8 ms·

East Palo Alto girls create app to clean up graffiti, trash

26 points by cb33 13y ago

jodrellblank 13y ago
They created an Android app called "Tag It!" that allows users to take a picture of graffiti, vandalism or trash in their neighborhood, tag its location and create an event to get it cleaned up. Estonia did this in 2008, but what I most remember about it is Mahmud's reply to my comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2079915 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2079915 Memory is odd.
- jamessb 13y ago
  In the UK, MySociety launched FixMyStreet [1,2] in 2007 [3]. However, it was aimed at flagging problems to councils, rather than arranging events for community members to fix them. [1] http://www.mysociety.org/for-councils/fixmystreet/ http://www.mysociety.org/for-councils/fixmystreet/ [2] http://www.fixmystreet.com/ http://www.fixmystreet.com/ [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FixMyStreet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FixMyStreet
  - handelaar 13y ago
    And it's reusable in other countries [1] (I made one that works in Ireland [2]). [1] http://code.fixmystreet.com http://code.fixmystreet.com [2] http://fixmystreet.ie http://fixmystreet.ie
auctiontheory 13y ago
I tutor at Eastside! (Wish I could take credit for the idea, but I can't.)
mailarchis 13y ago
I remember a startup that had presented a similar app couple of years back at TC 50 (can't recall the name) it had also signed up a US west coast city as one of their customers. I found it as one of promising ideas of tat year. [EDIT] this was it http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/15/tc50-citysourced-lets-you-report-pot-holes-and-graffiti-on-the-go/ http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/15/tc50-citysourced-lets-you-r...
sneak 13y ago
Why does it matter that they're girls? How would you respond if the headline were "East Palo Alto (minority group here) create app to clean up graffiti, trash"? This is sexism, pure and simple.
- ebf 13y ago
  Maybe because there is a lack of girls in engineering due to many reasons, including sexism?
  - jmadsen 13y ago
    Precisely. There are different stages of eliminating "-isms" - you have to make it actually BE the normal, no-big-deal thing before you can start to portray it that way. Right now, young women need to see lots of examples of other women involved in tech more than they need people to pretend techies are just techies
- kmfrk 13y ago
  Literally two lines into the article: EPA Chica Squad places high in a global mobile-app competition Fourth paragraph: Self-dubbed the "EPA Chica Squad," (...)
  - obstacle1 13y ago
    ...which just means the girls themselves are complicit in the sexism, unknowingly, even as they think they're making progress. This is an illustration of how far we've regressed, as a culture, w/r/t systemic sexism. The discourse has been confused probably irreparably at this point.
    - ebf 13y ago
      I don't think your argument holds weight. Do feminist activists make themselves complicit in sexism? Does having a Black History Month encourage racism?
wpietri 13y ago
Fantastic. Really nice to see students building things with an eye toward actual use.
jlgreco 13y ago
A great idea. I absolutely despise graffiti, if this were expanded to other cities I would be sure to use this.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
cinquemb 13y ago
I wonder what next years clean up trash app will bring us.
nwatson 13y ago
The quasi-Baptist Church http://www.highway.org http://www.highway.org has been heavily involved with the sponsoring institution Bayshore Christian Ministries in the past and I believe they still are. Along with other efforts such as the wells-for-African-villages they run out of the Red Rock Coffee Shop they own in Mountain View, this makes Highway a pretty interesting place.
- seivan 13y ago
  Where do they stand on same sex marriage?

26 points by cb33 13y ago

They created an Android app called "Tag It!" that allows users to take a picture of graffiti, vandalism or trash in their neighborhood, tag its location and create an event to get it cleaned up. Estonia did this in 2008, but what I most remember about it is Mahmud's reply to my comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2079915 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2079915 Memory is odd.

jamessb 13y ago
In the UK, MySociety launched FixMyStreet [1,2] in 2007 [3]. However, it was aimed at flagging problems to councils, rather than arranging events for community members to fix them. [1] http://www.mysociety.org/for-councils/fixmystreet/ http://www.mysociety.org/for-councils/fixmystreet/ [2] http://www.fixmystreet.com/ http://www.fixmystreet.com/ [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FixMyStreet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FixMyStreet
- handelaar 13y ago
  And it's reusable in other countries [1] (I made one that works in Ireland [2]). [1] http://code.fixmystreet.com http://code.fixmystreet.com [2] http://fixmystreet.ie http://fixmystreet.ie

auctiontheory 13y ago

I tutor at Eastside! (Wish I could take credit for the idea, but I can't.)

mailarchis 13y ago

I remember a startup that had presented a similar app couple of years back at TC 50 (can't recall the name) it had also signed up a US west coast city as one of their customers. I found it as one of promising ideas of tat year. [EDIT] this was it http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/15/tc50-citysourced-lets-you-report-pot-holes-and-graffiti-on-the-go/ http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/15/tc50-citysourced-lets-you-r...

sneak 13y ago

Why does it matter that they're girls? How would you respond if the headline were "East Palo Alto (minority group here) create app to clean up graffiti, trash"? This is sexism, pure and simple.

ebf 13y ago
Maybe because there is a lack of girls in engineering due to many reasons, including sexism?
- jmadsen 13y ago
  Precisely. There are different stages of eliminating "-isms" - you have to make it actually BE the normal, no-big-deal thing before you can start to portray it that way. Right now, young women need to see lots of examples of other women involved in tech more than they need people to pretend techies are just techies
kmfrk 13y ago
Literally two lines into the article: EPA Chica Squad places high in a global mobile-app competition Fourth paragraph: Self-dubbed the "EPA Chica Squad," (...)
- obstacle1 13y ago
  ...which just means the girls themselves are complicit in the sexism, unknowingly, even as they think they're making progress. This is an illustration of how far we've regressed, as a culture, w/r/t systemic sexism. The discourse has been confused probably irreparably at this point.
  - ebf 13y ago
    I don't think your argument holds weight. Do feminist activists make themselves complicit in sexism? Does having a Black History Month encourage racism?

wpietri 13y ago

Fantastic. Really nice to see students building things with an eye toward actual use.

jlgreco 13y ago

A great idea. I absolutely despise graffiti, if this were expanded to other cities I would be sure to use this.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

cinquemb 13y ago

I wonder what next years clean up trash app will bring us.

nwatson 13y ago

The quasi-Baptist Church http://www.highway.org http://www.highway.org has been heavily involved with the sponsoring institution Bayshore Christian Ministries in the past and I believe they still are. Along with other efforts such as the wells-for-African-villages they run out of the Red Rock Coffee Shop they own in Mountain View, this makes Highway a pretty interesting place.

seivan 13y ago
Where do they stand on same sex marriage?