Meet Mamadou Tall and Saliou Diop

A familiar face on the corner

A clean sidewalk can seem like a small thing until you get to know the person who makes it that way. When the Gramercy Park Block Association introduced its Clean Streets team in June 2022, Mamadou Tall described the part of his work that meant the most to him: the neighbors who stopped to say good morning, noticed his effort and learned his name.

One neighbor thanked him for keeping the streets clean. His answer was simple: “Thank you for having me.” Another neighbor and her mother brought homemade peanut-butter cookies. Those exchanges, he explained, encouraged him to do his work well.

From Dakar to New York

Before moving to New York, Mamadou had spent years working in freight transport in Senegal, first at the port of Dakar and later at the international airport. He joined StreetPlus in December 2017, bringing that long working life to a new city and a new kind of daily routine.

His assignments took him through Union Square, Hudson Square and other New York neighborhoods before Gramercy. Here, Arlene Harrison helped make introductions. A job on the street became a way of getting to know the people living along it.

Two people, a wide range of work

Saliou Diop, also originally from Senegal, had worked with StreetPlus for nearly five years when the Block Association published the introduction. His experience centered on special cleaning and maintenance projects around the city, most recently in Union Square.

Both men brought experience beyond sweeping: painting street furniture, removing graffiti and handling the maintenance tasks that keep shared places inviting. The interview records one chapter in the history of Clean Streets and the people who have sustained it.

Saliou’s own account

In a separate June 20 interview, Saliou described growing up in Touba, Senegal, attending French school and speaking Wolof. After coming to the United States in 2017, he took English classes and earned his GED.

His work with StreetPlus included special projects for the Union Square and Canal Street business improvement districts. In Gramercy, his experience showed in painting lampposts, mailboxes, traffic boxes and other street fixtures. Like Mamadou, he valued the neighbors who stopped to greet him and say thank you.

Appreciation is part of the neighborhood

Read about the team’s work on our Clean Streets page.