Sparked by the initial Crime Watch alley clean-up project, area resident Jim Sorg recently coordinated neighbors to clean the alley in the 5900 block of Belmont.

Almost a dozen folks, young and old, showed up to help remove brush and trash. Other neighbors cleaned up their properties prior to the event in response to the flyers handed out in advance. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a few even worked later cleaning up loose ends.

The week before the event, one resident painted the entire back side of his graffiti-covered garage. Several others gave permission to clean up graffiti on their properties the day of the event.

All debris was put out on the curb for bulk trash pick-up. (The clean-up date was coordinated with bulk-trash pick-up.) More than enough residents volunteered their curb spaces for the event.

“One thing we did learn,” says Sorg, “was that one alley is enough for a single alley clean-up. We intended to do both sides of the 5900 block but never got to the other side. Most of the work was spent clearing years of overgrown shrubs, weeds, and small trees.”

Sorg reports that response from the neighborhood continues weeks after the event, and the event brought many neighbors together for the first time. And now the police can see clearly down the alley and criminals have one less place to hide.

For information on how to clean up your own block’s alley, e-mail the Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association’s Crime Watch chairman at CrimeWatch@LGNA.net