DETROIT – A Detroit woman says the alley behind her home is swamped with trash and debris. The city says alleys are technically homeowners’ responsibility, but they are still putting a plan in place to help get the block cleaned up.
Kellisha Davis lives on Greensboro Street, southwest of Harper Woods. She reached out to Local 4 to get help with the alley behind her home.
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“They are giving us tickets,” Davis said. “We came back here and cleaned up, we did what we can, but I am really trying for the neighbors who can’t get back here.”
Davis moved in 16 years ago. A lot has changed on the block, but she says one thing hasn’t: an alley that’s dirty and dangerous.
She says she often sees piles with tires, carpet, and jagged wood. She’s tried to tackle it herself, but she says she can’t carry the cleanup alone.
“My neighbor has kids, my neighbor, she is elderly, she is older, she can’t get out here and do this,” Davis said. “She had grandkids, you know, people worry about the safety of their kids.”
She says she reached out to the city for help multiple times, even contacting the city council.
“Come help,” Davis said. “Come clean this up. It’s no way, we need some help. I did all that I could do. I’ve called everybody.”
Davis says it’s become a repeat route for illegal dumping.
“People continue to come back here and continue to dump, coming from other areas and just dumping back here and it’s a lot,” she said.
She says she understands the alleys may be homeowners’ responsibility now, but she believes the city should have cleared the clutter here before turning that responsibility over.
A few years ago then-Mayor Duggan said the city had cleared 3,000 alleys of brush and trash. That came after the city vacated its alleys decades ago and turned ownership over to homeowners, but over the years, many became overgrown eyesores and magnets for illegal dumping, prompting the city to step back in.
“You just throw us to the wolves and expect for us to clean this up and that just can’t happen,” she said.
“Although the maintenance of alleys has been the responsibility of adjacent property owners for many years now, Mayor Sheffield always wants to partner with residents who are striving to keep their neighborhoods clean and attractive,” a spokesman for Mayor Mary Sheffield said. “She has instructed the Department of Neighborhoods to partner with residents to help them form a block club and to formally request an ally cleanup. Once neighbors have followed this process, the general services department will work with property owners to have the alley cleaned out on this block.”
“I’ve done it all,” Davis said. “I’ve done everything I can and there’s not much more I can do. That’s why I called you guys, to get some help.”