By Mary O’KEEFE

Damian Kevitt, founder of SAFE (Streets Are For Everyone), saw the devastation that communities were facing after the fires and strong wind events. He wanted to do something to help. 

“These fires, which have tragically claimed over 24 lives and displaced thousands, remind us of the power of resilience and the importance of coming together,” Kevitt stated. 

He, along with other volunteer members of SAFE, launched an “entirely volunteer-fueled” movement – Let’s Clean LA – an action to clean LA after the recent windstorms and fires. 

“At Streets Are For Everyone, we believe in the power of community action and this initiative invites every Angeleno to join in making our streets and neighborhoods shine again,” Kevitt added. 

So last weekend volunteers gathered and cleaned up areas in LA County including Wilmington, Balboa Park and Venice Boulevard. They had about 50 volunteers, which included members of LA Walks, BMX Goonies, Bicycle Transit Systems and Bikerowave. The groups collected a total of 77 bags of trash and cleaned up an estimated 3,000 lbs. They ended the cleaning up of the five areas on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The items collected included a lot of branches and green waste; however, each place was different, Kevitt said. 

“There was a lot of paper, plastic and glass trash picked up in Wilmington, Lincoln Heights and Balboa Park. There was more green waste in Venice and also a lot of green waste along the bike path in Balboa Park,” Kevitt said. 

Kevitt said the group plans on continuing its cleanup efforts in the future and invites anyone who is interested in volunteering, or those who have an area they would like to see cleaned, to join in their efforts. 

To get more information, including how to volunteer or identifying an area that needs to be cleaned, go to LetsCleanLA.org or email volunteer@StreetsAreForEveyone.org. People can partner with the LetsCleanLA or find other ways to support.

Kevitt added that he received good feedback from those who volunteered. 

“[The volunteers] were really excited to get out and clean up LA. We have a beautiful city. Between the fires, the wind and people just not caring and littering all over the place, [areas] have been badly trashed,” Kevitt said. “It felt good to get out and do something to make things better instead of trying to ignore it. A number of the [volunteers] asked at the end [of the event] when the next [cleanup] would be.”