The Essence of Sense or....Your Tax Dollars at Work

by Rabihah A. Mateen
Yesterday I called the city hotline to remove a dead animal that is festering on my corner. I received a confirmation number and was assured that it would be removed.

This morning, on my way to work, I noticed a sanitation truck (license number DC 1668) on Peabody and Third, NE. I saw three individuals: a woman who was cleaning debris from the street, a man who was just finishing raking and sweeping near the curb and the driver who was in the truck.

Though I dare not delude myself into thinking that DPW would be THAT efficient as to send someone within a day, I nonetheless thought I should capitalize upon the workers' presence to request removal of the animal’s remains -- particularly since it was barely two blocks away. After all, I would be saving the city the cost of having to send the truck out AGAIN to do what would, otherwise, cost NOTHING since a crew was already there.

Silly me! I received the response I had anticipated. Though quite courteous, the gentleman I approached said he had to check with the driver since the procedure was that I call in a request to 727-1000. I told him that I had done so and that I had a confirmation number. He responded that they have a set schedule, based upon requests, that must be followed. I said that I understood, but that it was JUST UP THE BLOCK. The kind gentleman said (though not convincingly) that he would speak with the driver.

With a small fraction of hope, I returned to my car and proceeded to Metro, back to my destination. I noticed that no sooner had the workers got into their truck, they immediately—without hesitating to ponder what I requested—proceeded to turn right onto Third Street going south. They sped past me—in the opposite direction of my house— until I lost them on Missouri when I turned into Metro.

Now this may seem to be a trifle matter, but I reflected upon the sad state of affairs in the District: the poor level of civil and public service, lack of responsiveness and sometimes just the lack of plain, unadulterated common sense. How much will it cost the city (i.e., you and me) to send a crew to return to collect the debris? I don't know, but certainly a lot more than it would have had the crew on-site collected it today.

I don't ask too much, just a little responsiveness. The incident today was indicative of how a cost-effective simple solution was overlooked because of the refusal to take responsibility.