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Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump’s administration have been scrutinizing the way D.C. leadership has managed the city, with the District’s cleanliness, or lack thereof, near the top of the list of complaints.
In late March, Trump issued an executive order aiming to make D.C. “safe and beautiful again.” At the time, the White House said the nation’s capital is not a symbol of pride for the American people.
But since late last year, a group of workers, typically seasonal but with hopes of becoming full-time employees, have been on the streets taking care of D.C.’s dirt, debris, overgrown weeds and litter.
The Consistently Clean Corridors crews are out there handling beautification on a daily basis.
“I just like to help. Like, one big help,” said George Epps, who lives in Northwest and is part of the team. “It’s hot out here. We got the cooler on the truck. We see somebody out here needing something to drink, anything like that, we provide it for them.”
The 40-year-old native Washingtonian does it because he loves his city, and he hates the fact it has come under fire for its appearance.
“It rubs me wrong way,” Epps said. “We’re one of the top cities when it comes to being clean. We’ve got our problems, just like every other city, but that’s why the beautification team is right here to handle all the work.”
Debria Lewis, of Southeast, agreed that claims the city is dirty are unfounded.
“I feel like D.C. has always been a clean city,” said Lewis, who is also on that crew. “That’s the reason why it attracts so many tourists.”
In recent weeks, Consistently Clean Corridors crews have been making their way down Rhode Island Avenue from the Maryland line and will keep returning every day until they hit Logan Circle. They started the week in the Bloomingdale neighborhood with weed whackers, leaf blowers and litter pickers.
The crew that Lewis and Epps are on is just one of the crews out there every day. You’ll also find beautification teams working along D.C. 295, Interstate 395 and other city highways. And trailing the team down the Rhode Island Avenue corridor was a team tasked with handling graffiti.
“We’re really taking pride in our city,” supervisor Keith Leftwich said. “We want the citizens to know that we are here for them, to serve them, and this is what we do. And we’re committed to this.”
Leftwich said there’s a new mindset at the Department of Public Works that’s committed to backing up those words.
“You’re going to see them every day because we mean business,” he said. “We’re out here to change the perception about what people think about DPW. We mean business.”
Budget constraints facing D.C. had the agency wondering if this program was going to continue, but right now, it appears the work will continue. Those who are outside in the heat every day are grateful for that.
Epps, who has friends and family who have worked in the D.C. government through the years, called it a badge of honor to be employed by the city now too. And Leftwich said if someone out there finds something that does live up to the criticisms over the city’s cleanliness, he wants to hear about it.
“DPW is there and we’re going to come and get it,” he vowed. “All they got to do is make the call.”
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