When my car breaks down I do the normal things: I get it towed to a scrap yard, maybe, or I sell it to a guy who'll use it for parts, or I strip it myself if I know how to do that.
What I don't do is, you know, dump it by the side of a railroad. But apparently that's the norm in Oakland, California.
Oakland has been compared to a 'zombie apocalypse film' as the crime-ridden city has seen a recent up-tick in a horrifying trend where abandoned cars are left along the Union Pacific Railroad.
A massive 'graveyard' of ditched vehicles, including GMC and Ford pickup trucks, cargo vans, sedans and Chevrolet Tahoes have consumed the area for years, but recently, the problem has only grown worse.
Now, you might hear "abandoned cars are left along the Union Pacific Railroad" and think to yourself ...
... but it's very much exactly like that:
Legit Walking Dead vibes:
Typical California talk right here from Oakland officials:
Oakland officials say illegal dumping throughout the city is such a big problem that they don't have the resources available to fight it. Alameda County has created a task force to address the situation, and the California Highway Patrol has a special unit that deals with abandoned vehicles. But the problem persists.
Oakland "previously implemented surveillance cameras in dumping hotspots in 2022 in a bid to catch those abandoning the cars and other items in the junkyards."
However, "a total of 457 incidents were caught on camera from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, but only 59 were given citations."
The city was unable to issue more citations because 23 percent of the vehicles did not have license plates on them.
Another 41 percent of all dumping encounters had 'ineligible' license plate information.
Bad government, miles of garbage, criminals outsmarting inept authorities ...
Sounds like California!
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