Boston City Council Examines Revival of Red Shirts Youth Street-Cleaning Program

BOSTON — April 9, 2026 — Boston City Council examines reviving the Red Shirts youth street-cleaning program under Mayor Menino. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata sponsored Docket 0168, calling for a modernized version of the 1990s initiative to address litter complaints in East Boston and the North End, where she said trash pickups on Hanover Street occur roughly half as often as contracted. Allison Verneri, executive director of the Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, said her office funds roughly 6,000 summer positions paying $15 per hour for participants aged 14 to 18, with an average job cost of $2,625 per youth, and argued the Red Shirts concept could be absorbed into the existing SuccessLink framework rather than launched as a standalone program. Joseph Lee, chief of staff for worker empowerment, described Power Corps — a 10-month program for residents aged 18 to 30, paying stipends of $550 to $625 per month — as a ready vehicle for targeted civic cleanup days, including a Philadelphia-style on-site recruiting model. East Boston's Piers Park Sailing Center director Alex DeFranzo testified in support, noting his coalition employs 205 young people citywide and already conducts neighborhood cleanups. The council adjourned without a vote, with Coletta Zapata vowing to pursue a neighborhood-specific pilot and calling for a follow-up session with Public Works officials present.