One morning in November, an East Oakland business owner alerted the police that someone was dumping debris onto the road at 100th Avenue and Pearmain Street. The intersection, where there’s a mix of industrial and residential properties, has long been targeted by illegal dumpers.
Two OPD officers arrived and, sure enough, spotted a man with a large dumpster attached to a tractor-trailer truck, and piles of waste on the ground, according to a police report obtained by The Oaklandside. The police handcuffed the man on suspicion of unlawful waste disposal, a misdemeanor that can carry hefty fines and jail time.
Just then, one of the officers received a call on his cellphone. It was from Councilmember Ken Houston…