Who We Are
Our Mission
The mission of Organized Blocks Of Boyle Heights/First Blocks of Whittier Boulevard is to bring back the indigenous cultural values of respect for each other and see the Earth as a valued member of our community that we need to protect, be conscious of, and respect. As representatives of our Blocks, together we solve problems, work towards unity, share resources, collaborate with neighbors, and fight for each other when we are under attack.
Our History
Organized Blocks Of Boyle Heights/First Blocks of Whittier Boulevard is a GrassRoots organization made up of hundreds of volunteers from all Blocks in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. Illegal dumping has become one of the biggest challenges to enforce in Boyle Height/ East LA and it has become a huge threat to our community's wellbeing. We have lots of issues related to trash, but the biggest one is the city's neglectful budgeting to get crews out on the streets and enforce the law. Tired of waiting, our group has done 30 community clean-ups and has collected over 230,000 pounds or 115 tons of trash. All of this and we still can’t get a meeting with our CD14 representative Kevin de León
7th Street, Across from Sunrise Elementary School (between Camulos & Euclid)
While it was not our first choice of action, our group has taken responsibility to do the job City Hall won't do and clean our streets ourselves. We are frustrated with the current state of cleaning crews and are working hard to put pressure on the City Departments and Representatives to be accountable to our community. We want to create consciousness about protecting the earth and each other. We share information and resources and encourage the community to no longer tolerate the horrific, trashy, unsanitary, and mental health distress causing conditions our dirty streets manifest.
It all started when our Founders decided to get boots on the ground after more than 16 years of experiencing a total disregard and neglect towards the conditions of our streets. Our group's first clean-up was a result of organizing similarly concerned neighbors and picking up our brooms to get to work. Since then, we have assembled a wonderful network of over 500+ supporters across the City to support our cause. Why? Because the people who live here are tired of the dreadful neglect by City Hall and basic the lack of resources allocated to sufficiently maintain clean streets, storm drains, sidewalks, gutters, parks, freeway offramps, and underpasses.
We are more than a cleaning crew. Our group exists to tear down the bureaucratic gap between City Departments and everyday neighbors who simply want to be respected with clean streets and basic services. While we strive to be self-sustaining/ self-sufficient, we depend highly on the generosity and funding of good-hearted individuals who, like us, care deeply about our community. If you are one of those individuals who are tired of living under these conditions and are happy to see the work we are doing, we like to welcome you to please donate to our cause and mission. Your donations allow us to continue to grow and create more powerful tools and systems that are changing the situation in our community.