Trash and unwanted furniture have taken over the outskirts of an apartment complex in North Abilene, and some residents cannot take it anymore.
Tonette Walker grew up in the Elm Crest neighborhood on North 7th Street and Jefferson Drive.
Walker says, "This was a pretty prominent neighborhood."
Years later, it's nothing like what it used to be.
"It didn't look anything like this, nothing like this," Walker explains.
According to residents, in previous years, the apartment complex had an influx of drug activity, causing the owner to seek a solution to alleviate the problem.
That solution was a new fence, or so he said.
"We were told it was going to be a nice fence," says Walker.
However, nice is not a word she would not use to describe the appearance of the fence.
"There's no order about the way it looks. It's kind of everywhere, all the way around, with garbage inside and out the apartment complex," Walker describes.
Owners of Elm Crest Apartments work from a south side facility and Walker suspects they are not aware of what is going on because they do not live near the complex.
Walker says, "They don't drive by and see that this is becoming an actual dumping ground."
Walker and others in the neighborhood want the owner to do something about what the complex has turned into.
She says, "I just really think it's the owner's job to come out here and see what's going on."
Watching the complex lose the quality in its appearance over the years has been quite hard for Walker.
"I hate to see it go down like this. Garbage like this would attract anything, or anybody," Walker says.
Including unwanted insects and rodents.
Walker says, "This could cause a major roach infestation, rat infestation."
After growing up in this neighborhood, Walker refuses to give up and hopes that something will be done in the near future.
Walker says, "The common thing to ask ourselves is would we want our neighborhood going down like this? Would we want to see this everyday, coming home?"
Tonette Walker grew up in the Elm Crest neighborhood on North 7th Street and Jefferson Drive.
Walker says, "This was a pretty prominent neighborhood."
Years later, it's nothing like what it used to be.
"It didn't look anything like this, nothing like this," Walker explains.
According to residents, in previous years, the apartment complex had an influx of drug activity, causing the owner to seek a solution to alleviate the problem.
That solution was a new fence, or so he said.
"We were told it was going to be a nice fence," says Walker.
However, nice is not a word she would not use to describe the appearance of the fence.
"There's no order about the way it looks. It's kind of everywhere, all the way around, with garbage inside and out the apartment complex," Walker describes.
Owners of Elm Crest Apartments work from a south side facility and Walker suspects they are not aware of what is going on because they do not live near the complex.
Walker says, "They don't drive by and see that this is becoming an actual dumping ground."
Walker and others in the neighborhood want the owner to do something about what the complex has turned into.
She says, "I just really think it's the owner's job to come out here and see what's going on."
Watching the complex lose the quality in its appearance over the years has been quite hard for Walker.
"I hate to see it go down like this. Garbage like this would attract anything, or anybody," Walker says.
Including unwanted insects and rodents.
Walker says, "This could cause a major roach infestation, rat infestation."
After growing up in this neighborhood, Walker refuses to give up and hopes that something will be done in the near future.
Walker says, "The common thing to ask ourselves is would we want our neighborhood going down like this? Would we want to see this everyday, coming home?"
