A New Orleans councilman says he's getting community support after he cleaned up an intersection trashed by vagrants.
In a video posted to Twitter, Councilman Oliver Thomas arrived at the intersection of Crowder Boulevard and Interstate 10 and announced to the vagrants there that he was "adopting" the intersection.
In the tweet, Thomas said he was tired of the "posting-up, loitering, littering, panhandling, and partaking in explicit activities" in his neighborhood. In that video, Thomas confronts two vagrants, who begin arguing with Thomas. Later in the same video and again in a second video, Thomas shows that he picked up half a dumpster's worth of trash and several knifes, including a machete.
Since posting those clips online, Thomas says others in the community have stepped up to help beautify New Orleans East. He says businessmen, other community leaders, and residents alike say they're going to take responsibility for their neighborhood.
"It's really been a positive," Thomas said of the reaction to his tweets. "Other people have said they're going to be more mindful of not waiting on the police (or) not waiting on the city to pick up trash in their own neighborhood. Even though there have been some people who have been critical, there have been a whole lot of people who are saying, 'Maybe we can't wait on the police department or the city. Maybe these are the some of the things we have to start doing ourselves.'"
Thomas says he, his friends, and his family have cleaned the intersection of Crowder Boulevard and I-10 time and time again. He says they're tired of seeing trash continue to pile up there.
"Every time they build up the trash there, I'm going to go throw it away," Thomas remarked.
Thomas says it's not just a matter of beautification. To him, it's also a matter of public health and safety. According to Thomas, he recovered six knives--including a machete--and other weapons during his cleanup.
"We don't have any sugarcane fields in New Orleans or off of Crowder," Thomas noted. "So what was the machete for?"
Thomas acknowledges that some people criticized him for running off vagrants. He has this message for those people.
"If you're that concerned, there are a lot of homeless people in this city," Thomas said. "Use your expertise, your time, and your care.
"If they're upset, come out and help us out. Be mad enough to bring your resources out to help. Be that mad."
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