ST. LOUIS - The park at 14th and Pine is closed as of today, a move the city describes as a step toward safety amid concerns about open drug use and sales.

Residents have long complained that the park has become a hub for illegal activities, with drug use and sales occurring in plain sight. The closure aims to address these safety concerns, but some residents believe it is a measure that is decades overdue and may not be sufficient.

Resident Roxann Ali, who reported finding someone had defecated on the sidewalk, noted that conditions are worsening daily.

"I’m happy that they’re doing something; however, a week is not going to do it….It’s not them hear enjoying the park they’re doing open drug sales," Ali said.

Mayor Cara Spencer stated that she has personally witnessed the activities at the park and that residents' complaints prompted her to take action.

“We noticed that there were an ongoing set of issues that were unhealthy, unsafe and unsanitary happening there…when I went by around 8:30 this morning there were people cleaning. And we were engaged this afternoon in providing support to those that reentered the park in a non healthy manner," Spencer said.

By Monday afternoon, individuals who frequented the park at 14th and Pine had already moved to Soldier's Memorial, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the closure in addressing the underlying issues.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.