SAN ANTONIO – Just as the sun came up Tuesday morning, crews were descending on Pittman-Sullivan Park to clean up after San Antonio’s first in-person Martin Luther King Day march and celebration since the covid-related closures.
The event, which pays tribute to the slain civil rights leader, had gone virtual during the pandemic.
However, this year, people were invited to return to the streets to march and take part in the gathering at the park, which included food, music, and camaraderie.
Workers with Parks and Recreation were tasked with the job afterward of putting the park back together.
Crews, some of whom had started the cleanup immediately after the event, were back Tuesday morning.
They could be seen rounding up railings from the park and putting bleachers back where they belong.
They also collected what amounted to a mountain of trash, using special tools to pick up even the smallest pieces.
“It’s pretty fast. They’re making good progress around here. It’s good,” said Bryan Springs, who was back at the park for his morning exercise after celebrating there Monday.
“It was non-violence. There were no fights, no shootings. It was great this year,” he said.
There were no official counts available immediately on the size of the crowd or exactly how much trash crews collected.
Some workers estimated they had filled as many as 200 large plastic bags with garbage Monday night.
They expected to finish the job by early Tuesday afternoon.