2009 Jeep Commander
One day after work this week, I wandered around the city without a destination in mind. As I’ve mentioned before, I often take some of my favorite photographs this way. These are far from my favorite, but they’re neat all the same.
This Jeep Commander was dumped deep in the heart of Delray. Given its current state, I’d guess it’s been here for a few months. I rode my bike down this street in the warmer weather, and I don’t remember seeing it.
From the VIN, which was oddly still intact, I know it’s a 2009 and was manufactured at Chrysler’s Jefferson Avenue plant. As you can see, everything under the hood was yanked out without precision, like a small child playing Jenga for the first time.
I’ve found dozens of cars like this over the years, but this scene caught my eye. The car isn’t obstructed by anything other than overgrowth and is right next to an active railroad line. The vacant house next door added something to the spookiness, too.
Most of my exploration of Detroit has been on a bicycle, which offers a unique look at illegal dumping. I’ve had to get off my bike dozens of times to save my tires, many of which occasions occurred in Delray. Even if you report issues on the Improve Detroit app, sometimes the garbage is there for weeks, if it even gets picked up at all.
I don’t have an answer for the illegal dumping issues plaguing Detroit. So long as there are vacant areas without many eyeballs to offer protection, it will continue happening. I’ve always thought that fines and penalties for littering and similar crimes should be far higher, but I understand how that can disproportionately affect specific subsets of the population.
How could we solve the issue of illegal dumping in Detroit?
Oh, and does anybody want a Jeep Commander? I think I could get you a deal.
