Jul 13, 2018 5 min read

Washington City Council voted Thursday to shut down the Seventh Ward Playground, after numerous residents in that neighborhood complained of children destroying the park and private property.

“It’s a sad thing, but unfortunately, it’s necessary,” said Councilman Joseph Manning. “It’s not a playground anymore. It’s not a place where children go to play. It’s just a problem.”

Residents of Second Street and Donnan Avenue near the park voiced concerns Monday and Thursday to council about a group of children who allegedly congregate at dusk, destroy park property and damage residents’ private property.

The residents told council since school let out, the situation has become worse, with 20 to 30 children, between the ages of 10 and 16, destroying benches in the park, writing profanity all over the playground equipment and pavilion and trashing the park with broken glass, garbage, alcohol containers and needles.

The playground has been a safety concern for the neighborhood since 2015, when 24-year-old Marius Chatman was murdered in an alley alongside the playground. He was killed execution-style and shot nine times, but his case remains unsolved.

Sara Oliverio, a resident of Second Street, told council she’s called the police dozens of times because the children are “frightening.”

“It’s beyond fixing the playground,” she told council Monday. “Now it’s coming into our yards and our properties. It’s escalated to a point where you just know that something bad is going to happen.”

Oliverio said she’s too afraid to let her dog or child play in her backyard because the children at the park have thrown rocks at area houses, breaking windows and siding, and often show aggressive behavior. Another resident of Second Street said her fence was ripped down.

Kelly Stewart, a Donnan Avenue resident, said another problem is the playground block is very dark at night, with no lighting. Councilman Matthew Staniszewski, who said he drove to the park after the council meeting Monday night, also commented on how dark the block is.

“It’s very dark around the entire perimeter,” he said. “Council has had numerous discussions regarding the park and what improvements we can make. The lighting is a huge issue.”

He also said while the park has one security camera, they could possibly install more.

“I’m born and raised here, and I grew up playing at that playground,” Staniszewski said. “These actors have no respect for public property or the community. It’s the parents’ fault. They should be the ones held accountable.”

Washington police Chief Robert Wilson told residents Monday his department will “take the playground back,” and officers will do more foot patrols there. At Thursday’s meeting, he requested that council shut down the playground.

“Shut it down, fence it off and let us enforce it,” he said, addressing council. “If people start trespassing up there, let us start arresting people.”

Council approved his request under a nuisance ordinance, since police have responded to more than three calls at the park. Since May, police have received 14 calls to the park for disturbances, Wilson said, in addition to similar types of calls at nearby homes.

Wilson said the city’s curfew ordinance does not permit children under 18 to be out past 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, or past midnight Friday or Saturday.

Washington Mayor Scott Putnam said Friday the city will fence off the entrances of the park and put up signs saying the park is temporarily closed and trespassers will be prosecuted.

“Kids are just going there to hang out and cause trouble,” he said during Thursday’s meeting. “The city has put work in up there, just to have it soon after destroyed.”

He said the Summer Food Service Program sponsored by the LeMoyne Community Center, which distributes lunch to children in need Monday through Friday, will continue through the summer on the sidewalk outside the park.

Putnam also said religious organizations that already had planned a cleanup day at the playground next week will be given access to the park to clean up garbage, glass and overgrown brush.

Steve Maze, an Addison Street resident at Thursday’s meeting, said he recently invested $6,500 in donations and his own money into the playground. He said about four years ago he put in new lights, fixed some fencing, painted, did some electrical work and put up picnic tables and swings.

“The place was dilapidated when I started it,” he said. “We put a lot of time and effort into it.”

Maze said his intention was to honor the memory of his daughter, Ashley, and his two grandchildren, Dreux and Orlando, by naming it ADO Park.

“Right off the bat, the picnic tables were destroyed and the jungle gym was smashed to the ground,” he said. “I ended up just getting frustrated and giving up.”

Maze said his frustration, which he reiterated to council Thursday, was with the city and its police department. He said rather than see the park closed, he wants the city to “put money into it” and have police patrol it.

“They want to just throw everything under the rug,” Maze said. “The police officers should be doing their job and showing their presence. If they do more patrolling, these kids might straighten up a little bit.”