LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Des Moines “Sails With Pride”? …NOT!
On Friday, November 27th, I couldn’t help but notice a shopping cart, piled high with boxes and rubbish, blocking the sidewalk and parked right in front of the “Welcome to Des Moines” sign at Pacific Highway S. and Kent-Des Moines Road. Most likely a homeless person was using it to transport belongings, and had left it there.
On Saturday afternoon, November 28th, the cart was still there.
I drove past again on Wednesday, December 2nd. There sat the cart. By now, some of its contents were beginning to blow around the adjacent planting beds and into the street. I thought surely someone from the City would have seen this by now and at least moved it so it wasn’t blocking the sidewalk.
I happened by the location again on Saturday, December 5th. Cart intact.
Hmmm… maybe this is some sort of artwork installation… or it is replacing the boat sails as Des Moines’ new civic symbol?
If it weren’t for the fact I was running late for an appointment, I was going to go move the cart myself, out of sheer frustration that thousands of cars had been proudly welcomed to the City by a grocery cart of rubbish for over a week.
I will be driving by again this afternoon. I can’t wait to see if its still there…
Here are photos taken Saturday the 5th:
- Michael Gray
Director of Campus Services
Landmark on the Sound
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us a Letter to the Editor by clicking here, and pending our review, we'll most likely post it. You can also leave a Comment below...]
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What a great citizen! How much trouble would it be to get out of your car and move the cart over to, probably Safeway, nd call yourself a good deed accomplished. Our ciry is presently overburdened and undermanned. We need to reach out beyond ourselves from time to time and “lend a hand”. I will go up there today and move it myself if it is still there. Community pride is US, that means you and me! Merry Christmas, Happy Hannucka and help us “Sail with Pride”.
If you noticed it repeatedly *and* took the time to take photographs of it, why did you not stop to move it? Thanks Pat for offering to take care of the cart.
Now hear this! On or about 1300 hours today, I drove by the offensive, blocked sidewalk and after close scrutiny, discovered that the garbage cart was gone. We had planned to take it over to Safeway but alas, some civic minded, good natured, Des Moines citizen had gotten there before us. I did not bring our camera because we came prepared for action! Sailing with Pride again! Who was that masked man after all?
And the scoreboard reads:
Nardo, Community Guy, 1
Gray, Director of Campus Services for Landmark on the Sound, 0
Things that make you go, mmm…
Thanks to the person, city staff or citizen, who moved the cart that caused us so much disgrace.
Maybe if we all got off our @#$%^ we could move more than shopping carts!!!
WAIT!!! Isn’t there a huge economic crisis and war going on??? Thought so.
Mike- you chose the same forum to bitch at. This is a pro homeless/ drug dealer/ hooker community. That would be obvious when you drive down 216th and then read the city managers report only to find out that over the past 2 months the crime free task force made 1 felony arrest. You could walk through that neighborhood blind folded, throw a stone and hit a felony in progress.
Also last year this se blog ran a story about a homeless woman camping on the bench by QFC. This lady had trash heaps on the bench. Later she had not 1 but 2 tents set up by brown bear. Also I have seen her at 7 in the morning filling a paper cup with malt liquor. If you read the comments to that story, you will find some of the same people who have chastised you regarding the shopping cart, advocating bringing her a sandwich, or taking the time to acknowledge her.
I agree with the point you are trying to make, it pissed me off that DES moines is so tolerant of the rif raff ( hell, one of te DMPD was arrested for robbing the gas station by the shopping cart at gun point) but every one here will act like they do more community service than the united way, but it’s easy to act that way behind a keyboard. Realistically you should have moved it, but I like the fact that you are concerned with how long it stayed.
the problem is, the majority of DES moines citezens like living in the ghetto, and based on the most recent election it will keep getting more and more ghetto.
I meant “wrong” vs. “same” in the opening line. I apologize for all the typ os, that comment was typed on my iPhone
Mike,
So when you are at work, if something doesn’t get done do you take photos of the offender? Or do you find ways to solve the problem and get the task accomplished?
I’d hope you do the latter.
Griping and moaning is for losers. Actions speak louder than words.
You want to complain, go right ahead, but realize you’re only adding to the problem and not helping to solve it.
Thank you, Bob, it seems that our “director” could use a little directing.
It seems the director has the same reasonable expectations as any citizen, that the city we live in take the steps neccesary to rectify problems as they arise. Out of all the people here who are chastising mr gray at least 1 or 2 of you had to go through the same intersection to and said nothing. I would deffinitely not do anything about it because I would not want to have deal with the meth addict near by that claimed ownership. Rather than calling out mike who wrote the letter, why don’t we ask why do we live in a town where the city leaders harbor drug dealers , hookers, and pimps. We have a police force that doesn’t do any thing about the problem and is begging to keep jobs. Oh well hopefully when sheckler and his cronies bankrupt Des Moines, we can be annexed by a better city like Burien
Point taken. Yes, I should have moved the cart myself before complaining about it. The only reason I took the photo with my camera phone was just the sheer irony of where the cart was placed… at a sign welcoming folks to Des Moines.
The whole reason I posted the article was to point out the general lack of civic pride and apathy about the appearance of the community. I try to do my part by keeping our 30 acre property open for the public to use, and then cleaning up all the messes and vandalism they leave behind. Every Sunday I usually fill a 40 gallon trash bag just with the fast food bags, beer bottles, and worse that are thrown out of car windows along 240th street every Friday and Saturday night. I would just like to encourage everyone to do what they can, and I will do the same. Thank you.