Page 54 - September 2019 FOP Newsletter

Fifth District gives community a clean sweep
■ BY ERIKA WURST
It’s one thing to say you’re going to make the city a better place; it’s an entirely different thing to actually do it. And every Friday, as part of Operation Clean-Up, Chicago Police Officers are doing just that.
From fixing potholes and broken light fixtures to picking up trash and identifying abandoned homes, there’s a litany of issues being addressed in communities that need it most ⁠— including those in the Fifth District.
“We get a lot of praise from residents,” Fifth District Youth Ser- vices Coordinator LaVesha Tiger-Williams said. “People really feel as though we’re doing something about their problems. Visually, they can see things changing.”
In the past, people have paid lip service to the issue. “But to see us out there, and see results, is a great thing for people,” Tiger-Wil- liams said. “They know we mean what we say.”
Resurrected this year, the longstanding program not only is a way to tidy up neighborhoods but also to build relationships with residents. Officers encourage them to get involved in the effort and then to maintain the area, after cleanup crews head to the next neighborhood to start the mission anew.
“I think this program was definitely needed, and something that was definitely missed by the community,” Tiger-Williams said. “If you live in an environment that’s dirty and nasty, you think, ‘Why should I care? No one else does.’ But they see others come in and clean, and show that we do care. Let’s get the block organized, en- courage them to start their own cleanup groups, empower them and provide them with tools.”
Things like fixing streetlights help curb crime. Things like clean-
ing up parks help
give residents a
sense of pride in
their commu-
nities. But most
importantly, of-
ficers like Tiger-Williams want the community to know that they care.
“We don’t just have a job,” she said. “We care about the commu- nity and put our heart and soul into what we’re doing.”
City departments taking part in the cleanup include the Chica- go Police Department Bureau of Patrol and Office of Community Policing, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Chicago De- partment of Transportation, Department of Streets and Sanitation, Department of Water Management and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, as well as community outreach or- ganizations.
54 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ SEPTEMBER 2019