BALTIMORE — Butcher's Hill is a neighborhood in East Baltimore, a unique one.
They've done several projects to set them a part and to benefit their community. The most recent project is adding lights in front of their homes to help people feel safer.
It started with lighting up the alley ways, then Andrew Crummey added some lights in front of his home on Chester Street.
Crummey has lived in the neighbor for nine years and is the owner of Charmed Kitchen, which just opened within the last year.
"When people wanna come out on a Thursday night to eat dinner they feel safer," said Crummey. "There’s only so much neighbors can do. This is one small step to make neighborhoods a little safer. We can only so much this is our part in Butcher’s Hill."
After Crummey put up his lights, his neighbor decided to make it a little better. Chris Krogh lives across the street and made it his mission to make the lights symmetrical and beautiful on all the streets.
He explained how he wraps the wiring around the trees and hooks them on each home. If you walk in Butcher's Hill, all the lights are even.
"It just feels warmer and safer. All the lights have a glow on the street," said Krogh. "People are out much more and talking to each other for a change."
Taking away the fear of people being out on the streets. Now, every night more people and dogs are out and about.
"It encourages a sense of community. I spend a lot of time on my stoop and neighbors constantly stop by," said Beth Braun, the Butcher's Hill Association President.
She encourages other neighborhoods to do the same.
"Everybody should figure out what’s best for their neighbor. We live in a city where neighbors are able to control to some degree their surrounding but you have to be willing to work for it. I think this is a city where you have to be willing to put forth an effort to make the life you want in our case it’s light," said Braun. "Other neighborhoods can do it do you just have to be willing to do the work!"
