Doing 311 The Hard Way... (Summer Visitation 2009)

Photo By John Hoff

Perhaps a hundred times I've passed this building on the light rail line, and taken note of the growing graffiti collection. But it was a hard 311 report to make, because the building isn't somewhere I can walk to--it's all fenced off and near a highway--and my only way to describe it is by its relation to the light rail line.

But on Friday, I was picking up my son for extended summer visitation and I had my camera with me. On the return route I told myself, damn it, I'm going to get a picture of that building and start the 311 process. It won't be pretty, it won't be tidy, but maybe I can get something going here.

As the train went past, I managed to capture an image with the telephoto function of my sweet new digital camera, a gift from a wonderful reader. This afternoon, while looking through my recently downloaded photos, I saw the images and was prompted to DO SOMETHING. So I did it. I emailed 311.

Usually giving information to 311 is easy. You relate the address and you say what's wrong. But I figure anybody can do that. I love those obscure little pockets of dystopian filth which require me to "do 311 the hard way."

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