It was during our first back-to-school block party in July 2012 that I realized the “Year of Boulevard” was going to last more than 365 days.
Families with annual median incomes of $3,000 watched the event from their front porches. I asked a young mother why she and her children were not out on the street having fun. “We didn’t think the party was for us,” she said. “We thought it was for someone else.”
Two years later, Boulevard residents seem to know the party is for them. On a recent Saturday, despite rain, more than 1,000 children, family members and seniors showed up for our third back-to-school block party and cookout.
How are we getting people to believe in what we are doing? Among other things, by building trust, leveraging resources, showing that we are in this for the long haul and having fun along the way.
We placed a high priority on tangible projects that mattered to residents. In 2012, thanks to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Chief George Turner, we opened a police precinct on Boulevard in partnership with the Atlanta Medical Center.
Since then, Boulevard beat officers have worked with the community to reduce Part 1 crimes by 24 percent. The area’s first off-leash dog park opened in 2013. This fall, a city playground will open next to an elementary school that never had one. Next year, a $1 million Atlanta Regional Commission grant will add crosswalks and medians to Boulevard.
Atlanta has been good at building buildings. The Year of Boulevard builds people. Since 2012, we have increased the number of summer camps from two to seven. The camps provide healthy meals and activities and introduces kids to career options.
The Year of Boulevard offers opportunities to experience an Atlanta where people of diverse backgrounds work together to make our city a better place. Through our community cleanups and other activities, we are developing unique relationships and skill sets that will serve the city well.
It is the unexpected remarks, like those by a young mother observing a block party, that keep the Year of Boulevard fresh for us.
This year, two new groups are helping us delve deeper into the needs of the community. One addresses public safety and quality of life on the northern end of the neighborhood. The other looks at hunger and food insecurity. Before the end of 2014, we will open a resident-run food cooperative in the Village of Bedford Pines. Our partners include the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Americorps VISTA and Truly Living Well Urban Farm.
Finally, we are excited to have launched three pilot workforce development programs this year, led by our friends at Ponce City Market, Year Up Atlanta and the Greening Youth Foundation.
We welcome your participation in the Year of Boulevard, an initiative recognized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 2013. This is one block party that benefits all Atlantans.
Kwanza Hall is District 2 Atlanta City Councilman.
