INDIANAPOLIS — Community members and leaders on the far east side are focusing on reshaping the narrative of how people view their community.
Their ultimate goal is to create a safer space for kids and bring life back into a community that has been impacted by violence. After a year of planning, a ribbon cutting Sunday marked the opening of the Capital City Green Space at 42nd Street and Post Road.
Capital City Church of Christ received a community green space grant from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful for the project.
It's a project that started last year in collaboration with the Ross Foundation and the Indiana Historical Society.
Shiel Sexton volunteered and donated manpower to build the design for the greenspace in just two days.
Now, the vision for 42nd and Post is being brought to light, and next up, they plan to create a mural that should be completed by this spring.
As part of the effort to improve the far east side, dozens of people were out cleaning up the area of 42nd and Post Road this weekend.
It's part of a monthly clean-up effort organized by Derris Ross and the Ross Foundation. They've been focusing on making the area look better for the last 3 years. Ross said that by cleaning up trash, it helps improve morale, environmental stress and ultimately reduce violence.
Midwest Fest, a local business that hosts car shows on the far east side, was out giving back as well.
Ross said it's amazing to see different groups from different backgrounds support the clean-up efforts because he said it takes a village to make a difference.
