Pet Peeve: Litter on a Stick!!!!

[BKM]

I know in the grand scheme of things, this is a pretty trivial issue: But how do you guys address "street spam" (aka Litter on a Stick)? Do you all just ignore it in the interest of time-or do you try to keep a handle on it? I tend to the latter-I hate street spam and try to yank those stupid coroplast signs whenever I see them. Not that we spend a lot of staff time on it, but I honestly feel that very few of these "businesses" are anything more than multilevel scams!

There's my (actually work-related) rant for the morning.

 

[SGB]

Those things are usually (or at least should be) covered be a local signs code.

I knew one former village code officer who used to spend about 4 hours a week removing the signs during the warm weather. He'd notify those responsible not to continue to put them up, but others would take their place. Damn things reproduced like cockroaches.

 

[Dan]

But how do you guys address "street spam" (aka Litter on a Stick)? Do you all just ignore it in the interest of time-or do you try to keep a handle on it?

Here's my ideal solution.

However, when I worked in Florida, where snipe signs are rampant, I took the Juliani approach; every day, on the way to work, I would make the rounds of busy streets, and knock down the signs the moment they appeared. I'd use reverse lookup, whois and other tools to find out who posted illegal signs, and pursue them.

The "broken glass" theory definitely applies. The spam-free streets tended to attract far fewer snipe signs than those of nearby municipalities.


In Cleveland and Buffalo, street spam is nearly nonexistent.

 

[BKM]

Here's my ideal solution.

However, when I worked in Florida, where snipe signs are rampant, I took the Juliani approach; every day, on the way to work, I would make the rounds of busy streets, and knock down the signs the moment they appeared. I'd use reverse lookup, whois and other tools to find out who posted illegal signs, and pursue them.

The "broken glass" theory definitely applies. The spam-free streets tended to attract far fewer snipe signs than those of nearby municipalities.


In Cleveland and Buffalo, street spam is nearly nonexistent.

Your approach is mine. I work at 7:30, but no secretaries or anything until 8:00. So, I've been cruising our local hot spots and yanking them daily or every few days. At $3-$5 per sign, it'll eventually get their attention.

They are getting cagier, though, Dan. Whois doesn't work any more for a lot of thse sites, because the domain registries are offering "private" websites. Getting to responsible parties is almost impossible.

Interesting side not: I looked up on google one of the toll-free numbers (for a we buy homes site) , and it came back as an adult male escort service

 

[giff57]

Calling the number and requesting the information works. I have used their own mailing to fine them a couple of times.

 

[BKM]

Calling the number and requesting the information works. I have used their own mailing to fine them a couple of times.

For some reason-maybe its the Caller ID function on their phones, this hasn't helped us. Edit: Of course, I could call from home, too :-\

 

[Michele Zone]

For some reason-maybe its the Caller ID function on their phones, this hasn't helped us. Edit: Of course, I could call from home, too :-\

I wouldn't do THAT! That could make you, as an individual, a target and could endanger you.

Go act like a real pervert and call from a pay phone on a corner in a bad part of town. o

 

[Zoning Goddess]

We have so much sprawl here that weekend spam signs advertising new housing developments go up by the dozens at every intersection. There are dozens on the collector street my neighborhood dumps in to.

I would like to collect all the signs I could find from XXXX Homes and plant them on Sunday in front of the office of YYYY homes, and put the YYYY signs in front of ZZZZ's office, etc. As a private citizen, of course. Our county gov't has never authorized employees to pick them up.

 

[JNA]

I wouldn't do THAT! That could make you, as an individual, a target and could endanger you.

I agree with MZ on this.

What we did was drive around in City car with logo; pulled and collected them; then called them and told to come get their signs.

 

[giff57]

For some reason-maybe its the Caller ID function on their phones, this hasn't helped us. Edit: Of course, I could call from home, too :-\

Actually, that's how I did it.

 

[Michele Zone]

Actually, that's how I did it.

Yeah, and you live in "cow town". We live where there are gangs that have started cutting up women into little body parts as the initiation into the gang. Welcome to Cali. :-# :-c

 

[Seabishop]

There is a difference in my mind between "Lose Weight Fast" signs across from the mall, and signs posted in the city promoting the arts. These signs one of the few ways local performers can promote themselves. Does anyone allow these signs as long as they promote an artistic performance in a certain arts and entertainment district? I can't imagine certain neighborhoods without them.

 

[giff57]

Yeah, and you live in "cow town". We live where there are gangs that have started cutting up women into little body parts as the initiation into the gang. Welcome to Cali. :-# :-c

That, and I am a 250# man that is armed.

 

[BKM]

There is a difference in my mind between "Lose Weight Fast" signs across from the mall, and signs posted in the city promoting the arts. These signs one of the few ways local performers can promote themselves. Does anyone allow these signs as long as they promote an artistic performance in a certain arts and entertainment district? I can't imagine certain neighborhoods without them.

Well, and this is speaking as a resident of a city with an indie rock scene (Papa Roach is from Vacaville), the signs did become a litter problem, as they were never removed. Maybe I am being anal retentive, but the layered colored construction paper look on every single light pole got old pretty quick. Even "code enforcement, what code enforcement?" Vacaville clamped down.

The more bohemian cities in the Bay Area do allow this. Berkeley even allows the posting of A-Frames by artists and studios in their former industrial, now artsy bayside neighborhoods. So, you have a point.

Fairfield's spam, to date, has been purely herba-looser type scams, multilevel marketing spam, and "Gun Shows". Unless you count posters for an "80s Night" at a dive bar in Vacaville plastered all over town?

Yeah, and you live in "cow town". We live where there are gangs that have started cutting up women into little body parts as the initiation into the gang. Welcome to Cali. :-# :-c

Well-with one sherrif patrolling half a county, and meth gangs running rampant, is Iowa THAT quiet?

 

[giff57]

Well-with one sherrif patrolling half a county, and meth gangs running rampant, is Iowa THAT quiet?

No but those guys are too stoned to bother you much

 

[Michele Zone]

Well-with one sherrif patrolling half a county, and meth gangs running rampant, is Iowa THAT quiet?

Maybe I am just taking it too personally. Perhaps if they were chopping up men instead of women, I wouldn't see it as so personally threatening. :-D

Seriously: I know that you have violent crime all over. But I think there are some differences in what you can do in different regions based on the social climate. And maybe Giff shouldn't use his home phone again either. I have been known to do things people thought were "nutty" and overly risky. Sometimes "naive and innocent" lets you get away with stuff that wouldn't otherwise work. Then you realize how dangerous it was and, er, decide that maybe a repeat performance wouldn't be wise. :-0

 

[giff57]

Maybe I am just taking it too personally. Perhaps if they were chopping up men instead of women, I wouldn't see it as so personally threatening. :-D

And maybe Giff shouldn't use his home phone again either.

If I were going after someone other than "Earn $10,000 Per Month At Home" and "Affordable Health Insurance" folks I probably wouldn't have done it. Somehow I do not find them very threating.