--- title: "Do you litter? - Chapter 7" description: "Chapter 7: Do you litter? Mark Goldstein in 1978 New York unites a neighborhood through civic pride and empathy in 'Empathy is all you need'." keywords: "Do you litter, Mark Goldstein, New York 1978, civic pride, empathy, chapter 7" url: "https://empathyisallyouneed.com/do-you-litter" language: "en" --- # Do you litter? The only division that matters Start Listening 0:00 ![Mark Goldstein cleaning up NYC streets](https://46stkanv8b.koniglecdn.com/images/mark-goldstein-street-clean.webp) Mark Goldstein trudged through the grimy streets of 1978 New York, his sneakers sticking to the sidewalk with each step. The stench of rotting garbage assaulted his nostrils, a pungent reminder of the city's ongoing sanitation crisis. At 23, Mark had already seen his beloved hometown transform from the City of Dreams into a nightmare of urban decay. As he bent down to pick up a crumpled beer can, a voice called out, "Hey, Jewboy\! What's the matter, your dad's accounting firm ain't hiring?" Mark turned to face a group of young men, their faces twisted with mockery. He recognized their ringleader as Tony Caruso, a local tough guy known for his short temper and long list of petty crimes. "You got a problem with me cleaning up our neighborhood, Tony?" Mark asked, his voice steady despite the rapid beating of his heart. Tony spat on the ground. "Our neighborhood? Last I checked, this was Italian turf. Why don't you go back to your side of town?" Mark's eyes narrowed. "And where exactly is that, Tony? We're all New Yorkers here. This city belongs to all of us." A crowd began to gather, drawn by the rising tension. Mark noticed a mix of faces - Black, White, Hispanic, Asian - all watching with a combination of curiosity and wariness. "You want to talk about sides?" Mark continued, his voice rising. "Fine. Let's talk about the only division that matters in this city. Do you litter, Tony?" The question hung in the air, unexpected and disarming. Tony blinked, momentarily thrown off balance. "What the hell are you talking about?" Mark gestured to the trash-strewn street around them. "This is our home, all of ours. And there are only two types of people in New York - those who trash it and those who don't. So which are you?" An older Black woman in the crowd nodded approvingly. A young Puerto Rican man looked thoughtful. Even some of Tony's friends shifted uncomfortably. "You think picking up garbage makes you some kind of hero?" Tony sneered, but there was less conviction in his voice. "I think caring about where we live makes us New Yorkers," Mark replied. He held out the trash bag he'd been filling. "Want to help make a difference?" For a long moment, nobody moved. Then, slowly, a young Chinese girl stepped forward and dropped an empty soda can into Mark's bag. A murmur rippled through the crowd. Tony watched as the tension in the air dissipated in the audience he tried to gather. The bizarre change in mood drew attention away from his intimidation tactics. With a grunt of frustration, he snatched a piece of litter from the ground and shoved it into the bag. "There. Happy now?" Mark smiled back at Tony. "It's a start." As people began to pick up trash, a middle-aged woman with graying hair and kind eyes approached Mark. "Young man, that was mad impressive" she said, "I've lived in this city for fifty years, and I've never seen anyone handle an ass like him quite like you." Mark looked around at the gathering crowd, seeing faces from every corner of the world, all united in this moment. He took a deep breath and began to speak out loud. "You know, there's more to this than just litter and clean streets," he said, his voice carrying across the now-quiet block. "When I look at our city, I see three kinds of people." He held up one finger. "First, there are those who litter. Maybe they don't think about it, or maybe they just don't care. They're the ones who've given up on our city, who think it's someone else's job to keep it clean." Tony Caruso, still lingering nearby, shifted uncomfortably with crossed arms. Mark raised a second finger. "Then there are those who used to litter but realized why it's wrong and stopped. These people, they give me hope. They show us that change is possible, that we can learn and grow." A few mutters of agreement rippled through the crowd. An elderly man called out, "That's me\! Used to toss my cigars on the ground, but my granddaughter set me straight\!" Smiling, Mark held up a third finger. "And finally, there are those who not only avoid littering but go a step further. They pick up other people's trash. They leave places better than they found them." He paused, looking around at the faces that now watch him intently. "Now, here's the important part. These people, the ones who pick up litter that isn't theirs, they're not trying to front. They do it because they want a better city. They'd be happy to see anyone walking on cleaner streets where we call home.." Mark gestured to the now-cleaner street around them. "When I pick up litter, I’m thinking ‘bout the kid who wants to play in the park without cutting their hand on a broken bottle. I’m thinking ‘bout the elderly couple who want to sit on a bench without being surrounded by garbage. I’m thinking ‘bout the stray animals who might choke on plastic wrappers. That’s just ain’t the way we’d like them to go." He saw heads nodding, eyes widening with understanding. "But it goes even deeper than that," Mark continued, his voice passionate. "When we care for our shared spaces, we're caring for each other. We're saying that we believe in our community, that we have hope for The city. To me, every piece of trash we can pick up is an act of love for New York and all its people." The crowd was silent, absorbing his words. Then a young Black man spoke up. "I hear you, man. But don’t we got bigger problems? Poverty, crime, the kids failing in schools? Picking up trash ain’t gonna fix all that." Mark nodded, acknowledging the challenge. "You're right, it won't fix everything. But it's a start. It's about changing our mindset. If we can come together over litter, maybe we can come together over those bigger issues too. It's about taking pride in our city, in ourselves. It's about believing that our actions matter." He looked around at the races surrounding him. "Every one of us here comes from a different background. We've got different stories, different struggles. But that’s what makes us New Yorkers. We're all coming together looking to build a better city, in The City." Mark hefted his trash bag. "So yeah, today we're picking up litter. But tomorrow? Who knows what we could accomplish together." As his words sank in, Mark saw something he hadn't seen in a long time on the faces of everydayNew Yorkers: hope. As people walked away, some began to talk amongst themselves, exchanging names while they continued to clear more trash along their path. As the crowd dissipated, Tony Caruso approached Mark, his earlier hostility replaced by a grudging respect. "Real talk, you're alright, Goldstein. Maybe this neighborhood's big enough for all of us after all." As the sun began to set over the city skyline, Mark looked at the cleaner street and the mingling crowd. It was just one block, just one day. But as he watched a group of kids – Black, White, Asian, and Hispanic – laughing together as they competed to see who could pick up the most litter, he allowed himself to hope. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the start of something bigger. ### Further Exploration * [The City's Litter Problem is Worse Than Ever](https://www.nytimes.com/1978/10/24/archives/the-citys-litter-problem-is-worse-than-ever.html) \- A 1978 New York Times archive piece capturing the exact context of this story \(Article\). * [History of New York City \(1946–1977\)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City_\(1946%E2%80%931977\)) \- The era of urban decay and municipal crisis \(Historical Context\). [← I will teach you](/i-will-teach-you) [Helpful Lies →](/helpful-lies)