ST. LOUIS — Downtown St. Louis has been grappling with ongoing concerns about open drug use and public safety in its parks. Last month, the city temporarily closed the park at 14th and Pine Streets for one week in an effort to address what neighbors and business owners described as an “open-air drug market.”
The park, nestled between the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum and the Central Library, had long been the site of complaints from nearby businesses and visitors about drug activity and debris left behind. The park was closed from Sept. 8th through the 14th.
City of St. Louis Chief Operating Officer Colonel Ben Jonsson said the closure had an immediate impact…