‘They took initiative on their own’: Video of teens cleaning up their neighborhood goes viral

Several youth from Butler, Ga., are gaining national praise after they appeared in a viral video showing them picking up garbage around their neighborhood.

A official from Butler city hall confirmed the story, and the video has been shared almost 85,000 times since Sunday.

Al Grant noticed 14 boys, all black, wearing blue gloves and carrying white trash bags around the neighborhood. He asked what they were doing, and when they told him, he began filming.

“They took initiative on their own, to come out and do good work to better their community,” he says after he learns that the group is cleaning up the area.

“I just want to ask you guys a question,” Grant says, “Who made you do this?”

“Nobody, sir,” the boys in the group respond.

“Well, most of the time when I see black guys over here cleanin’ up, they’re in prison,” he says.

“No sir, we’re not in trouble. It just feels good to give back to the community,” says one male in a white tank top.

“Free will and good spirit,” says another wearing a yellow safety vest.

“Whose idea was it to do this?”

“All of ours,” they say in unison.

“We talked amongst ourselves, and we came together,” says one young man with long hair and a white T-shirt.

Grant asked the boys if they’ve received any support from the community. They say they just started, but aren’t concerned with whether they get support or not.

“We ain’t looking for no recognition. We saved money to buy our own bags and all,” says one youth.

“It just brings us together,” another explains.

“You guys make me feel real ashamed,” Grant says, “Because this is something I should have done as a young adult, but you took the initiative, and I commend you guys for it.”

The video has since been viewed almost 2 million times. Grant says he hopes the video will help “promote a positive image of African-American youth.”

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 3:25 PM with the headline "‘They took initiative on their own’: Video of teens cleaning up their neighborhood goes viral."