Beautiful Moment: Greenspace and Crime

July 15, 2016

On the city's near eastside, a visionary pastor had an idea. What if green spaces could reduce crime? Jay Height came to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and, together with Shepherd Community Center, we fenced an alley, ripped up the asphalt and planted 20 trees. Since then, police runs have dropped, beauty and shade have softened the rough edges of a gritty block, and a community park was dedicated to fallen police officer Matt Faber.