The first mistake these folks made was in putting time and energy into a public park they don’t own. I suspect this woman only bothered to take the time to write this article because she was particularly disappointed at what happened to “their” playground.
Please tell me what is wrong with keeping up the area you live in, whether it be public space or your own? I look after the boulevard in front of my home, including clearing snow if and when it occurs. I pick up the leaves too.
There is a reason some places are cleaner than others, that reason being that the residents care about where they live and like to keep it tidy and functional. Look at your typical ghetto vs pretty much any middle class area. In one place the folks just toss their trash wherever, in the other people clean up after themselves and others.
I'm not sure why looking after something his kids use is a bad thing, no matter who owns it. That the city took it down is a sad thing, but the article sounds more like a pragmatic lament than a major whine fest.