DETROIT – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said he has a plan to clear out 2,000 alleys in the city this year. Some of the areas are so overgrown you can’t even tell there’s an alley there.
“This is what we’ve done 500 times. This year we’re gonna do it 2,000 more times,” Duggan said. “This is something the city felt like we had to do because at one point there were neighbors on each side of these alleys that would have been responsible for it. Now about 30 percent of the land is vacant.”
That same opportunity will be afforded to anyone who reaches out for help as long as it’s in an organized matter.
“If you have a block club and you want to petition for an alley clean up, we’ll come do it. We’ll bring the heavy equipment. We’ll clean it out. But you, as neighbors, are gonna have to go through twice a year and do a follow-up,” Duggan said.
Detroit resident Obie King shared what things are like at the alley by his home near the intersection of Monica and Fullerton. The area has since seen a complete turnaround.
“My alley -- I had an issue with people dumping in the back and having different kinds of strangers cutting through,” King said.
If your community doesn’t have a block club of residents on the street. You can make one and still apply for the cleanup.
“If you want your alley cleaned up, you can apply right now and we will get to you this year. Right now, we have 1,500 block clubs who have submitted and been accepted for this year. We have 500 spots left for 2021,” Duggan said.
Click here if you’d like to apply for an alley cleanup.
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