The efforts of the Love Thy Neighbor Ministry in Toppenish will be part of an hour-long special on gang violence in Washington to be aired on KCTS 9 public television later this month.
A KCTS team was in Toppenish Wednesday, Oct. 14, to do interviews for a five-minute field-report segment for the show.
Producer/reporter Jenny Cunningham said she was interested in Toppenish because there was “clear-cut” activity taking place here.
“I was looking for a solution story,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham and Senior Director/photographer David Ko interviewed and videotaped members of the Love Thy Neighbor Ministry as they painted out graffiti in several Toppenish neighborhoods.
She said the previous day she and Ko had attended a meeting of the Community Safety Network, at which those speaking had included the mother of Estevan Silva, Jr., one of two individuals who were gunned down at the same time in March, in gang-related violence.
Cunningham said she had also traveled and talked with a Toppenish police officer during her time in the city.
She stressed that the scope of the KCTS special is the whole state, and that the bulk of the show will be taken from the town hall meeting held in Yakima at the Capitol Theater Oct. 20.
The show, entitled “Confronting Gang Violence: A Town Hall Discussion,” will air locally on KYVE 47 at 7 p.m. Oct. 29. 
The Love Thy Neighbor Ministry has been in operation since September last year, and was spearheaded by Pastor Frank East of the Hope for the Nations Foursquare Church.
The ministry also includes several other local churches, and recently acquired a paint sprayer that will make eliminating graffiti much faster and easier.
The sprayer was paid for by donations from local individuals and businesses.
East said a community-wide graffiti paint out is planned for Nov. 7, to begin at the parking area near the Flag Plaza in Pioneer Park at 10 a.m. 
Anyone interested in participating in the effort in encouraged to come and bring old paint brushes and rollers, and wear clothing they don’t mind getting a few paint spatters on.