West Seattle Crime Watch: Illegal dumping – in a big way

| Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

5:38 PM MONDAY: The photo and report are from Monica:

There is a lot of good stuff happening in Highland Park and there is the bad stuff, like this dumped, smashed RV, located at 12th SW & SW Myrtle….such a “gift” for our neighborhood. A neighbor stopped by as I photographed the “thing,” mentioning that he saw this heap of junk over by Westwood Village earlier in the week.

Monica says it has been “tagged” by the police, so it should be a candidate for removal soon. Here’s one way to report this type of thing online.

ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: We went by at 9 am and it was still there, though the tag was from 11/21, warning that it needed to be gone by 11/24. Here’s the view of its east side – right along Riverview Playfield:

(WSB staff photo)
If it’s still there tomorrow, we’ll start checking with the city to see about a timetable.

Margaret in Vashon November 26, 2012 (6:03 pm)

UNBELIEVABLE! This is the sort of thing that boggles the mind. Is there not some sort of VIN # that can trace this sort of thing back to the dumper. Nobody saw any activity?

GenHillOne November 26, 2012 (6:20 pm)

Add that to the ski boat (sans motor &trailer) someone dumped on Myers Way and you’ve got some real fun :)

K November 26, 2012 (6:29 pm)

This happens all the time in HP. Apparently people are too cheap and lazy to keep on driving down the hill to the transfer station. Once I saw an old Chris Craft Style boat. :-(

November 26, 2012 (6:51 pm)

I wonder if this is the same one that was in the side yard of the house on the N.W corner of 18th ave & Brandon St about a week ago…

eric1 November 26, 2012 (7:01 pm)

Ahh the transfer station requires $$$ to dispose of stuff. The prices are much higher now that they were in the past since the city has to pay for the pretty new station (definitely behind schedule and probably over budget). Just a few years ago, there used to be a line to get to the dump. Now with the high prices, there is never a line. I don’t think there is any less trash, so guess where it ends up?
.
I guess it makes bureaucratic sense somewhere since trash picked up off the street is probably on different budget.

sam-c November 26, 2012 (7:21 pm)

@by: that is what I was thinking- I am sure that is the exact same one that junked up that yard for about a week and a half. I was so happy when it disappeared… didn’t realize it just got dumped somewhere else. too bad that property hasn’t been turned into puget ridge edible park already…..so is there a SPD number to call?

resident November 26, 2012 (8:07 pm)

id think theres enough aluminum in that to take it sodo and get rid of it for free at one of the metal scrapyards.

Leticia November 26, 2012 (8:13 pm)

Can someone scrap it for metal it and make money? If so some one should get on it to make a little cash for the holidays

Guy November 26, 2012 (9:40 pm)

Let’s go camping!

low bridge November 26, 2012 (10:14 pm)

the bottom of the hill on 21st just north of Sanislo Elementary is another popular dumping spot. makes me crazy.

sonoma November 26, 2012 (10:29 pm)

Trailer trash. Literally.

WMF November 26, 2012 (10:54 pm)

That thing showed up the day after the first big storm. I had assumed that someone had it stored somewhere and a tree fell on it, and they had to have it towed home. SPD tagged it the day it showed up. I’m usually up pretty late, and I didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. To be fair, I was probably playing video games when they did it. Really chaps my hide to find out that thing was dumped.

Brooke November 26, 2012 (11:03 pm)

Dare I ask how it was transported to that ‘new’ site?

they November 27, 2012 (1:00 am)

It doesn’t look like much now but a roll of duck tape and some elbow grease and somebody could have a pretty nice rig…

LL November 27, 2012 (2:31 am)

I am also almost certain this was the same destroyed trailer in the side yard of the corner home of 18th ave & Brandon St. They have a large enough truck to haul it as well…

Wetone November 27, 2012 (8:30 am)

Got to watch out for trailers like this. A lot of times people use them for making meth and then leave them wherever for someone else to clean up.

WS rats in a cage November 27, 2012 (9:16 am)

Illegal dumping and junk/abandoned vehicles are starting to become a problem. There are laws against it but it’s not like the city goes looking for violators. They work on a reactive basis so we need to file forms online whenever we see this sort of “BS” I filed one for this incident but here are the links for people who may want to file in the future to maintain or improve the integrity of our neighborhood.

Abandonded vehicles, junkers and operational vehicles parked more than 3 days on the street:

http://seattle-p1csrprodcwi.motorolasolutions.com/ServiceRequest.mvc/SRIntake

Illegal dumping:

http://www2.seattle.gov/util/forms/illegalDumping/illegalDumpForm.asp

bridge to somewhere November 27, 2012 (9:23 am)

why pay for hauling trash to the dump when the tax payers can do it for you?

WS rats in a cage November 27, 2012 (9:38 am)

This sort of thing is so irritating! Some people are lazy, selfish, and cheap!!!

WSB November 27, 2012 (9:53 am)

We went by a little while ago to see if it was still there. It was tagged on 11/21 with a warning that it needed to be gone by 11/24. Neighbors are the best watchdogs but we too will watch daily to see how soon it finally gets taken away. It’s right alongside Riverview Playfield, used by lots of families, sports teams, etc. so it’s a pretty dangerous spot for it. – TR

WS rats in a cage November 27, 2012 (9:55 am)

Thanks WSB. It’s on borrowed time now :)

curious November 27, 2012 (10:13 am)

so 3 people (in the comments) have corroborated the house that this came from. No penalty for the illegal dumper?

WSB November 27, 2012 (10:28 am)

Curious, I would hope they have called police. Reporting it here does not dispatch authorities, nor does it give them any legal means of linking the item to the alleged source …

westsidemegan November 27, 2012 (10:18 am)

Its so annoying when folks decide to leave their trash for others to take care of. We often get people who dump their trash from their cars in the street in front of our house. Then just last Monday night someone decided to dump their empty boxes and trash inside our yard (inside the fence!). I guess they figured it was good for us since we have a for sale sign out front? Little do they know the house is coming off the market!
Another famous spot for dumping is in South Park at 5th and Kenyon….Seems almost daily there is new trash & furniture dumped there.

PAR November 27, 2012 (10:34 am)

I too think that it is from the house on the corner on 18th and Brandon. I walk by the almost every day with my dog. The house was vacant for almost a year if not more. Now in the last 4 months or so somebody has moved in and really just kind become a junk collector. If you pass by the South side of the house, along Brandon, you will notice a huge collection of boards, broken junk, and tarps. I don’t even think the people live in the house there but rather the RV parked in the back yard.

WSB November 27, 2012 (10:46 am)

I haven’t seen all the comments on this but please talk with your Community Police Team officer if you haven’t already. Also – I believe nuisance houses are on the agenda for Highland Park Action Committee’s meeting this Wednesday, 7 pm at HP Improvement Club, and if you weren’t already planning to go, might be a great reason. (It’s a joint meeting with Delridge Neighborhoods District Council but that’s a pretty casual group too so if you haven’t ever been, don’t be intimidated … just go!) Back to CPT Officer – they also might wind up working with the precinct liaison from the city attorney’s office (Melissa Chin) – did you see our coverage of the nuisance house at 36th/Morgan? Sounds like you MIGHT have a similar situation … TR

MJB November 27, 2012 (11:03 am)

we live behind the southwest library. you should see the idiots who pull up and leave their garbage at the library dumpsters. old chairs, broken bookshelves, a large destroyed cat condo, those are just a few of the gems left in the last few months. not to mention the people who waddle off with carts from westwood village (because they cant carry a few grocery bags home) and decide to leave them for the library to deal with.

neighbor lady November 27, 2012 (12:50 pm)

I thought it looked exactly like the mess at 18th & Brandon, too– so much so that (before reading this comment chain) I walked over to check. Yup. As has already been reported, no more heap at 18th & Brandon. Identical heap by the playfield. Is there a police line for this sort of tip?

WS rats in a cage November 27, 2012 (1:10 pm)

If you have info on who this may belong to, I’d call 206 625 5011, the non emergency line.

RMB November 27, 2012 (1:22 pm)

I noticed that this looked like the wreck at 18th and Brandon, too. I just got off the phone with the Abandoned vehicles department, and made a report about where it may have come from. I don’t know if they’ll do anything, but it just doesn’t seem right that someone could just dump their crap on the street like that.

N. Nelson November 27, 2012 (1:31 pm)

Yup! I also live near 18th and Brandon. Exact heap. It would suck if they paid a service or person to haul the heap away accordingly only to find out it wasn’t!

Helen November 27, 2012 (2:59 pm)

I recognized it immediately from that yard on 18th & Brandon. When I saw it gone, I figured that someone got tired of it being there and hauled it to the dump. Sad to see it didn’t quite make it there.

Concerned westseattleite November 27, 2012 (9:56 pm)

There is another heap of a trailor on 26h near Genesee. Cops have been told but still let the crackheads “live” there.

WSB November 27, 2012 (10:17 pm)

If it’s a place where people are living – it’s a DPD issue, not necessarily a police issue. DPD handles everything from junk to safety to vegetation complaints. Any idea if the property has been reported to them?