Maxwell Park Neighborhood News

by Sarah Hipolito

Clean Up on a Sunday Morning It was a pretty morning when I went to the Walgreens parking lot at High and MacArthur to support "cleanup" day. I was sitting at the sign-in table, having delicious coffee cake and a nice hot cup of coffee, wondering what to do. A trick back prevents me from bending to pick up the tremendous amount of trash left behind by others as they travel through our neighborhood. I decided to describe the activity for Metro readers to spark the interest of potential volunteers. Occasional sirens and sporadic birdsong punctuated the dull roar of the freeway. My dog Molly and I got to be the "shopkeepers" while the volunteers scoured Redding and Courtland for trash. They didn't have to go very far. Scattered all over the ground were the remnants of people's lives, discarded without concern for the ugliness left behind. I got up to see what types of items had been picked up. In a neat pile next to the trash bags furnished by Caltrans were drink containers, dirty diapers, used birth control devices, an old tire, a bicycle frame, several dead animals, weeds, pigeon feathers, a basket, a refrigerator shelf, notepaper, sewer pipe, a rear axle, some empty dime bags, a shopping card, Christmas decorations, PC monitors, a baby crib, an oil-changing pan, and plenty of used napkins, paper cups, and food wrappers. I have always been curious about folks who think nothing of tossing trash out of their cars. Are they so pristine that merely the thought of keeping a discard in the car upsets their sense of order? Is the trash bag in the car overfull because they never had time to empty it at home? Tossing garbage into the street may be their way of thumbing their noses at the world. But why? What could have happened to make them so inconsiderate of their neighbors? Maybe they are the same folks that leave little reminders of themselves in public restrooms. We noticed that we weren't working alone. The Upper High Street folks, Christino Delgado, Kinu Oiye, and Frances Salazar, were cleaning High Street under the freeway overpass. They meet every other Sunday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Our crew was Andrea Ulliman, Jan Hetherington, Joe Davis, Nick Stoughton, Susan Scolnick, Kristin Bowman, Susanne Perkins, Jose Dorado, and Helen Da Silva. The cleanup around Walgreens takes place every four to six weeks and is announced on the MPNC Yahoo group. When the volunteers needed a break, they had coffee and cake and engaged in a lively discussion of how to plant potatoes and where to find the best seed potatoes. Neighbors stopped by and joined the conversation. By the end of our shift, trash was picked up, weeds were whacked, a new poppy bush was planted, and mulch was swept back into place. We felt energized and had a feeling of accomplishment. We would love to see you next time! Contact Adopt-A-Spot coordinator and Yahoo! Group moderator Jan Hetherington at jan\@moves-to-improve.com.