Oakland’s government ‘ghosted’ a volunteer cleanup crew. So they cleared 23 tons of trash themselves

VolunteersworkedtocleanupillegaldumpingonastretchofEast12thStreetinOakland.OaklandPublicWorksofficialspromisedtosendtruckstohelpwiththecleanupeffort,but“ghosted”thegroup,volunteerssaid.  YalondaM.James/S.F.ChronicleForeighthoursonSaturday,dozensofvolunteersclearedmountainsoftrashdumpedonEast12thStreetinOakland,filling,byday’send,twodumptrailerswithdiscardedrefrigerators,mattresses,couchesandevenadeadchickeninacage.  Thevolunteers,organizedbytheUrbanCompassionProject,wereexpectingtheassistanceofOaklandPublicWorks,whichhadcommittedinanemailtosendingagarbagetrucktotransportthetrashtothecitydump.TheChroniclereviewedtheemailsexchangedbetweentheUrbanCompassionProjectandPublicWorksofficialsinwhichofficialstoldorganizersthatthecitywouldprovidethetruckat9a.m.Saturdaytoassistvolunteercleanupefforts. Butthetruckfailedtomaterializeandcityofficials“ghosted”organizersafterpromisingtosendthe