Truckload of trash illegally dumped in front of Oakland special-needs school

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - The problem of illegal dumping has reached a whole new level in the city of Oakland. The latest incident involved a whole truckload of trash that was dumped right in front of a school for special-needs students.

Neighbors are outraged over the old mattresses, tires, discarded Lotto tickets, needles and generally, smelly, filthy and unsanitary waste.

Sometime over Wednesday night, someone dumped the trash in front of Burckhalter School at 3994 Burckhalter Avenue off Interstate 580.

Some students who need braces on their legs and their parents were forced to take a detour just to get to school.

Patricia Lousville Areceneaus said it’s important for her and her child to get as close to the school as possible because of the student’s condition.

“I had to park way down farther from where I usually park,” she said. “His motor skills…he doesn’t walk normal like everybody else.”

“It makes me upset because, you know, I’m coming every morning to drop off my kid. Like you said, they have special needs and we have to go around the school to get him in. It’s disturbing to see all that trash in front of the school,” said Flora Ortiz.

A neighbor told KTVU off camera that at about 1 a.m., he saw a dump truck pull up and drop its load. He thought at first that it was a mulch delivery for a neighbor.

Crews used a bulldozer and a street sweeper to clean up the mess. Oakland police and school officials are investigating.

The school district confirmed this isn’t the first such instance of a large garbage dump like this. Just last week, Howard Elementary, a few miles away, also in East Oakland also had garbage dumped on its campus.

Those who report illegal dumping in Oakland are eligible for a reward of up to half of the fines the city collects.