A viral video of tires being dumped in a residential part of Oakland is shining a light on the bigger issue of illegal dumping throughout the city. City officials are implementing new strategies to catch the illegal dumpers, but some residents aren’t feeling too hopeful.
Ansel Troy is known for documenting Oakland’s widespread illegal dumping issues on his X account under the handle @EastOaklandDad. Last week he stumbled upon a scene of stacks of tires illegally dumped on a sidewalk in the Fruitvale neighborhood.
He posted the video to his X account which included a conversation with the man who allegedly dumped the tires in the neighborhood. “When I came and I see these mountain of tires, I was like ‘Woah, I need to record this.’”
The video went viral and this past week city workers removed the tires from the neighborhood. However, Troy says the dumping of tires has been an ongoing issue for months.
“It’s a big issue with enforcement where we don’t have anybody actively pursuing these illegal dumpers with law enforcement,” said Troy.
“You come home from work, the last thing you want to see is a street full of tires,” said Bernard Martin of Oakland.
The growing concerns from residents is a big reason why the city is taking measures to address the problem.
“It’s just out of control throughout the city when it comes to illegal dumping,” said councilmember Noel Gallo.
Gallo says the city is expanding its illegal dumping surveillance camera program with the City Council agreeing to buy 60 additional surveillance cameras to be installed in hot spots where illegal dumping will take place. The cameras will have the ability to track license plates. Violators can face fines of up to $1,500.
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“We just want to do the installation. We have some of the hot spots, we just have to get them up,” said Gallo.
Gallo did not provide a specific timeline of when the new cameras will go up, but mentioned one would be installed along Prentiss St. where this incident took place.
As for Troy, he thinks the illegal dumpers will figure out a way to avoid being caught, even if the cameras are present.
“In the City of Oakland, a lot of these illegal dumpers will just take off their license plate and you don’t know who to tie it to, unless you dig through it and find a receipt or piece of mail or something like that,” said Troy.
