DEARBORN —  Mayor Abdullah Hammoud returned a pile of trash to the home of the person who dumped it in a park.

On August 3, Hammoud wrote in a Facebook post that he was pulled away from dinner with his family because of the problem, which the unnamed person apparently does nightly.

“This is unacceptable,” he wrote. “This invites rats. This is disrespectful to the whole neighborhood.”

Hammoud said he picked up the trash and returned it to the culprit’s door. The person got a citation and a message that further dumping “would not be tolerated,” according to the mayor’s post.

“I do not enjoy doing this, but our city deserves better,” he wrote. “Thank you to those who came forward.”

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud during an interview with WDIV-TV about his effort to combat garbage dumping in the city. – Screengrab

Just a few days prior, Hammoud had posted that people were leaving “an absolute mess” at Levagood Park on Denwood Street. In a nearly five-minute video about the mess, he called it “unacceptable” that people would leave trash out despite the myriad garbage cans available for people to use.

“We need the community to help us out,” he said in the video, adding that he had no problem having park managers approach those leaving messes or even doing it himself. “The city is doing its part. In order to maintain our parks, to maintain our streets, to maintain our city, it’s got to be a collective effort.”

The mayor has been posting pictures of trash around the city for several weeks, arguing it is not a lack of resources but a lack of respect from people who don’t care enough to put their trash where it belongs.

The city recently launched a clean streets campaign, dedicated to picking up garbage, sweeping the streets and more.

“Together, let’s tackle this issue head-on and build a more beautiful Dearborn,” Hammoud wrote in July.

On July 18, he posted on his personal Facebook page a picture that shows trash on a business’ patio and he wrote,
“What you see in the photo is not due to a lack of resources being deployed by the city or a lack of concern from the small businesses in the surrounding area. It’s a clear lack of respect of the folk who didn’t care enough to toss their trash.

“The only way we beautify our city is if all parties are helping out — city admin, residents, visitors and business owners. If we do not have the respect and care to take care of our own home (our city), why would we expect others to?

“This is shameful. We need to do better.”