HBT’s Early Grassroots Efforts

Established with a vision of bettering local Los Angeles communities, the Hollywood Beautification Team coordinates activities such as climate appropriate tree planting, graffiti removal, and school mural creation. The Hollywood Beautification Team (HBT) started with a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) grant of $25,000 and a Paramount Studios-donated van. These enabled graffiti cleaning and abatement efforts five days a week, starting in in 1992.

Three weeks after HBT’s inception, civil unrest led to widespread rioting and looting. This primarily impacted South Los Angeles, but hit Hollywood secondarily. HBT was among the organizations called upon by civic leaders to clean up the streets. Roughly 600 volunteers coalesced over an eight-day period to clean up debris and glass that littered the streets and sidewalks, and ensured that burned structures were boarded up. In addition, graffiti with hurtful messages was painted over and shop shelves were restocked.

This coordinated effort led to the CRA continuing funding for HBT’s graffiti abatement program, as well as for the organization to be “on call” should another emergency occur. This did come to pass with a 1994 Northridge Earthquake that caused a Hollywood fault aftershock and led to vulnerable buildings being evacuated. With some 3,000 residents stranded on the streets, HBT again cleared debris while providing the Red Cross with assistance in delivering the essentials to displaced residents. Homeless residents received several months of HBT support, including moving their belongings to storage, which allowed them to confidently move into shelters.