Sitting in East Oakland’s Maxwell Park, it’s difficult to imagine that it was once a nexus of illicit activity.

The small, undulating park, centered around a children’s play structure, once attracted more drug dealers than children. The derelict bathroom structure was tattooed with graffiti and served mostly to secrete clandestine doings.

The Allendale Park neighborhood group in East Oakland will transform six garbage bins into works of art starting this weekend.

The group received a grant for the project from the "Keep Oakland Beautiful" campaign.