DETROIT – Neighbors in the Old Redford neighborhood are fed up with yet another illegal dumping incident left a vacant lot at the corner of Thatcher and Burgess strewn with trash, broken glass and household debris.
John George of Detroit Blight Busters, who has helped lead cleanup and neighborhood improvement efforts in Old Redford, called the latest dumping “disheartening” and said the piles of debris had been sitting for more than a week.
“I’m just sick and tired of it. You’ve got broken glass, you’ve got broken porcelain. You’ve got trash. You’ve got garbage,” George said, describing the scene.
A neighbor reported seeing a box truck leave the trash behind, and George said his team uncovered items with names and addresses — including packages that appeared to point to residences on Kentfield and West Chicago — which he described as potential leads.
“We’ve got people’s names here. This young man lives on Kentfield…this is the one on West Chicago. So, we’ve got two good addresses,” George said, adding that the information has been passed on to the City of Detroit and the police.
Detroit Blight Busters said the dumping is a setback for a neighborhood that has been actively working to attract investment and improve conditions.
Recent improvements on nearby Lahser include façade upgrades, new sidewalks, removal of dead trees and demolition of blighted structures; the Motor City grounds crew has also been helping with grass cutting, George noted.
“As you know, we’ve been working in this neighborhood for a long time, clearing out the debris, making it safe for the youth. Making it attractive to potential investors. And this is not what we need in our neighborhood. This is taking us back,” he said.
Frustrated by repeated incidents, some neighbors have threatened to track down the culprits and return their trash to them. George acknowledged those feelings — and even joked about the idea of leaving some of the recovered material on a suspect’s lawn — but said the right course is to pursue the leads and involve city authorities.
“We should not have to deal with this. All you’ve got to do is take it to the dump,” he said.
Detroit Blight Busters is urging neighbors to report suspicious activity immediately and says it has already reported the findings to city officials and law enforcement. Residents who witness illegal dumping are encouraged to contact police or the City of Detroit to make a report.
If you have information about this dumping incident, Detroit Blight Busters asks that you contact them directly or share tips with local authorities so the responsible parties can be held accountable.