DETROIT -- Community members and leaders rallied Monday to show their opposition to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's proposed closure of 77 city parks.

Watch: Residents, Leaders Upset Over Closing Parks

Bing's office said last week that tightened budget restrictions are forcing the closures, and that the parks were carefully selected by looking at factors such as acreage and the level and cost of maintenance.

The park closure lists includes Rouge, Riverside, Historic Fort Wayne, Considine and Erma Henderson.

Download: Detroit Parks Slated To Close

The park lots will be barricaded, trash bins will be removed, the grass will not be cut and equipment and playscapes will not be maintained.

Protesters gathered at Palmer Park, Rouge Park and Riverside Park on Monday.

"It's sad! They're taking everything away that we have left out here for us to do," said Detroit parent Jacqueline Goodlet. "They're closing down all our schools. Now, they want to take away our parks. What are we going to do? We'll have no where to go."

Detroit resident Gabriel Escon said he's worried that if the parks close, the children won't have any where to play and could end up in trouble.

"If you close the major parks, where the good kids going to go?" he said. "The good kids will end up in the street. The good kids are out here having fun. Let them have their fun."

The cuts are part of the City Council's efforts to cut $31.8 million from Bing's $3.1 billion budget proposal.

Bing said the council cut an additional $9.2 million from the General Services Department, which maintains city parks.

In a statement, Bing said it was the City Council's fault for not approving his budget.

"Our community is right to be outraged at these potential closures. It's the result of a council that ignored the realities of the cuts they imposed in departments citywide whether in park maintenance, recreation centers or public safety departments," Bing said. "I presented a budget that reduced spending by $100 million without these unwarranted service cuts. Council had an opportunity to avoid these cuts had they approved my budget or chosen not to override my veto. At the end of the day, they chose to move forward with their budget. I will continue to work to avoid these cuts but will need the support of our residents to do so."

City Council President Charles Pugh said he's upset the parks are a casualty of city politics.

"The fact that we've been reporting for weeks that the parks are closing really ticks me off. That was never going to happen because council said we didn't want that to happen," he said.

Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown said it simply comes down to a lack of cash.

"You can not cut $131 million from our budget without having an impact on the services in the city of Detroit," Brown said. "Does it have to be parks? That's the mayor's decision."

Watch: Mayor To Close Parks In Budget Fight

The City Council has said it plans to present amendments to Bing's budget that will spare the city's Recreation, General Services, and possibly Police, Fire and Health and Wellness departments from severe cuts.