SALT LAKE CITY — People who live in Salt Lake City's Ballpark Neighborhood are working to make it safer and cleaner.
Earlier this month, we reported crime in the area has hit crisis-mode, with the homicide rate there nine times higher than Salt Lake City as a whole.
READ: Ballpark neighborhood crime continues to rise as leaders, businesses look for solutions
The community council says the neighborhood watch group is very active and looking for solutions.
They often meet to pick up garbage.
The group calls itself “Team Trash,” and got together after work Thursday evening.
They met at Roha Brewing.
Organizers brought gloves, grabbers and bags.
They say it's encouraging to see so many people come together to make the neighborhood a better place.
“I didn't think people would actually show up,” said Event Beertender, Cameron Cannon. “But everybody wants to make sure our neighborhood’s getting cleaned up, look better, feel better about it.”
Amy J. Hawkins is the chair of the Ballpark Community Council.
“How exciting is this to get out there and pick up some trash,” she said. “You know, I think we're still in the post-pandemic times when it's really nice to get together with your neighbors and feel like you're affecting positive change.”
Hawkins says they’ve found things like used needles used for injecting drugs and other things that pose health and safety issues.
The group aims to do a cleanup every other week, but as the days get shorter that could change.
