Mayor Parker leads Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood tour to help clean up living conditions
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker led a walking tour on Saturday to assess neighborhood conditions and discuss strategies for improvement. The tour is the second in a series of 10 neighborhood walking tours aimed at identifying areas in need of attention, including hot spots for illegal dumping.
Carlton Williams, the Director for the Mayor's Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, said it's one step in a large approach to making the city more clean for people who live there.
"We're going to South Philadelphia, the Northeast, the Northwest, all parts of the city so that we can understand all of the quality of life issues that people face," Williams said. "Every neighborhood is different and we want everyone [from the city], including the mayor, get a chance to hear and see the different types of issues that we have to face as a city."
The walking tour, which commenced at 28th and Woodland Avenue, brought together Mayor Parker and dozens of city officials to evaluate the state of the neighborhood.
"You have L&I out here, Sanitation, Streets, Parks and Rec, Commerce, and many other departments, PPA, and the Police, working together," Williams said. "We want people to know that we're accessible."
Residents and workers at local businesses on Woodland Avenue said seeing the mayor in their neighborhood made an impact.
Jane Geiger, age 75, expressed appreciation for the mayor. Geiger stood outside the business where she worked on Woodland Avenue.
"Her presence is telling the community and people all over the world, for that matter, how she cares," Geiger said.
The impact of the tour extended beyond just the older residents. Young participants like Kaniyah Blackwell, daughter of Crystal Saviour, said she enjoyed meeting the mayor.
"I never saw a Black mayor before," Blackwell said.
While addressing all the issues discovered on the tour will take time, Mayor Parker wants residents to recognize that this is just one step on the journey to change.