"CHURCH TAKING BACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD"

"CHURCH TAKING BACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD"

Seventeen men, women, and teens from East Laurinburg Pentecostal Holiness Church met on Saturday, March 17, 2012 with a big task at hand.  They were committed to cleaning up litter on one mile of Old Lumberton Road beginning at Sanford Road and crossing over the tracks clear up to the stop light at Church Street. 

The area has been an eye sore for some time with beer bottles, trash, dirty diapers, paper and a variety of other debris strewn along the road.  The filth was ruining the beauty of the community.  The group picked up 830 gallons of trash!  It looks like a new neighborhood.  Merchants and residents of the area came out an thanked the group for their efforts.  

To hold litterers accountable, hidden cameras will be installed in strategic areas along the route to catch polluters in action.  The pictures will be turned over to police for prosecution.  At the end of the clean up, Pastor Michael Edds treated the groups to a great meal at Burger King.  Many enjoyed the french fries and green ketchup!!

Additionally, a neighborhood watch is being reactivated by several residents in the area to bring a halt to the speeding, loud music coming from vehicles, drugs, crime and trashing of a good community.   The group will have the neighborhood under video and picture surveillance. The evidence of violations will be promptly turn over to police.   License plate numbers will also be sent to the police.  

Many residents have grown tired of the loud music coming from cars at all hours of the night and speeding.  At 1:30 am on Saturday, March 17, two vehicles were drag racing down Ward Street.  The drivers were reported to the police.  Those breaking the law, disturbing the peace and polluting the neighborhood will be held accountable.  The community IS taking the neighborhood back.

There are over 150 churches in Laurinburg.  There are many businesses and community groups also. This beautiful city is being buried under litter! If all would make a similar commitment to cleaning up their neighborhoods of trash, crime and noise that the East Laurinburg Pentecostal Holiness Church and the neighborhood there is doing, Laurinburg will clean and safe again.