DETROIT – A crossing guard took action after she became worried for the safety of the students walking to school.
An abandoned home near Rutherford Winans Academy on Curtis Street started to become a dumping ground, so she called the Local 4 Defenders.
The house is located at near the intersection of Curtis and Fergeson streets.
"When school started back and I started crossing, I started seeing mattresses were coming up -- inside and out," Keena Benning said. "Just driving by every day, I'm like, 'Who is dumping mattresses?'"
The home is vacant, damaged from fire and boarded up. Benning is worried about the safety of the children and the potential for a rat problem with the mattresses piling up.
"There is already a burned-up house, then we have garbage and trash hanging out? I think that's very depressing," Benning said. "If you go in another neighborhood, you know, more affluent neighborhoods, you don't see that."
Local 4 reached out to Detroit city officials, who responded within a day.
"Our inspectors came out and they issued two tickets," said Paul Max, general manager of environmental affairs. "One for allowing debris and the mattresses obviously, but also for high weeds."
The yard was cleaned up, and Benning is thrilled.
"It makes a happier environment," Benning said. "A safer, happier, nicer-looking environment."
City officials say they want Detroiters to report problems.
"It's very important," Max said. "Because if you allow them to sit, that encourages more people to come along and dump."
The easiest way to report is through the Improve Detroit app, available through the Apple Store and Google Play Store.