I think it was better known as the Tot Lot, but yes, one often found broken bottles, used needles & condoms, and human waste there. The transfer of this public property into private hands was not entirely above-board, but the end result proves an urban truism: legit use drives out illegitimate use.

It also proves one of

Jane Jacobs' dictums, that parks are not automatically an amenity. As the Tot Lot demonstrated, they can also be a detriment.

We should resist the knee-jerk tendency to always parkify vacant parcels and instead demand urban solutions like Globe Market: mixed-use new-builds that respect their context. Landscaping, even good landscaping, is a lousy substitute for good urbanism.

Skateboard Park aka needle park aka Globe market patio was and still is parkland. A fact that isn't well know. In fact, as the transfer of city to county parkland took place, the owner of the building at 762 Elmwood stepped up and paid for the needle park to be transformed. Nevertheless, it still remains a park ansd was above-board.