In Allston, Life is More Than Just a Party
Recently, I ran across heartening accounts of college students who have become disgusted with all the trash and filth in Allston-Brighton, and who have taken matters into their own hands by sponsoring clean-up days. The campaign is called Keep Allston Decent (http://keepallstondecent.org/) and is spearheaded by Charlie Geyer, a 22-year-old BU anthropology student. Every couple of weeks, Geyer and his crew sweep up the trash-ridden streets and deposit a new trash can on some corner. Ultimately, Geyer envisions flower gardens in bare weedy patches around Allston, as well as a showcase of local graffiti artists on canvas instead of buildings.
Kudos to Geyer! As a resident of Brighton, what irks me most is the sheer privileged arrogance of students who trash the neighborhood and scream in the streets at 3 a.m. I am pretty sure that these same kids come from pristine suburban neighborhoods where they themselves would never tolerate such behavior. The subtext is that they’ll be moving out soon to greener, cleaner pastures, so what do they care about the rest of us who have chosen to make Allston-Brighton our permanent home?
I’d like to think all this is going to change. Allston-Brighton has tremendous potential. It is close to downtown, has public transportation, with easy access to Mass Pike and Storrow Drive. There are also some beautiful, often neglected Victorians just waiting to be loved. Harvard is breaking ground on its new $1 billion science complex in North Allston, and has promised $24 million improvements around the neighborhood. Allston-Brighton has an eclectic and diverse mix of residents that is not dissimilar to Cambridge. And Allston Village is one of the few business districts around town where you can find unusual, independently-owned shops and cafes. If Cambridge can be vibrant, diverse, funky and CLEAN, why can’t Allston-Brighton? I think things can change for the better in Allston-Brighton, without the neighborhood descending into gentrified sterility. (And a little gentrification certainly wouldn’t hurt, either). What do you think? Is Allston-Brighton destined for a turn around?
