HOUSTON – A federal complaint alleging that Houston picked up illegal dumping less frequently in Black and Latino neighborhoods has been dismissed, bringing an end to federal monitoring that residents and city leaders say helped keep their streets cleaner and safer.
Now, families in Trinity Gardens and the greater Trinity-Houston community fear the trash piles will only grow.
“I don’t let my kids play outside”
During a visit to the neighborhood, large piles of tires, construction debris, mattresses, and other abandoned items were scattered across empty lots and along roadways, some blocking parts of the street.
Jacquiline, who lives nearby, says the dumping has changed the way she parents.
“It is very dangerous. When it comes to being outside, I do limit [my kids] because of the amount of trash,” she said. “It brings things like rats and roaches. I’ve even seen snakes.”
Her neighbor Juanita says the problem is overwhelming.
“There are cars that come and dump, and then the trash doesn’t get picked up. Sometimes they even bring dead animals and it starts to smell,” she said.
Both women fear that without federal support, conditions will deteriorate even more.
A decade of complaints
For more than 10 years, residents have brought their concerns to Huey German-Wilson, president of the Trinity-Houston Super Neighborhood Council. She says the community’s long-standing worries led them to file a complaint with the Department of Justice, alleging inequities in how quickly illegal dumping was addressed.
“They (dumped trash piles) were not being picked up as quickly in Black and brown communities as they are in other communities,” German-Wilson explained.
That complaint triggered federal monitoring, bringing cameras, signage, and resources meant to catch offenders and clean up the debris. For a year and a half, she says, it made a noticeable difference.
But with the DOJ now withdrawing the agreement, she fears residents are back at square one.
“All of what we had has now been pulled back, and we’ve got to start all over again as a community,” she said.
Residents fear conditions will worsen
Juanita believes that without accountability, illegal dumping will spread.
“It’s going to get worse because no one is going to want to pay someone to come and pick up trash that doesn’t belong to them,” she said.
Jacquiline echoed the concern, calling the situation unsafe and urging officials not to abandon the protections the community relied on.
City of Houston responds
In a statement, the City of Houston said it is “disappointed” that the DOJ withdrew the agreement, noting that illegal dumping remains one of Mayor John Whitmire’s top priorities.
The city says the issue is challenging because some businesses and residents “take advantage of neighborhoods by disposing of waste instead of taking it to proper sites.”
Officials highlighted several ongoing initiatives:
- Partnering with a contractor to address dumping in the Fifth Ward
- Increasing HPD enforcement against illegal dumpers
- Continuing the use of video monitoring
- Deploying an additional heavy trash contractor to sweep areas of the city twice next month
Residents say they’re grateful for any help, but worry that without federal oversight, the progress they saw may slip away.
As Trinity Gardens families continue calling for advocacy, many are hoping city leaders, community partners, and law enforcement can help stop the growing trash piles before they become an even bigger threat.