People’s Park

The search for a community park in the Warren Forest area continues.

On a balmy Sunday, June 27, about 60 people met in a vacant lot at the corner of Leota and Fourth. The topic of discussion was the proposed site of a park that the community could use without getting in the way of children at play and that was built by the people themselves.

The originally planned site of Canfield and Leota had to be dropped when it was discovered that the West Central Organization (WCO) is to begin building low-cost housing on that site as of August 1.

The suggestion was made by Dena Clamage that the park be created on the land bordering the south side of Matthaei Gym across from the Fifth Estate office.

Wayne University ripped off the land to build Matthaei from 1,500 neighborhood residents breaking a promise made five years before that the University would not expand West of the Lodge Freeway.

People from the Warren-Forest area remember this broken promise and want to use the land left vacant for their park.

WCO has offered full support, working with community organizers and people, to gain control of the land for a People’s Park.