Neighborhood Clean-up & Prescription Drug Take Back Event October 29

The time taken to clean up a neighborhood—literally gathering up litter and other debris—can go a long way toward helping clean up crime in that neighborhood. 

That’s why COMBAT and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office will be hitting the streets—33rd Street and Indiana Avenue in Kansas City to be specific—for a neighborhood clean-up event around Central High School on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

Prescription Drug Take Back

As part of the clean-up, Jackson County Sheriff deputies will be on-site to safely dispose of any expired or unused medications individuals may wish to turn in.

Dumpsters

Dumpsters will be provided for household waste, small appliances, small automobile parts, furniture, TVs, beds, mattresses, cabinets, rugs, garage doors and more.

T-Shirts & Refreshments

T-shirts, hot dogs, chips and drinks will be provided to volunteers, while supplies last.

The Broken Windows Theory

“According to The Broken Windows Theory, all it takes is a little trash on the ground to signal an open invitation for criminal activity in your neighborhood,” said COMBAT Director Vince Ortega. He was citing a theory social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling introduced in 1982: A single broken window in a building will lead to more windows being broken, more vandalism, more anti-social behavior and more crime.

Conversely, clean-up efforts like the one COMBAT and the Prosecutor’s Office are sponsoring Oct. 29 can reverse the trends Wilson and Kelling observed nearly 40 years ago.

“Your highly visible work not only will boost neighborhood pride, but help fight crime,” Yelena Mitrofanova, an Extension Educator, wrote on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension website. “Time and time again, in cities across our nation, neighborhood crime has dropped after clean-up and beautification efforts. A litter-free flower bed is not just a pretty sight, it is a sign of a community that cares.”