Illegal dumping, abandoned properties, blighted vacant lots, and neglected streets are profoundly serious issues in many parts of the city of Houston especially in lower income neighborhoods. Residents make frequent 311 complaints yet the trash continues to pile up as they have been waiting for their elected o cials to address their concern. Andrew Beaver decided to go to work in the historic Sunnyside community instead of just talking about the problem.

“We’ve cleaned illegal dumping in our underserved communities for two years straight, exposing the neglect we’ve been facing and understanding that if we want the community that we rightfully deserve, we must do it ourselves because no one in power is currently fighting for us,” said Mr. Beaver, founder of Clean The Block. Mr. Beaver explained that within the first year of Clean The Block’s efforts, he and others came together for weekly cleans ups and then shifted to monthly.

In January of this year, they started doing it daily for one hour and have achieved over 320 days of cleaning along with huge monthly gatherings that draw 150-250 persons seeking to volunteer. Coupled with the power of social media, the movement has gained national and international attention and support due to the action-oriented videos posted daily on Instagram and YouTube.

“The more we come together as a community, the less dependent [we are] on people who have shown they don’t care about us. Nobody is coming to save us. If we won’t do it, who will?” said Mr. Beaver, a real estate investor. “This is our community and we want to change the trajectory of how we see our community handled,” said Shermika Martin, a dedicated leader for the South Union Civic Club Association. Ms. Martin was born and raised in Sunnyside and two years ago she too had started taking similar actions in the cleaning up of her beloved neighborhood. She and Mr. Weaver joined forces.

“This is a historical, foundational community. This is a revenue generating community. We’re not animals so we should not be seeing and surrounded by all this trash like animals. No human being should live like. If you ride to other areas you would not see this kind of trash everywhere. So proclamations are nice but we’re all about the action,” said Ms. Martin, operational manager for Clean The Block. While the clean ups will remain the staple, Mr. Beaver shared that they have a 3-5 year vision for the expansion of Clean The Block that includes addressing abandoned properties and housing issues. “We’re still a small team so we are looking for more committed members to get involved,” he said.

On Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 AM–4:00 PM at Sunnyside Park, they are inviting everyone to come out for Clean  e Block’s anniversary festival. The completely free event will be focused on food, information, fitness, and fun. There will be free books, a raffle, a silent auction, musical performers, stretching sessions, boxing training, a real estate bootcamp, and information on illegal dumping. The festival is about uniting the people, connecting residents with valuable resources, creating positive experiences for families, and continuing their mission of restoring pride throughout Sunnyside block by block.

“We are super excited about the festival. We want to celebrate the community and let them know that a er two years we are still giving back. Let us come back outside as a family again,” said Mr. Weaver. “ The festival is a thank you to the community. We are inviting everyone from Sunnyside, Third Ward, and the surrounding District D. All are welcome to come as we celebrate the community and celebrate family. It is all about the community,” said Ms. Martin. For more information on Clean The Block visit Clean eBlock.org and follow on Instagram/@ CleanTheBlock.