here is the pic
I was hoping to plant on top of the wall where the old trees were. Then maybe planting a dwarf weeping cherry or something down below.. Any ideas?? Thanks everybody!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: pic of my backyard problem

My suggests are on the pics.
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Yeah I like the idea myself of getting a climbing vine, like confederate star jasmine, honesuckle, or whatever grows in yoru area insanely well to cover the chain link. Then depending on everything else some really small italian cypress might work for that narrow of a hole in a line.

I think you could do crape myrtle or possibly camelias as well. Just some thoughts.

Dave, what was the plant you cut down? The picture shows 3' height stubs remaining? Are these still there? If yes, then what you cut will rapidly regrow (maybe not quite as tall, but more full and in bushier form) unless you herbicided it somewhere along the line.

Those were actually all trees that we cut down. Mostly ash. The neighbor out back called a landscaper to cut down the big ones, which were dead and likely going to fall on the house. Then all new ones starting sprouting up and after a year we just chopped all of them down before they got so big I would have to call in a professional. I like the idea of the vines and am going to see what my local nursery has or can suggest. Thanks everybody and as always any more suggestions are welcome!

If i were in your shoes i would plant the hedges at the base of the wall and put something pretty, but also tall, on top. Example; some english yews at the base of the wall and let them grow enough to at least cover the cyclone fence. Then at the top a series of butterfly bushes, they get 6'-15' tall and 4'-10' wide so should be able to tower over the yew. Butterfly bushes, usually, bloom all summer and have clusters of flowers in pinnacles. The fragrance will attract butterflies and hummingbirds from long distances. Yews can tolerate shade so the towering butterfly bushes would not be a problem. how high is the wall + fence together? Yews are slow to moderate growing, it took my dads approx 7 years to reach 5'-7'. Butterfly bushes, on the other hand, grow at a fast rate and may hit maturity in 2-4 years. I think overall the effect would make your backyard very inviting. Just an idea off the top of my head. Would be nice to know how much sun your backyard gets when something is on top of the wall and your exact zone, MA has a fairly wide range of temps. What direction does your backyard face? North? South? ect...

Two ways you could go with creating privacy again, depending on whether the goal is feeling screened primarily at ground level while out in the garden, or screening views of the second story windows of the neighbor's house from view while in your house.

First you'll need to remove those old stumps to allow new planting behind that fence. If privacy at ground level is paramount and you don't want a tree(s) in your garden, research the suitable choices for evergreen or flowering hedges for your zone. Choose one that has the density/height/maintenance characteristics you prefer. A visit to the library to find suitable planting guides, trips to nurseries to see the plant choices, perhaps visits to your local Botanic garden or touring the neighborhoods to look at mature examples is the next step.

If screening the total view of the neighbor's house is desired, and you're willing to give up sun to do so, a shade tree within your yard might also be desirable. Once you've given some thought to your preferred choices/approach to layout, run them by this forum again for more specific comments on their merits, and maybe also pose the same questions to your regional forum here on _@@Gardenweb.

UPDATE: so my girlfriend thought a Japanese wisteria would cover the fence nicely and look good so we went out and bought one. Then I really started researching and realized I just made a mistake, as those things will go crazy and rip apart foundations and possibly that wall. Thankfully the nursery was understanding and made an exception and let me return it and they gave me 4 ramona clematis instead. The stumps on the other side of the fence are not on my property so I cant just start ripping them out and planting new things without permission from that neighbor. But there is enough soil to work with on my side in a few spots, So I think the clematis will climb along the fence and hide that mess. Also we will dig out along the bottom of the wall and plant some hedges or something. I am going to look into the butterfly bushes and see if they work in my area. This is in Salem, MA but IM not sure what zone it is. Thanks again everybody, and new pics will be on the way!