Paris Inman had a relatively simple assignment several years ago: find a place for his 5-year-old son to play T-ball.

He trolled the grounds of Kelly Miller Middle and Gage Eckington Elementary schools, only to find trash stuffed into the backstops. Inman phoned his D.C. councilman, alerted his LeDroit Park neighbors,and even resorted to taking pictures of the litter in his attempt to find a playable field.