HARRISBURG, Pa. — When it comes to cleaning up his neighborhood, Richard Brown isn’t slowing down.
“It’s drug-infested," said Brown, who is CEO of M.U.S.T. (Men United Standing Together) in Harrisburg. "People using drugs in and out of these houses…the whole nine yards.”
Crime in the Governor's Square neighborhood isn’t slowing down either.
“You have a lot of area around here where children need to play," said Lamont Jones, Harrisburg City Council's public safety chair. "I don’t think they should play where drugs are being sold, guns are being shot.”
“I grew up here," said Brown. "I’ve got eight daughters and 23 grandkids. They’re scared to walk to the store.”
Antonio Grocery Store, that is. Just a couple of weeks ago, the store, located at 6th and Woodbine Streets, was wrapped in police tape. It was the scene of a shooting that took the life of 27-year-old Christian Watt.
That fatal shooting was the spark that led to Monday's community clean-up.
M.U.S.T., Breaking The Chainz, and other community members were cutting the grass, cleaning up trash, and pulling weeds.
“It’s not just about that incident, but he sparked the plug for us," said Brown.
Watt was a man Richard knew well.
“That was my nephew," he said.
Now he's turning his pain into purpose, alongside other community members.
“We want our neighborhoods back," said Jones, "This is the first step in doing that.”
Some residents are calling for the grocery store to be shut down.
“Why would they want a store shut down if it’s providing good things and nutritious things to the community?" said Jones. "Obviously there’s something happening the community isn’t happy with.”
But Richard is focusing on what he can do today.
“His death sparked something in me and I’m going full speed ahead," he said. “It’s the responsibility of mine to be out here doing what I’m doing and hopefully get some other people to take it on as a responsibility so it becomes personal.”
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