In case you missed it at Tuesday night’s Council Meeting Open Forum, a local civic-minded individual named Chris Hammond recounted how he spotted someone in a pickup dumping trash on a secluded city street near where he owned property. He pursued the dumper and tried to copy down the license plate but without success. The driver ultimately eluded him, so he went back to the dumped trash and looked for some identification. He found a letter with an address on it and proceeded to that address where he found the truck already being loaded for the next trip.

 

Hammond then contacted the Richmond police, and an officer was dispatched to the address. After interviewing occupants of the address where the pickup was parked and getting a story of a “friend” with no last name to whom the truck had been loaned, the police officer checked the registration and found that it had expired over a year ago. The officer also observed two vehicles being repaired in the public street in violation of Richmond’s Public Nuisance law.

 

The “shade tree mechanics” were issued a $250 citation for public nuisance, and the pickup truck was impounded and towed away. Code enforcement was alerted to a construction project that was possibly being done without a permit.

 

The moral of the story is that Richmond is getting serious about cleaning up this town, and scofflaws risk significant consequences for treating this city like a private garbage dump. There’s a new sheriff in town, but the eyes and ears of citizens are needed to help.

 

I’m not advocating that citizens should chase down dumpers, but I am advocating calling the police if you are a witness to dumping, or if you want a code violation addressed. If it’s not an emergency, call 510/233-1214.