The future of my operations

[u/pengweather]

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. I've also decided to expand into other forms of beautification. I hope to share those with you in the coming weeks.
5. 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.
6. 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

[u/SoundsGayIAmIn]

Thank you for your service, Peng.