It looks like a slum in some Third World country, but this is Los Angeles, an alley just off of South San Pedro and 24th streets, a place where residents say people come by and just dump their trash.
On this day it was a mountain of old clothes, trash, and bug-infested, rotting food, right next to businesses and people's homes.
"When it's trash-can time, you know, they come, put out their trash, so the trash can take it. Now for other people to come and pick it out and dump it in our alley. It's just not good. I mean, it's unhealthy and it's just horrible," said South L.A. resident Mari Valladares.
Any way you look at it, this is simply an embarrassment -- especially in a world-class city like Los Angeles -- that residents have to live with this around them.
"I would hate to walk past the alley because you've got all kind of gnats, bugs, the smell, the odor. It's just bad. It makes the city look bad," said South L.A. resident Danny Williams.
"It's a constant, ongoing problem: illegal dumping in alleys behind people's homes, behind their businesses," said L.A. City Councilwoman Jan Perry.
Perry says it happens so often it's hard to keep up in alleys all over the city.
In Los Angeles you can dial 311 and the city will send someone to clean it up.
Other cities also have cleanup crews that will take away the trash. The problem is it continues to happen. You can help if you see someone dumping trash.
"Look at a license plate," said Perry. "Don't approach the car or the truck or the vehicle or the person, but if you get a license plate or a vehicle description from a distance, feel free to phone that in too."
It's about keeping all our cities clean and safe.
