Volunteers from across Bay Area participate in nonprofit clean-up of Vallejo Army Base

VALLEJO – About 50 volunteers showed up at the former U.S. Army Reserve Center in Vallejo on Saturday morning, some arriving as early as 8 a.m. to continue a nonprofit’s clean-up of  trash, appliances, furniture and other materials dumped at the property. 

The Oakland-based nonprofit Urban Compassion Project has been working on cleaning up the location with a smaller team for over two weeks. Towards the end of their first day of work at the site, Solano County sheriff’s deputies arrived and told the group to leave the property and not to return, otherwise they would be risking arrest. 

But the group returned the next morning to continue their efforts and worked on several days throughout the following weeks with no sign of the deputies.  

During those first two weeks, Urban Compassion Project publicized a volunteer clean-up event on their website and through social media channels. The call-out brought volunteers from cities and towns across Bay Area cities, many of whom had participated in previous clean-ups run by the non-profit.

Volunteer Wes Schon of Oakland first got involved with Urban Compassion Project when he participated in a similar clean-up day held by the group just blocks from his home. 

“The city of Oakland has not done enough to address dumping, I like the idea of the community just going out and taking it into their own hands,” Schon said. “This one was a little far but people from other cities came to my neighborhood to help clean so I want to ‘pay it forward.’” 

According to Urban Compassion Project co-founder Vincent Williams, the group has removed over 100 tons of trash and materials from the Army Reserve site. In addition to that, a small team that worked on Friday and the larger group that worked on Saturday filled two 40-yard Dumpsters, about the size of a truck trailer. They also filled hundreds of trash bags and staged appliances and furniture along the edge of the property for Recology to pick up.

Williams said that the clean-up cost the nonprofit $11,000, which is significantly more than the $3,500 they initially budgeted. He said the ballooning cost is partly due to the loss of an in-kind donation from Recology that included delivery, pick up and disposal of several Dumpsters.

Williams said that he believes the city of Vallejo, which contracts with Recology for the city trash service, urged the company to terminate the scheduled donation. But Recology spokesperson Robert Reed said that the company cannot go on the property to deliver the Dumpsters because of the no trespassing order from the sheriff’s deputies.

Recology is still working with the group to remove the materials staged alongside the street, according to Williams.

Residents who live in the buildings and in trailers on the Army Base property said that the clean-up work done by the nonprofit has been a big help.

L. Lorel, who has been living at the base for two years, said at first the dumping was manageable and residents recycled and repurposed items that people left behind. 

“Our vision was to have a store house for people to come and get things they need but the dumping got out of hand,” she said. “The volunteers’ help has been incredible, it's amazing what people can do when they come together.”

Lorel said that the nonprofit's work has been particularly helpful in terms of sanitation. "There were a lot of rodents. But now, they have no place to hide.”

Robert Cantua, who owns a home less than a block away from the Army Base and has been helping with the clean up, said that he is “thoroughly impressed” with Urban Compassion Project’s work and grateful to be a part of the effort and grateful to all the volunteers who came out to help.

“The impact on the community was that we felt helpless, people are trying to sell their properties, they want to move away from here,” Cantua said. “I don’t want to leave, but I was starting to find that I may not have a choice. But this, what people are willing to do, gave me some hope that I might not have to leave this area after all.”