If weeds grow faster than project sign-offs can be obtained, the community safety net proves invaluable.
Since December there has been a concerted effort to keep the invasive alien vegetation along Ruth Street under control. Florida South Residents Association, headed by Rodney Churchyard, have been hacking at the large weeds along the embankments in various stages, experimenting with different types of treatments to find the best way forward. Using a variety of poisons, the group is getting closer to solidifying a long-term solution.
After being cleared in December, the invasive plants had grown to chest height in the space of just two months. The focus of the fight against the overgrowth is targeted at areas with high foot traffic, helping to keep residents safer by giving criminal elements less cover to hide. Specifically, the parking lot and embankments around the pedestrian tunnel entrance and the field bordering the railway at the top of Seventh Avenue are of greatest concern.
The proactive trimming activities by Rodney and his AfriForum-sponsored reflective vest-wearing volunteers have reduced the general vagrancy in the areas which hopefully will lead to a reduction in drug-related activity and crime. Rodney’s clean-up initiatives are not limited to Ruth Street, as he and his team regularly attend to Discoverers Clinic and plan to tackle fields along Goldman Street and Clarendon Drive.
