DETROIT (MyFox Detroit) -
A big problem plaguing the City of Detroit is illegal dumping. One woman told us it is so bad in her neighborhood, she found a dead dog in the pile of trash near her house.
(Click here to watch Maurielle Lue's video report)
"There was blood everywhere, all outside the mattress, all over on the cement, all over on the ground in the alleyway," said Alicia Taylor.
It wasn't a murder scene, but Taylor and her neighbors said they still feel like victims. They said in the last five years, dumping behind their homes has become criminal.
Taylor said Monday someone dumped a dead dog wrapped in an old futon.
"I'm not going to come back here and touch bloody mattresses and all of this garbage that is back here and try to move it out of here. How am I supposed to do this on my own?" she remarked.
"I have dogs, and it's unhealthy for my dogs to have all of this junk all over the place, and every day its something new, something different, something more."
There are mattresses, old furniture, tires and piles of trash.
"The city will not come and pick up the stuff because it's in the alley. We only have a big trash pickup once every three months, which is not enough for the City of Detroit," said Taylor.
It gets worse. Technically half of the alley behind Taylor's garage is her property, so she is responsible for it. She said she complained to the city and they warned her if they cleaned it up, it would cost her.
"She told me that if I called to make a report that I would be fined for all of the junk that has been dumped in this alley," Taylor said. "I am not really happy about that. I got very angry about that. That doesn't sound like that's even legal."
The Department of Public Works said that is their policy. They sent someone to pick up the dead dog, but confirmed most the other junk is on Taylor's property.
DPW told us they are willing to work with dumping victims, and after talking to us, they will investigate Taylor's case, but Taylor is taking her plea straight to the dumpers.
"Stay out of our neighborhoods. Go and dump it at the dump. If you live in Detroit, you can dump for free."
UPDATE 9/20/2012: We've learned the City of Detroit has come out and cleaned up the mess.
Alicia Taylor (Credit: MyFox Detroit)
