What About These Bins?...

Just a small sample of what Alliance's customer leave all around our neighborhood. Just a day in the life of what Dogtown residents have to deal with. The last photo is across from Alliance (just across the new City Slicker Farm...check it out!...it's a great addition to the neighborhood). This is a particularly trouble spot that Alliance continues to ignor.

Alliance (Finally!) Retrieving A Couple of Stolen Recycling Bins...

One small victory! After neighbors complained for several days, Alliance finally retrieved two abandoned recycling bins that had been sitting there for days. Unfortunately, they will not be returned to the orginal owners. Those owners, like many of us, end up having to call Waste Management for replacement bins. Then those bins will likely be stolen again at a later date. The cycle goes on and on. However, Alliance continues to profit from these stolen recycling bins. Why doesn't Alliance automatically retrieve these recycling bins (and shopping carts) at the end of each day? They don't mind profiting from them. They just don't want to clean them up. Bad neighbor!

Two Abandoned Carts in Front of Alliance...

Alliance doesn't always keep things clean around their facilities (as they claim). And they definitely do not keep things clean around our neighborhood (as they should). The many shopping carts and recycling bins that their customers abandon make our neighborhood look trashy and attract others who think dumping their unwanted items around our homes is OK.

Alliance Customer (or Employee?) Publicly Urinating on 34th Street...

Driving on Peralta, I turn on to 34th Street and I see this person hiding behind a truck and publicly urinating in front of Alliance Metals. I was able to snap this photo just as he was finishing up. I followed him and watched him walk right past Alliance's restrooms (which he either couldn't wait, or the restrooms were too filthy, or he just doesn't care...like so many of Alliance's customers who frequently relieve themselves on the streets, in front of our homes, wherever they feel like it). Some don't even think twice about defecating as well. Look for more photos of public urination and defecation in this blog. It's quite disgusting.

Does How Alliance Metals Conducts Its Business Bother You?...

Then feel free to share your thoughts (and photos) by emailing: ABetterAlliance@yahoo.com

Share this blog with others...

...and stay tuned on the upcoming hearing to revoke Alliance's Conditional Use Permit (CPU).

More Trash Collected in Front of a Home Near Alliance...

Left by Alliance's customers. As the mess accumulates, the homeowner is forced to pick this kind of stuff up 3-4 times a week.

Stolen and Abandoned Recycling Bins Come as Far as a Mile Away...

Weeks later and this abandoned recycling bin still sits kitty corner to Alliance Metals. (854) Athens Avenue is a mile away from Alliance and a known location with rampant drug activity. Alliance customers hanging out there will look for any opportunity to get money for more drugs. One common solution is to steal recycling bins, wheel them down our streets to Alliance Metals. Borrow a (stolen) shopping cart from Alliance and transfer the recycling to it and bring it into Alliance for cash. What happens to the original recycling bin? It gets left on our streets, in front of our homes and stays there for days, even weeks...attracting other dumped materials. Thank you Alliance.

Alliance Employee Contributing to Blocking Traffic on 34th Street...

Again, I thought this is something that Alliance doesn't do. Much just like all the other stuff Alliance claims they don't do or are not responsible for. It's just frustrating to have a badly behaving business in our neighborhood. No other local business creates such headaches for the neighborhood.

Alliance Employee Contributing to Blocking Traffic on Peralta Street...

I thought Alliance employees were suppose to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

Alliance Customers Eat their Food and Leave Behind Their Trash...

This is a favorite location between Alliance Metals and Willie Keyes Recreation Center where Alliance customers frequently sit and eat food provide by groups like Food Not Bombs. Though well-intentioned, FNB lets Alliance's customers take their food away then the used and messy plates end up on the ground, on our streets, in front of our homes. BTW, this is also a favorite place for Alliance customer to "hide" and do their drugs.

When Alliance Doesn't Accept Materials this Is Where it Ends Up...

On our streets. This is next to the Willie Keys Recreation Center at Peralta and 32nd. Just what our neighborhood kids need to see. How inspiring.

A Favorite Corner for Dumping Recycling Bins Stolen by Alliance Customers...

Other disrespectful folk think it's OK to contribute more junk. Not only does this look bad, it attracts other unwanted blight and crime to the neighborhood.

What Alliance Customers Leave Behind After Rumaging Through Our Recycling Bins...

Alliance customers routinely rumage through recycling bins all throughout the neighborhood. Not only do they steal much needed funds from the City of Oakland (and put much of this stolen profit into Alliance's pocket) they leave trash on our sidewalks and streets.

Abandoned Shopping Carts Attract Other Junk (and Crime)...

It starts with one cart. Then another. Then more junk gets piled on. The blight that Alliance customers create simply grows. Alliance knows about this but does nothing to clean up what their customers start. This is an example of the Broken Window theory of how a neighborhood goes into decline. It starts small and grows. Others see the trash and think this is a neighborhood that know one cares about and thinks it's OK to dump more trash.

And it's not just blight. Crime comes along with it. Google "Broken Window Theory" to find out more about this phenomenon.

Alliance Customer Forcing Cars to Drive Against Traffic...

Alliance's Customers Take Over the Streets...

It's a constant parade. Some customers show some respect and share the road. Many, most, brazenly wheel their shopping carts right down the middle of the road. Cars are forced to drive around. Other customers stop and chat in the streets. Others drink, smoke, argue and fight. One customer had rammed his shopping cart into the back of a car stopped at a Stop sign. Then he started yelling at the driver and cussing and wavying his arms in a threatening manner.

More Crap Dumped by Alliance's Customers...

Note Alliance's facilities nearby in the background. Alliance claims they keep the park immediately across from them clean but won't cross the street to clean up these items dumped by their customers. If you walk a few blocks from Alliance in any direction this is what you will see.

Alliance's Employees Creating Road Hazards...

Alliance claims to manage it's customers on our streets. However, not only do Alliance's customer double-park and wheel shopping carts down the middle of the streets and constantly create all sorts of road hazards, Alliance's own employees also contribute to the problem. Peralta and 34th is a very busy intersection serving as access to both the 580 and 880 freeways. With more people moving into the area and business like Target opening up, Alliance continues to be poorly located and perhaps should find a more appropriate place to do business. CASS (other local recycler) is planning on moving. Alliance would be smart to follow their lead.

Alliance Lies about their Promise to Keep our Park Clean...

Alliance claims to keep the park adjacent to it's facilities clean. They claim to clean it up everyday. More often than not, this is what it looks like. And it's not just the immediate park that gets trashed. The surrounding neighbor within a 2-3 block radius is constantly littered with abandoned shopping carts and recycling bins stolen and dumped by Alliance customers. Over days and weeks, other stuff gets piled on as the blight festers and grows. Note Alliance in the background of photo #1. The sad truth is that Alliance is untruthful about much of what they claim.