Colorful flowers bloom out of the concrete, mosaic-decorated planter boxes that mark the sidewalks of Omaha’s South 24th Street. Whether the bustling corridor is filled with shoppers and merchants doing everyday business in their South Omaha neighborhood, or the thousands of visitors who flock to the historic street annually for its Cinco de Mayo celebrations, it’s one man’s job to keep the street and its flowers beautiful.
Martín Salazar has been like a guardian to South 24th Street for the past couple years.
Almost every day, the 52-year-old walks between L and Q streets to tend to flower beds and pick up litter. Salazar has lived in South Omaha for about 20 years, and first began the job around the time that parts of South 24th Street got funding through the City of Omaha to become a Business Improvement District, or BID.
When the BID formed in 2021, the presence of trash on South 24th Street was a main complaint many residents and business owners brought up, according to Marcos Mora, a board member of the South Omaha BID.
“We needed to hire someone to take care of (the South Omaha Business Improvement District),” Mora said. “Martín is a really good worker.”
El Perico sat down with Martín Salazar in April at La Taquería Tijuana, to learn what it’s like taking care of South 24th Street. For Salazar, the job is an opportunity to help his neighborhood look beautiful, and, in turn, help his neighbors thrive.
“If we work together, South Omaha grows,” he said in Spanish.
Martín’s Journey to Omaha
Determination has always been a driving force in Martín Salazar’s life.
Salazar was born in San Luis Potosí, the capital city in the central state of San Luis Potosí, México, as the middle child — “el relleno” — in his family. As a kid, he fell in love with the sport of running and started running with a local club and competing in local races at a young age. When he started placing between first and third place in running competitions, he realized winning races could earn him money.
“For me, running is the best,” said Salazar, who is still an avid runner, even as he recovers from a leg injury he suffered last year. “Arriving on a track, sitting in the stands, you feel these nerves. When you start competing, all that leaves you. Your nerves are concentrated so much, it’s a beautiful feeling to enter.”
His passion for running was what first brought him to the United States.
When he was 33, Salazar traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas to compete in a running race. He decided to stay for a couple months to work and send money back home to his mother.
As Salazar kept working in the U.S., his search for new jobs moved him around the midwest. First he started working in construction in Le Mars, Iowa, a town that was known as the “Ice Cream Capital of the World.” Next, Salazar moved to Sioux City for work. Finally, he made his way to Omaha, where he got a job landscaping with Mulhall’s.
Salazar inherited the talent of gardening from his grandfather Zenon, who was a gardener in San Luis Potosí.
“My grandpa is the one who taught me all I know,” Salazar said, smiling as he recalled how his grandpa taught him how to make a crisp, clean edge on a lawn: with a machete.
“The street is cleaner… people are noticing that”
For about 20 years in Omaha, Salazar has done landscaping that has made residential and public properties across the metro area more beautiful. He said he cares deeply about the work he does on South 24th Street because he wants to see a more unified Latino community in South Omaha. So far, he knows his work is paying off.
“The street is cleaner, and more people are noticing that,” Salazar said.
When he’s not working, Salazar is likely studying for his American citizenship test, volunteering around South Omaha or running at an outdoor track in Omaha.
Salazar returned to San Luis Potosí for a few months this past winter, where he reunited with his family, nieces and nephews. He spent time at his old running club, where he got to see old running friends and meet the new generation of runners, who were inspired to see him.
In the future, he hopes to help people in Omaha get into running and walking for their health.
“I want to help people in Omaha train and learn to run,” he said.
Contact the writer at bridget@el-perico.com