Volunteers clean up trash in the Camp Curtin neighborhood.
A group of Harrisburg residents are hoping that a little cleaning up will go a long way toward making the community safer.
Harrisburg City Council member Lamont Jones on Monday led a group of volunteers in cleaning up trash in an area of Uptown that has recently experienced increased violence and neglect.
“We wanted to try and give this community hope,” Jones said. “It has to end. The senseless violence is a problem in our community.”
The volunteers worked to pick up trash and debris and mow grass in the Camp Curtin neighborhood, near N. 6th and Forrest streets, an area that has struggled with blight and violence, Jones said. Just a block away on Woodbine Street, a homicide took place on May 3 at a corner grocery store.
Jones and the volunteers also cleaned up near apartments that are part of the bankrupt Residences at Governor’s Square, which includes over 200 blighted properties, around half of which are vacant, facing hundreds of city code citations.
“People are tired of seeing this in the community,” Jones said of the crime and blight. “The people of this city have to stand up together and unite.”
Joining Jones were Harrisburg-based groups like Breaking the Chainz, PUSH Harrisburg and Men United Standing Together (M.U.S.T.). Harrisburg’s Public Works Department contributed supplies and equipment for the event, as well.
Local resident Jaye Gibson said that he attended the cleanup to help create a safer environment, specifically for area youth.
“We need to take care of our own community,” he said. “This is about taking accountability for our neighborhood.”
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