'It's not safe,' Stockton street becomes trash dumping ground
STOCKTON — A street in Stockton has become a dumping ground, and some residents have become frustrated.
Salters Drive is an eyesore for residents; broken glass, old furniture, and litter block the sidewalk — raising concerns about safety. Residents say people come into their neighborhood and dump trash on their sidewalks.
The unofficial dumping ground sits in front of several mailboxes. One neighbor took to Facebook to say mail delivery drivers have to park around the corner in order to deliver mail. Plenty of cars pass through the area – he says it is a hazard for drivers.
"I see them parking right there in the middle of the road," one resident, Terry, said. "All the drivers… they're having a difficult time getting around."
Another resident says kids have to walk onto the street to avoid the mess.
"It's not safe," Terrina Seabron said. "People drive around this corner, and somebody could get hit by a car. Somebody just crashed the other night."
In Stockton, it is illegal for any person in the city to dump garbage on the street.
Several neighbors say they want these offenders to be punished, but others say they have grown indifferent to the ever-growing mound of trash.
"I don't really react to it," Terry said. "It's nothing new."
CBS13 spoke to Stockton City Manager Harry Black, who says residents need to take action in order to resolve the problem.
"It's important for the community to take a role in this," Black said. "If someone sees someone doing it, take a picture, get a license plate, and submit that. That's something that can be forwarded to the District Attorney's office for some possible action."
"Ask Stockton" is the city's customer request management system. If residents aren't able to catch these offenders red-handed, Black says they can still submit pictures to the portal.
CBS13 tested out the request form, which takes less than five minutes to complete. Once the form is submitted, residents will receive a request number and an estimated date of when the issue will be addressed.
Black says submissions like this can help the city's "Clean City Initiative" address which locations to target during their monthly community cleanups.
