PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Multiple city departments and volunteers took over Afton Square in the Cradock neighborhood of Portsmouth to pick up trash and do landscaping as part of the city's ROC The Block initiative.
The "Reclaim Our Community" initiative brought together around 25 people in each part of the neighborhood to improve the area's appearance and bring in community resources, like the Rise Up mental health and substance abuse services van.
Crews inspected stormwater drains, street signs, and code concerns while picking up trash.
Quasean Turner, who works for the waste management department, said the initiative shows love to the community.
"We got all the employee workers out here. We're doing good. We're cleaning up the environment, the city, the community. We're showing love. They show love back to us, you feel me. So we alright out here. We're just trying to show them," Turner said.
The ROC the Block event happens every other month. Previous cleanups have taken place in the Prentis Park, Branden Square, and West Haven neighborhoods.
