An effort to clean up East Cleveland’s reputation has been carried out on the city’s streets. Walter Melton has volunteered his voice and time to make sure everything goes to plan, by overseeing dozens of youth.
"We're trying to keep them alive. We’re trying to keep as many of these kids alive out here," said Melton. "If you look around, we're in poverty. Everything is so messed up. Nobody wants to pitch in, but everybody wants to complain. You know how it is around here. Older people don't want to walk around here. Older people are scared to come out."
Melton said some participants have a troubled past, and many view cleaning the streets as an opportunity to do their part.
"There are a lot of places I can go and leave my car unlocked and running, but it isn’t around here," said Eugene Tufts.
