Petition from Worcester resident calls on city to do more to clean up park
On a recent warm, sunny Monday at Oread Castle Park in Worcester's 4th District, a child plays with a soccer ball.
Sitting on the grass near the playground, however, is an empty syringe. Another is located on the grass near the swing set, and includes a bent needle. Pieces of glass are scattered next to the pathway leading to the park, a red and black lighter lies under a nearby tree.
Reports of needles and pieces of trash at Oread Castle Park have become prominent on social media , with residents of Worcester posting videos of the needles and syringes they collected while cleaning.
This has drawn the concern of District 4 resident Nayari Veras, who is taking action by launching an online petition calling for a city-sponsored clean-up initiative at the park.
Veras told MassLive that she and other residents of District 4 are concerned about how the trash could affect the safety of those using the park. She is particularly concerned about reports of needles being found at the park.
"The daycare center located inside St. Mary's nursing home refuses to take their children to this park due to high risk liability with the needles hidden under slides, between rocks, near basketball courts and our little hilltop," Veras said.
The petition, which has more than 100 signatures as of Wednesday, calls for organized clean-up days at the park, improving waste management and launching awareness programs about why it's important to keep the park clean.
The petition also calls for a more visible police presence in the area during the day and night to deter littering and drug abuse in the park.
The petition is directed toward Luis Ojeda, the city councilor representing District 4. The petition is set to be delivered to the council on April 29, according to a Facebook post from Veras.
Ojeda did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MassLive on Wednesday.
The petition is not meant to call out the city or any city councilor, Veras said. Instead, the petition amplifies a message saying that current clean-up efforts conducted by residents are not enough to keep the park clean.
"It is scientifically proven that the environment has a lot of influence of our outcome as human beings, so now is the time to take action," Veras said. "We residents within the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community do care and are taking action."
Residents such as Charles Luster and Victor Cruz are undertaking these clean-up efforts at the park, picking up needles and caps from syringes.
"We found over 100 orange caps that go on the needles," Luster told MassLive. "We found more caps than needles."
Luster, a candidate for city council and the executive director of 2GetherWeEat said that the kids he teaches who attend the Webster Square Day Care Center have to play inside to prevent them from being hurt by potential needles.
"Now there are mats on the floor for them to jump around on," Luster said about the children's recess period.
The city's Public Works & Parks is responsible for cleaning up Worcester's public parks.
Thomas Matthews, a spokesperson for City Manager Eric D. Batista, said in an email to MassLive on Wednesday that crews from the department collect trash from all parks daily, with the grass mowed every seven to 10 days.
The city's Quality of Life Team assists with trash and needle removal as well, he added. The team has made 59 visits to Castle Park from Jan. 1, 2024, to April 23, 2025.
"Police also have a consistent presence at the park with foot patrols and visits," Matthews wrote. "The municipality is ready and willing to partner with anyone looking to help keep our parks clean."
Aside from the city, ambassadors from the Main South Community Development Corporation go to the park Monday through Friday, two times a day, to make sure it is clean.
David Jerry, one of the ambassadors for the corporation, supports the petition and said the city should play a larger role in keeping the park and Main South's streets clean.
The city has been working to help keep the neighborhood clean, he said, but added that they could do more, such as providing more sidewalk sweeping services.
"If we can give them a street sweeping, that's less trash floating around," Jerry said. "You don't feel like you're living in trash."
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