DETROIT – Kina Wesson has grudgingly accepted a landscape of vacant houses and trash in her neighborhood, but now she has found a new test of her patience.
For two weeks and one day, a fallen tree blocked the intersection of Hildale and St. Louis streets near her Detroit house.
"We pay our taxes," she said. "Why can't they look out for us?"
The Nov. 17 windstorm toppled the tree, a streetlight pole, and power lines. The lines were deactivated, but the mess has remained. Drivers have turned a field near the intersection into a detour.
"What if there was an emergency? Someone gets sick, or a house is on fire. They can't come that way," she said.
Local 4 alerted Mayor Dave Bing's office Monday afternoon. Crews used chain saws to clear the area within three hours.
Though several neighbors say they notified the city of the problem, the Mayor's Office says the proper department, Public Lighting, was never notified.