Andrew Salim, the boss of Liverpool cleaning firm Central Waste, has said “we all have a social responsibility” to call out racism after he took it upon himself to clean racist graffiti left under a bridge in Speke on Sunday, September 13.
Central Waste has been cleaning the city’s streets for decades and has built up thousands of followers on social media as Andrew gives viewers a glimpse into the work the company does. He is also well known for community projects, including restoring children’s playgrounds and cleaning up graffiti.
Public tip-off leads to action
Thanks to the company’s popularity over recent years, Andrew is regularly tipped off by members of the public about places around the city that could do with a clean. However, he was told about a very different kind of job at the weekend.
Andrew, 35, told the ECHO: “I have been cleaning up the city for nearly two years now. It is just what I do. It feels good to do it. Members of the public always message me, and then this particular member of the public messaged me about racist graffiti.”
Social responsibility and unity
Taking matters into his own hands, Andrew said he felt compelled to act as soon as he heard about the graffiti. He said: “We all have a social responsibility. Not just businesses, but individuals as well. If you do not call out behaviour that we don't agree with, then it is just going to continue.”
However, he hopes that the racist incident does not give people the wrong impression of the city. He said: “Whoever wrote that on the wall, it is just one person. It doesn't have to be one side versus another. It does not have to be like that. That is just a minority of people who think like that. We should never tar anyone with the same brush. I would not like anyone to think 'Oh, everyone from Speke is racist' because that is just not the case.
“The vast majority of us are completely against that. That is the real message I want to put out. We are Liverpool, we stick together at the end of the day. More often than not, we have been ostracized by the entire country, and that is why we should always stick together. We all know there are misconceptions about Scousers, that we're thieving, nasty people. But, when people actually meet us Scousers, they know how warm we are, and how receptive and welcoming we are as people. I would never like that to change.”
Family history and cohesion
Meanwhile, Andrew said that his own family history shows just how important the need for diversity and inclusion is. He said: “My dad came to England from Indonesia in the 70s. So, you are going back over 50 years ago when he was 21, and he is 72 now. So, he has lived in this country longer than he was from his original country.
“And that shows you what can happen when we work together. If it were not for my dad, I would not be here. And if I were not here, we would not employ so many people. I would not be able to do all the things that I do in the city. That just shows you what the power of cohesion can do.”
Residents can report incidents of racist graffiti to Merseyside Police on 101 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
