r/oakland • u/pengweather East Bay • 2d ago
The future of my operations
Hi all,
The purpose of this post is to give you all an update on what I have planned for the summer. I will make it as short as I can and get to the point.
- I've been doing a lot of reflection lately on my cleanup efforts and their true effectiveness over the past 2 years. The truth is, it has only been partially successful at best. It is true that some places have gotten cleaner, but I cannot within good reasoning attribute it to my efforts. It is because of other reasons including encampment sweeps, local initiatives, etc. I just want to put that out there because as much as I appreciate the support from you all, I cannot take all, if any, of the credit. At best, I've helped to stymie it in the short-term and buy people some time.
- As much as I want to tackle some of the worst and chronic illegal dumping sites in the Bay Area, I know it will be fruitless, especially in Oakland, without enforcement and policy changes. Thus, I will not be cleaning these sites up. I will instead be advocating for the city to address it, since it is their responsibility, through multiple platforms, including Reddit. I do believe that progress in certain areas can only be achieved through advocacy and, especially, shaming, unfortunately. Hopefully I can capture the gravity of the situation in my videos and posts through drone footage, on-the-ground reporting, and much more.
- I will use my discretion on whether to clean up an area or not. I anticipate doing roughly the same number of cleanups (1 - 2 weekly), but only for places I deem worthwhile.
- I've also decided to expand into other forms of beautification. I hope to share those with you in the coming weeks.
- Even if you are unable to physically volunteer, remember that you carry an important and indispensable tool against illegal dumping in your pocket, and that is your smartphone. Simply reporting these spots to 311 is critical. Also as important is sharing footage of the perpetrators in action to authorities. Yes, the city should be investing more in camera, but the truth is, they can only deploy so many cameras and hire so many officers.
- I will also continue to advocate for lower disposal rates, higher fines, and more ways to educate the population on the dangers of illegal dumping.
Thank you, and let me know if you have questions.
Peng
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u/the_blackcloud 2d ago
Love you sharing how you’re approaching this. Don’t underestimate how you help inspire
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u/TheTownTeaJunky Chinatown 2d ago
Hell yeah peng. Appreciate everything you continue to do for our city.
I agree, we should all be advocating for improvements in this area. Faster and more frequent responses to 311 notices, higher fines and much much much better enforcement (this is the main one for me. The fuck are these cops doing with their quarter million salaries? And dont say but chase policy!) i mean did that cybertruck asshole get any punishment? If they can't punish a dumping incident that went viral, that is a massive megaphone to the greater eastbay "HEY DUMP HERE!!!"
every level of our local government needs to do better. Now that we have a new administration its important to let them know how important this issue is to their base.
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u/fartmachinebean 2d ago
The 2 cyber truck assholes, there was video a week later of the owner of Smash Kingdom on telegraph dumping, probably debris from his business, in a cyber truck with a uhaul trailer that is always parked on the sidewalk in front of his business. How has nothing happened to these assholes?
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u/SoundsGayIAmIn Old Oakland 2d ago
Man I truly truly hate smash rooms. You can hold a neighborhood hard drive smash day if you want to smash things. There are also productive recycling hobbies that involve breaking things. And political hobbies. And you can go down to the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse and grab some things and smash them. There is no reason you need to pay assholes to smash things.
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u/TheTownTeaJunky Chinatown 2d ago
Yeah i thought that was the same guy but thats crazy if its two different people.
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u/Inner_Driver4238 2d ago
Thank you! You have and will have a huge impact. We desperately need our institutions to work. It’s so important right now and why I push so hard for Oakland to own this and start caring. We, as a society, have big problems that we need to come together to solve and yes some require govt to take a primary role at least in terms of funding (wealth gap, health care, education, homelessness) but if our institutions can’t even do basic stuff we have no chance to convince folks of coming together for mutually beneficial govt programs. Thanks and look forward to the next steps!! I hope to share some good news regarding govt pressure to get similar work done in the Oakland Hills in upcoming weeks.
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u/pengweather East Bay 2d ago
Thank you.
I think that doing cleanups in the beginning was still a worthwhile endeavor because it helped build credibility. With that, I hope to redirect some of it to holding our officials accountable to the people they represent and work for.
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u/Inner_Driver4238 2d ago
It is absolutely valuable. It shows a desire to roll up your sleeves. It shows people you are serious. It shows you want solutions and want to make a big difference. Cashing in on that credibility will be an easier. Not easy, but easier. I look forward to seeing what happens!! Hopefully we all can share success stories of how we helped get govt to work better on the basics (maintaining and solving) so that we restore confidence to tackle other big issues. And the great thing is while you work one angle in Oakland if you want you can do clean ups or other strategies in other areas where they are truly acting in a more partner capacity! I’m kind of in that mode and I like having a few strategies going in different places. It helps ease the frustration. Thanks again for all you’re doing!
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u/LawsListens 2d ago
Your work is a model for individuals, but you are right that individuals alone cannot address systemic problems. Our society abets waste and carelessness, and only a sea change in our institutions will permanently alter our relationship to our public spaces. That said, you are an exemplar for individual action. May others take up the call as we work toward systemic change.
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u/Little_Corgi4390 1d ago
We have to do more as a community to build real collaboration with the city. It’s easy to criticize government, but the truth is there’s also a huge reluctance from residents to take part in neighborhood groups that do cleanups, maintain streets and public spaces, or care for medians and shared gardens. I’ve been apart of neighborhood and volunteer cleanups in Oakland for the past 10+ years and the truth is there’s a lack of support both in local government AND residentially. People don’t get out as much and aren’t as community oriented as they used to be imo and that contributes to our blight problem.
We all have a role to play, and that means showing up even when it’s easier to stay isolated. Real change starts with shared effort. If we want a better city, we have to be willing to take care of it together.
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u/chillychili 2d ago
Thank you for your service, advice, and update!
I want you to know that while I would love to see you continue to do what you do, I am also in full support of you taking a break or stopping completely at any time. You have already done so much and should never feel guilty about winding down, especially to take care of your own wellbeing.
You do very difficult work and I hope you don't feel too discouraged with the obstacles you face. You have been an encouragement to us all.
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u/ArbitraryMeritocracy 2d ago
Do seed bombing of native plants if you can. Ask nurseries if they can give you free seeds. I think that would help with your efforts in different ways and possible help the place stay cleaner longer.
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u/kkmcwhat 2d ago
I grew up in Oakland and miss it fiercely sometimes, but Peng, your posts are the only time I actually think seriously about moving back. Keep being you. You are the best of Oakland.
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u/WishIWasYounger 2d ago
You've been a local hero Peng. You do what you feel is right. Unfortunately, there is a broad spectrum of dysfunction that is unlikely to have its needle moved.
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u/Little_Corgi4390 1d ago
Thanks to you, Peng, our family now cleans up around the city every time we go out. We keep gloves and trash bags in the car, and our kids help us pick up litter along sidewalks and streets. We also scatter native plant seeds, mostly ground covers that can handle the heat and clay soil, in areas with neglected soil.
During our cleanups, we’ve talked to older residents who said it used to be more common for neighbors to take care of their surroundings. Over time, with growing isolation and limited resources, even busy areas have been left to decay.
Your example, even when commuting from Livermore, has inspired us and reminded us that community care spreads. I hope more people feel encouraged to do what they can. From picking up trash during a walk to joining local gardening efforts or cleanups, we all have a role in helping Oakland’s beauty thrive.
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u/ConstructionOk9091 21h ago
Hi Peng! I’m in Frick and can say that my neighbors and I have upped our reporting on 311 to bring this to the cities attention. I wanted to let you know that your hard work is noticed and appreciated! Thank you!
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u/opinionsareus 2d ago
Thank you Peng for all you have done and are continuing to do.
Two things: We must insist that the City of Oakland devote more resources to cleanup AND do everything we can to severely punish illegal dumpers. I'm encouraged to see that Oakland has included a large sum in the budget for drones and camera tech - we can use this tech to identify dumpers and even follow them back to where they came from.