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Whitehaven woman calls on city of Memphis to clean up trash on her street

She said she's called the city and emailed since the spring to get the the mess picked up, but said that outreach so far fell on deaf ears.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fed up with inaction by the city of Memphis, an ABC24 viewer contacted us to help her clean up trash and debris on her Whitehaven block. 

That viewer said she's called and emailed since the spring to get the the mess picked up, but said that outreach so far fell on deaf ears. 

"Just feeling very disappointed and frustrated because every day for the past four months, I've had to look at it," Racquel Scott said.

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She's at wit's end that the pile of trash and debris on a vacant property remains.

"There's things to get the job done but nobody is seeming to want to do it," Scott added.

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This, despite Scott's repeated calls to 311 since late April to get the problem spot on Whitehaven Lane cleaned up.

"I've been told someone is looking into it, I've been told that several times from day one, that, 'oh, we've got it, we've reported it, someone is looking into it'." I've never been given any specifics to when they are going to stop looking into it and actually do something."

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Scott said she saw someone in Memphis Code Enforcement inspect the mess in early May but despite even more 311 calls after that, the pile remains.

"Sometimes when company or someone comes by, you have to guide them out, this pile is pretty high, it's obstructing their view and it's just really looks bad," Scott said.

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She said it's more than an eyesore but also a public health hazard.

"I've observed rodents, my husband saw a snake. it just not a good problem as well, seeing rodents has really bothered me," Scott said.

A city of Memphis spokesperson said late Wednesday afternoon that the property was investigated as illegal dumping in Shelby County Environmental Court and the property owner's deadline to comply expired June 22. That city spokesperson said a contractor also mowed overgrown grass on the property in May and June.

 

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