Declaration of Clean Streets

We, residents and friends of the Greater Brookland community, come together to affirm that our streets, parks, and shared spaces are not dumping grounds, but a commons entrusted to our care. Litter and illegal dumping are not small annoyances to be ignored; they are visible signs of neglect that erode health, safety, dignity, and pride in the places we call home.

We recognize that the burdens of trash and pollution fall most heavily on children, elders, and neighbors in historically under‑resourced blocks. We therefore commit ourselves to environmental justice in our own backyard: to ensuring that every child can walk to school without weaving through broken glass and overflowing cans, that every elder can sit on their front steps without staring at a pile of uncollected garbage, and that every neighbor can step out their door without feeling like their street has been abandoned.

We declare that clean streets are a shared responsibility. We call on residents, visitors, businesses, schools, landlords, and public agencies alike to reduce waste, dispose of trash properly, provide and service adequate bins, and respond quickly when problems are reported. We commit to organizing regular cleanups, tagging problem areas, and speaking up when patterns of neglect emerge. We will listen to those most affected by trash and pollution and prioritize their voices in shaping our actions.

Guided by these principles, we establish Litter Gitters as a volunteer effort dedicated to practical local action: picking up what others leave behind, educating our neighbors, and working in good faith with city services. We do this not for credit, profit, or praise, but because a clean, healthy neighborhood is a basic standard of respect we owe to one another and to the generations who will walk these streets after us.