“At one time, you couldn’t even come in this park”: Alan Keith Green on Cleaning Malcolm X Park
There’s one person who spends more time in Malcolm X Park than anyone else: Alan Keith Green. Walk through the park on a spring or summer morning, and you’ll probably see him. Sweeping, washing down the benches, picking up litter, he’ll more than likely look up from whatever he’s doing, nod a greeting, and give you a smile. Al, as his friends call him (and there are many), has been a Seasonal Maintenance Attendant employed by the Parks and Recreation Department for the last seven years, all of them spent in Malcolm X Park. The job of cleaning up a city park can be a thankless task, and this park produces a superhuman volume of trash, but Al dispatches his official duties with studied efficiency and a sunny disposition. It’s his unofficial acts that set him apart. Maintaining a lost-and-found, taking a special interest in ensuring that the children’s play area is clean first, and offering respect and assistance to the park’s occasional homeless residents, his everyday acts of generosity deserve extraordinary recognition.
CLAUDIA MEARS said,
August 15, 2007 @ 7:26 am
YOU GO BOY IT’S NOT EVERYDAY YOU SEE SOMEONE SO DELICATED I HAVE BEEN IN THE PARK AT TIMES WITH MY GRANDKIDS.AND IT HAS BEEN VERY CLEAN AND SAFE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONCERNS PATIENCE WITH THE HOMELESS .YOU ARE A GOOD BROTHER DOING WHAT COUNTS TO HELP THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
andrew said,
August 15, 2007 @ 2:07 pm
What a nice comment! I’ll be sure to pass it on to Al next time I see him.
Momish said,
August 16, 2007 @ 11:49 am
It is always nice to hear about people who go out of their way due to their own integrity and standards! Thanks for sharing this man’s great story. It brightened my day.
malcolmxpark.org » Found in Malcolm X Park: Muslim Prayer Schedule for June 2007 said,
August 19, 2007 @ 4:17 pm
[...] X Park” is an occasional feature on a piece of trash recovered from the park. The park’s seasonal maintenance attendant makes certain that I don’t have a lot to choose from, but stuff occasionally gets by him. [...]
malcolmxpark.org » Found in Malcolm X Park: Teen Night at Club 923 said,
September 12, 2007 @ 11:52 am
[...] X Park” is an occasional feature on a piece of trash recovered from the park. Al, the park’s seasonal maintenance attendant makes certain that I don’t have a lot to choose from, but stuff occasionally gets by [...]
Channey said,
September 13, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
I am tryng to get in touch with Alan Keith Green. I want to invite him to an event that our school is having called Take Back the City. He seems amazing and I would love for him to attend. Most of our students live is areas surrounding the park and I think that he would be a great person to participate. Could you help me to get in touch with him?
Thanks!
malcolmxpark.org » Found in Malcolm X Park: Yet Another Party You Missed said,
September 19, 2007 @ 8:26 am
[...] X Park” is an occasional feature on a piece of trash recovered from the park. Al, the park’s seasonal maintenance attendant makes certain that I don’t have a lot to choose from, but stuff occasionally gets by him. Stuff [...]
malcolmxpark.org » Found in Malcolm X Park: Reading Test for "One Grain of Rice" said,
November 24, 2007 @ 12:05 pm
[...] X Park” is an occasional feature on a piece of trash recovered from the park. Al, the park’s seasonal maintenance attendant makes certain that I don’t have a lot to choose from, but stuff occasionally gets by him. This [...]
malcolmxpark.org » Alan Keith Green featured at Philastories.org said,
February 28, 2008 @ 9:16 am
[...] may remember our interview with Malcolm X Park’s Seasonal Maintenance Attendant, Alan Keith Green back in 2007. The video is now featured at Philastories.org. Take a look! Philastories.org is an [...]
malcolmxpark.org » Found in Malcolm X Park: Rattan Elephant said,
July 3, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
[...] Here’s an interview with Al from August 2007, talking about how Malcolm X Park has changed over the years. [...]