What a mess!
We already know about the huge problem with abandoned stolen cars littering the landscape in Detroit and some other cities, but we just ran across the crazy story about how bad it is in Oakland, California. According to the local report, some residents say over half the cars parked on their street have been stolen and dumped. Some are missing parts, windows, etc. and the city isn’t doing much to clean them up.
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As you might imagine, residents in these neighborhoods aren’t happy at all. The vehicles just sit in the same spot for months, accruing all kinds of parking tickets and other violations left on them, but the city doesn’t bother to bring in a tow truck.
One person interviewed by the local news crew said there was a stolen Mercedes which had been sitting by their house for seven months. Fed up the city wouldn’t get rid of it, this person covered part of the vehicle with brown paper. On that paper they wrote messages to shame city management, like “inept city of Oakland won’t tow me!” Shaming the city apparently worked, because the Mercedes was towed after that.
Part of the problem is that in Oakland, a police officer has to be present for a vehicle to be towed. Considering all the violent crime Oakland Police has to deal with, combined with the fact they’re understaffed (how did that happen?) means it can take a while for an officer to be available to perform this less-urgent task. In the meantime, the car thieves are working overtime, their plunders piling up along the roads.
To get all the stolen cars towed faster, the city is shifting the responsibility of having abandoned vehicles towed to Oakland Department of Transportation. However, there are some cars which look abandoned but are in fact habitats for the homeless, meaning the city will not remove those vehicles. That’s right, in the city of Oakland, California you can live in your car and park it in a legal spot indefinitely. Just remember, if you do that someone might steal your home, because car theft is really hot there.
Source: KRON 4
Photos via Google Maps
