Upper East Side Street Cleanups Draw Crowds, Candidates

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Twin efforts to beautify the Upper East Side over the weekend drew dozens of volunteers, including a cohort of elected officials and contenders for the neighborhood's open City Council seat.

The bigger event was put on by the East 72nd Street Neighborhood Association, whose "Love Your Neighborhood Day" attracted more than 50 volunteers, collecting more than two dozen bags of trash along East Side avenues and the East River Esplanade.

Volunteers included U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, City Councilmembers Keith Power and Brad Lander, mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia, and nearly all candidates for the District 5 City Council seat.

It was the E72NA's second such event, following a successful cleanup last fall.

If NYC was your home, would you want trash laying around? pic.twitter.com/YH8nnTR27P
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@CarolynBMaloney) April 10, 2021

"The E72NA was proud to be joined by local electeds and candidates across the city for this important event and to share our priorities for the future of the East Side," said Cameron Koffman, the group's director of community engagement.

Neighborhood groups have organized similar cleanups in recent months following pandemic-induced cuts to the city's sanitation budget, which led to overflowing litter baskets and garbage-heaped sidewalks.

Last month, the city said it would resume Sunday trash pickups and partner with community groups to tidy up neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, about a mile uptown, Carnegie Hill Neighbors hosted a tree-pruning event Saturday that began near the corner of Madison Avenue and East 94th Street. It coincided with a graffiti cleanup by the NYPD's 19th Precinct, which scrubbed walls around the neighborhood.

Fantastic turnout for @e72na Clean Team event organized by the incomparable Valerie Mason and @Cameron2020NY . Thank you! Happy to bring some @East86th love to our neighbors down south. We love the UES! Great neighbors who care make it special! pic.twitter.com/WFSdGwMdGn
— East 86th St Assn (@East86th) April 10, 2021