Cleanup Day Targets Street Trash, Crime

As a means of beautifying their neighborhood and improving the environment, North Hills residents are having a “Neighborhood Cleanup Day” today.

From 7 a.m. to noon, parents and children of Familias Unidas, a grass-roots neighborhood empowerment project, will pick up loose trash on their streets, organizers said.

The area is bounded by Nordhoff and Parthenia streets, Sepulveda Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway.

As they spruce up, project volunteers also will try to raise awareness of their commitment to rid the neighborhood of violence, said Jean Morrison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women.

“They’ll be talking to people along the way during the event to identify those interested in joining their overall violence-prevention efforts,” said Morrison, whose nonprofit group supports Familias Unidas. “So, it’s a cleanup project in every aspect of the word--cleaning up litter and cleaning up crime.”

Organizers invite the public to take part, she said.

The event starts at 7 a.m. at 8861 Langdon Avenue near Nordhoff Avenue, west of Sepulveda Boulevard. Volunteers will be at that location to assist those arriving after 7 a.m., Morrison said.

“What this event shows very clearly is that the neighborhood of North Hills cares about what happens in the community and are willing to work hard to improve it,” she added.

For more information, contact Manny Velasquez, community organizer with the commission on assaults against women, at (818) 787-4778.