DETROIT (WXYZ) — Neighbors living on Detroit's Northwest side say they're tired of seeing continuous piles of trash along the road and little to no enforcement from city departments.
Winfred Blackmon has lived in his home near 8 Mile Road and James Couzens Freeway for more than five decades.
"I’m tired of living in a dirty city," Blackmon said as he stood in front of a pile of garbage on Freeland Street. "We go east side, west side, Southwest Detroit same problem throughout the city."
Blackmon says while the garbage and blight issue in his neighborhood isn't as bad as some others across the city, he believes not addressing the issue will only make it worse.
"This is exceptionally a little bit better but the way it’s going now, it’s going to be identical to other neighborhoods if we don’t put a stop to it," Blackmon said.
Fred Brown is the block club president with the MacDowell Community Council. He says he's noticed the issue in his neighborhood and has made calls to the city to have it remedied.
"It’s a repeated issue that’s been ongoing for well over six months or longer: the lack of blight enforcement, the lack of informing the community of their blight requirements," Brown said.
Brown says despite his reports, the trash will sit out on the curb for weeks, sometimes months on end. He says now in addition to the trash heaps, they're also dealing with tree limbs and storm debris left on curbs following the ice and snowstorms from three weeks ago.
Brown says it's time for the city to enforce blight code on the books.
"There’s a lot of trash in the city of Detroit, particularly in the neighborhoods that is going unchecked, unpicked up and it’s just not good for our property values for our homes," Brown said. "We’re not asking for anything special. We just want our services. We want our neighborhoods where we bring our children, our grand kids, our whatever out here... we don’t want them to have to see that and we don’t want rats and rodents running all over the place, and that’s what that produces."
Wednesday evening, the city said they had no record of blight complaints near Freeland St. and 8 mile. After being contacted by 7 Action News about the neighbors concerns, city crews traveled to the Blackstone neighborhood where they say they issues citations and made arrangements to remove blight.
The city says every property owner has a responsibility to keep their property free from solid waste. The Department of Pubic Works lists more information about waste guidelines on the city's website.
"You absolutely cannot allow solid waste to lie on or about your property," said Crystal Rogers, who is the general manager for Environmental Affairs with the city of Detroit. "Residents are allowed two cubic yards of household bulk waste removal every other week."
Rogers says if homeowners or residents don't follow the ordinances, the city will issue a warning to give them a chance to comply. If they still do not remedy the issue, the city will issue a blight citation, which the homeowner would have to report to court for.
The city says in order to enforce the ordinances, they need people to report the issues as they see them.
"Detroit is, I believe, over 140 square miles. We do not have the capacity to drive the city of Detroit every day. We rely on our residents to report using the Improve Detroit app or to call us at 313-876-0426," Rogers said.
Rogers says as for the downed trees and limbs that remain following the storm, whether it's the city's responsibility depends on where it is located. If the tree is in the property owners yard, it is their responsibility. If the downed trees/limbs are between the sidewalk and the curb, it's considered a city tree and would be their responsibility. Rogers says their general service department is going throughout neighborhoods and retrieving those.
"If they cut it up and properly package it, yard waste begins April 3rd and we will be picking those up free of charge," said Rogers. " Before that, they can avail themselves of the DPW paid pick up service which is available any time of year just give them a call."
The city says they've been working to send out a four-page mailer to residents educating them on their responsibility to maintain their properties. Those documents are set to hit city mailboxes in the coming weeks.
Blackmon and Brown say they're planning to host a meeting on Saturday March 25th at 11 a.m. at Gracious Savior Lutheran Church on James Couzens Freeway. Community members and block club leaders have been invited as they plan to form a committee and discuss how to prevent further blight in the city.
