people unfortunately sleeping in the park, here during the day," said Boston City Councilor-At-Large Erin Murphy. "They're using the bathroom and needles are discarded. And today was the first day of school and the children at the Mason School don't have their own playground, so they do like to use this play structure and oftentimes the teachers don't feel like it's safe enough."
Not safe or clean enough due to its proximity to the homeless encampments along Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.
It's been a concern for Domingos DaRosa and activists of "Needles in the Park" for years, who just want a safe place for kids to play.
"They're children," DaRosa said. "They shouldn't have to be learning how to identify and react to needles as young as kindergarten."
Some city employees did a sweep of Clifford playground before kids were let out of school Thursday and crews pressure washed the equipment. But neighbors want to know, does it take an angry tweet for there to be some type of action?
"The city is reactive, not proactive," DaRosa said. "There should be a weekly maintenance."
Murphy understands why neighbors are upset and said there needs to be more attention to Clifford Park because of how close it is to Mass and Cass.
"They were trying to bring attention to the fact that they feel like it's still not good enough," Murphy said. "But I do want to comment that there are city departments out here, they are trying."