GREENSBORO, N.C. — More than 100 residents and community volunteers met on Douglass Street on Saturday morning to pick up the bulk trash in Ole Asheboro and Arlington Park that has become a chief concern for neighbors.
A neighborhood in Greensboro has been working with the city to tackle trash, speeding and crime issues
Recently, residents in the Ole Asheboro neighborhood in Greensboro, along with Guilford For All, brought a petition to the Greensboro City Council asking for help to address those concerns
This year, the city provided trash trucks for residents to clear some of the bulk trash
Those who live in the community that spans from East Bragg Street to Mark Place say the trash is not just depressing to look at but also dangerous.
“I found a hypodermic needle and elastic that people use for heroin. ... I have even found live ammunition on the street,” said Ole Asheboro resident Jerome Anderson in the days leading up to the event.
The cleanup initiative is a part of the Safe Streets Campaign, a partnership between the City of Greensboro, Guilford For All and other community partners.
This summer, Guilford For All also helped neighbors in the community get 150 residents to sign a petition to the Greensboro City Council asking for help to address the excessive trash, speeding and crime there.
So when the city sent trucks to the cleanup on Saturday, it was a special moment for longtime neighbors like Shaimina Jones, who signed the petition.
"To see some sort of change, any type of change, for our neighborhood, and we have been here over eight years is powerful ones," Jones said before joining her group to pick up trash near Florida Avenue.
Volunteers collected nearly 350 pounds of trash and documented 20 more locations of bulk garbage within the neighborhood that require a city worker's help to remove.
Leadership with Guilford For All says the city staff has committed to providing additional trucks in the coming weeks.