Volunteers and leaders converge on a Kansas City crime ‘hot spot’

Heavy-duty work gloves? Check. Giant lawn bags? Check. Long-handled trash grabbers? Check.

Volunteers Camesha Johnson and Michelle Fryer were properly equipped for Saturday’s “Take Care of Prospect” cleanup event, headquartered on a vacant lot at 35th Street and Prospect Avenue.

Their perspective was as important as their tools:

They knew why they were there, to help clean up a crime-ridden area with abandoned houses and overgrown lots, and they felt confident they could make a difference.

“If all you see is chaos, your mind goes in that direction,” Johnson said. “A clean community makes for a better living environment.

“And,” she said, “they say cleanliness is next to godliness.”

Johnson, who lives in midtown, and Fryer, who lives in south Kansas City, were detailed to pick up brush and debris next to a boarded-up house, the front door stamped “Dangerous Building,” at 35th Street and Montgall Avenue.

They were among more than 100 volunteers and community leaders who came together for the project. It’s the second of several such events targeting the Prospect Avenue corridor by supporters of the Kansas City No Violence Alliance.

Clearing overgrown trees and bushes, picking up trash and tires and clearing out abandoned houses were all on the agenda Saturday, said Ryan Samuelson, community initiatives coordinator for Kansas City NoVA.

The cleanup is a major plus for residents and helps police officers who patrol areas clogged with brush and debris, he said.

The initiative, which has funding from a U.S. Justice Department grant, focuses on crime reduction, assisting those with drug and alcohol addictions and building cooperation between law enforcement and the community.

“When people in the area see this, it shows them there are people who care about them and the area, and it helps instill a sense of pride,” Samuelson said.

“And the message is that the violence here has to stop.”

The area is known as a “hot spot” for crime.

In a three-block radius of 35th and Prospect through mid-September this year, Kansas City police reported a homicide, 26 aggravated assaults with 14 involving firearms, nine armed robberies and 26 drug possession arrests.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker and Kansas City Police Chief Darryl Forté attended the event and praised the flurry of activity.

“This is a neighborhood that deserves all of our attention,” Baker said, “so I’m glad to see so many people here pushing up their sleeves and doing what needs to be done.”

Police officers and firefighters pitched in, manning chainsaws and hauling limbs.

“It’s not just about law enforcement,” Forté said about solving the area’s problems. “The look of the environment makes a difference. This is just another example of a caring community coming together.”

Volunteer Joanne Banks, who grew up in the neighborhood and lives nearby, focused on the word “positive” to describe why she wanted to participate.

“It’s coming out and doing something positive,” she said. “It’s a positive step to reinforce to the community that we all care.”

“When it’s all hands on deck, you can make some major strides,” she said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Volunteers and leaders converge on a Kansas City crime ‘hot spot’."