On a warm Saturday morning, about 100 volunteers joined Oakland Mayor Jean Quan in East Oakland to undertake a block by block clean up of the neighborhoods around 85th and 98th Avenue.

The Jan. 15 event was the informal launch of Quan's volunteer platform, which includes cleaning up neighborhoods in neglected city areas. Quan has made neighborhood organizing a centerpiece of her work as mayor.

"What we know is that when a neighborhood is more organized, there's less crime," she said. Quan urged the East Oakland community to become more involved, particularly in the area of illegal dumping.

"Unfortunately, people who do construction, who do clean up, people from other cities decide to use East Oakland as a dumping ground," Quan told volunteers. "And we need to get the neighborhood to get the license plates of those people, because they are putting toxic waste, they're putting dangerous things, on the streets of this neighborhood."

Quan said that before she became mayor, she was especially motivated to clean up that particular area when she saw children playing with potentially toxic chemical containers that had been dumped on the sidewalk.

"So what we're saying here, is that Oakland's not a dumping ground for anyone," she said. "No part of the city is a dumping ground."

Congresswoman Barbara Lee joined Quan in the volunteer effort. Lee said the clean up was in keeping with the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"This work today honors and celebrates Dr. King," Lee said. "This is what his life was all about; volunteering to help make our communities better."

Volunteer city staffers were also were on hand - serving snacks, cleaning up and answering questions from residents.

Oakland's public works agency did a lot of pre-work before Saturday's clean up; fixing broken signs, painting over graffiti and removing abandoned cars from community.

Dr. Floyd Huen, Quan's husband, said he was glad to see so many volunteers from the East Oakland community taking part in the clean up.

"It's relatively easy to clean up a neighborhood," he said. But, it's harder to get people in a community to keep up the effort over time. That will be the measure of our success."

Tyrone Gupton, who is taking GED classes at Allen Temple Baptist Church, said he wants to show Oakland youth that the community does care.

"I grew up here," Gupton said. "I was a troubled youth, so I know what it's like to think no one cares. But, today I think that we need to show kids that we care about them and we care about our community."

Gupton said life can be a challenge for young East Oakland residents.

"It's tough," he said. "It's real tough, especially for the kids. The jobs aren't like what they used to be, there's no health services, kids don't get the nurturing they need. It's just tough."

Residents from the area said they were heartened by the effort. William Frazier, an East Oakland resident, watched as volunteers began working.

"I think this is really important," he said. "Oakland needs to show that it cares about us. A lot of people are really struggling now, and since we don't have money, we need to give each other as much love as possible."

Even before she formally took office, Quan was asking residents to volunteer at least one hour a week to helping at the libraries, picking up trash or working at senior citizen centers. She also called for Oaklanders to mentor youth having trouble in school, aging out of foster care or re-entering the community from juvenile hall.

About Jennifer Inez Ward

A writer and photographer, Jennifer Inez Ward has been documenting Oakland neighborhoods for more than 10 years. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, she focuses on the uniqueness and beauty of everyday life in a city that is too often overlooked for its treasures and pleasures. Throughout the years, Jennifer has had the honor of showcasing her work at a number of venues, including a permanent loan of images that are displayed on the front wall of Barnes and Nobel in Jack London Square. Jennifer is a featured artist documented in “Images of America: Black Artists in Oakland."