MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis workers hit the streets on Monday to clean them up as a part of the city’s new anti-blight campaign.
“The city won’t do *expletive* about these empty *expletive* houses,” said Amanda Mckenzie.
It was clear after talking to neighbors who lived in the Raleigh-Frayser area that people are tired of living around blight and filth.
WREG spotted heaps of garbage, stacks of abandoned tires and overgrown grass and weeds on several blocks.
“They need to do their job when we as citizens are paying for it,” Mckenzie added.
The Neighborhood Improvement Division of Memphis Public Works said the city is taking action against the blight with their “Taking It To The Streets” initiative.
“It’s simply giving focused attention to an entire city council district,” said Karen Bell the Manager of Ground Services.
The idea of the program is to eliminate blight and beautify neighborhoods by focusing on each city council district separately.
“What we wanted to do was to expand the scope to make a noticeable improvement in every City of Memphis neighborhood,” Bell explained.
Workers started in District 7 and will be in each district for about two weeks. Crews are cutting high grass, fixing streets, picking up trash and even fixing broken street lights.
If you want your neighborhood cleaned up, you need to call in.
“The most important part of this is that we need the residents, the district residents, to please call into 311,” Bell said. “Let us know your issue or concern so that when we come in on the sweep period that we can address your issues.”
People, like Mckenzie, said they are looking forward to the district sweeps.
“That would be helpful — very, very helpful,” she said.
The city plans to go through each of the seven districts twice before October 21.
