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Every Urban Problem Under Heaven
A little respect, just a little bit . . .?
I had always read that if people see trash on the street, they're more likely themselves to litter their garbage on said street. When I moved onto Camp Street, our little front "yard" (no more than 5 feet by 12 feet) was littered with garbage, weeds and dog shit, as were the nice street trees just planted. So, one day me and my friend weeded the entire sidewalk in front of my building, sprayed vinegar down to kill all the roots, picked up all the garbage and put a nice little garden fence around the street trees with flowers. Then, just last week, a landscaper finally came and planted bushes and laid mulch down in the "yard." I thought this would send a message that we care for our property so don't mess with it. Sadly, it didn't. Daily I remove napkins, soda cans, blunt wraps, etc. from the garden and sidewalk. If people can't respect the hard work we have put into making our street a little cleaner, then I have no respect for them and will stop trying.
It's no trivial matter
It may sound trivial to some for us to be bitching about litter since it's not killing or hurting anyone, but it's just one more thing (like graffiti) that brings down the quality of life in the neighborhood. I have a great tolerance for urban living but it gets tiring sometimes having to deal with what seems to be EVERY urban problem (drugs, prostitution, littering, graffiti, violence) all in one hood.
Adam
Posted at August 8, 2007 05:21 PM