Clifford Playground — Attraction in Boston

Arrived Sunday morning at 8:45 for softball. Had the puppy with me. Immediately noticed lots of litter when we got out of the car. There was a friendly worker cleaning up large pieces of trash & I thanked her. Proceeded to walk the dog around the park. Noticed about 5 tents as well as other sleeping areas around the park w homeless people. Several said good morning & complimented my dog. Appeared to be some possibly human feces next to a tree. During the game there were at least two arguments with raised voices between some of the homeless & a new arrival as well as several who emerged from one tent. Made us concerned. One man came out of a tent & urinated on a nearby tree. There was another man who appeared to be on drugs & completely out of it who nearly fell backwards onto the sidewalk but managed to find a tree to slouch under. There were two guys on the basketball court at various times talking loudly to themselves. There was a grounds keeper's truck that drove across the field late morning. Softball field was in decent shape, but all the "activity" was distracting during the game & I didn't feel entirely safe plus the dog kept trying to eat various litter. If I had known to expect so many homeless I would have brought food or toiletries or both. I'm glad they have a place to go, but I would not chose to have my kid play...

boston globe 9/29/22. The Boston Bengals have returned to the park, only to find the drug use and discarded needles have grown “10 times worse,’’ said Domingos DaRosa, president of the Pop Warner football program. Before every practice, coaches walk up and down the field picking up dirty needles.

“The place is a disaster,’’ said DaRosa, 45. “This is something you can clean a hundred times a day, and you’ll still miss a hundred needles.’’

Furious over the persistent blight, DaRosa took matters into his own hands earlier this month, hanging yellow caution tape and signs warning that the park was too dangerous to use.

“Please stop. This park is not safe for use,’’ the signs read in all-capital letters. “Play area is contaminated with bodily fluids like blood, urine, and feces which is a health hazard especially for small children. Please be aware of...

I clean up this lovely park anywhere from 4-6 times weekly. It's through Newmarket BID, a nonprofit organization, that I supervise the cleanup of hazardous materials and excessive littering. The number of homeless and drug users and use in the park has dwindled over the last year (Thank You Mayor Wu and I refuse to stand around, doing nothing, while the park is horribly trashed.. This is my environment and I refuse to pass by and look at drug paraphernalia and dirty syringes, that could prick anyone from a child, adult, or even ones' loving pet. So I stepped up and I take pride in what I do because this is...