Carlos Cabrera has been cleaning up the streets of South LA using his own resources for the last four months, and his efforts are now gaining him attention.
His most recent cleanup was held the morning of Dec. 6 near 49th Street and Grand Avenue, just near an entrance to the northbound 110 freeway. There were about a dozen volunteers on hand.
The South LA native said he began cleaning the streets near Vernon Avenue and San Pedro Street after taking his puppy for a walk one day in July. He says his puppy stepped in a pile of trash filled with maggots. He wanted to do something about it, so he decided to clean the streets himself.
“What was concerning was the smell, the maggots, the food waste, the syringes. Just waste that wasn’t safe for the community,” Cabrera said.
He posted an Instagram video of his first cleanup effort on August 2. Four months later, Cabrera said he’s organizing cleanups with other volunteers about three times a month, mainly on weekends. He began by focusing on the route he takes to work as a payroll clerk along Avalon Boulevard, between Vernon and Manchester avenues, simply because it made him feel better to see cleaner streets going to and from his job. Cabrera said his work hours were cut this summer, and he used the spare time for more street cleaning.
He now has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram, attracting additional volunteers for his cleanup events. Juan Gonzalez said he came from Norwalk to volunteer on Dec. 6.
“I think everyone wants to see a clean city. So we all need to do our part, and I’m just doing my part,” Gonzalez said.
Cabrera says the largest group of volunteers he’s worked with, thus far, has been about 30 people, who helped clean around the railroad tracks near San Antonio Elementary and Magnet Center.
Oscar Aguayo, a volunteer who works with Cabrera and is executive director of the nonprofit organization Conaxion, said he helps clean streets in South LA’s District 9 to prepare for the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2028.
“One of the big problems is, people are not going to want to come here to this side of the neighborhood and spend their dollars because of all this trash, safety and things like that. So, I’m very concerned about that,” Aguayo said.
Cabrera said keeping South LA clean is something he hopes more residents will support. Cabrera said he provides volunteers who join his cleanup efforts with a brief safety training and makes sure they have the proper equipment.
After initially using his own resources, he now has an Amazon wish list for people to donate supplies and equipment like trash bags, buckets, face masks and gloves.
“I know people believe it’s the city’s responsibility, but it’s not the city trashing my neighborhood. A lot of times, it’s the neighbors, and I don’t understand that,” Cabrera said. “I can understand if you don’t own or feel like you have ownership of the area it’s someone else’s problem, but I’m not going to wait around for people to clean for me.”
