The Eviction Piles On The Curb

Mark Spearman
4 min readFeb 18, 2024
Piles of trash left after an eviction. A warning to the others? Photo by Mark Spearman

What’s The Problem. They’re Just Lazy and Uneducated, Right?

I recommend driving Uber to anyone who wants to experience all aspects of their community. Uber drivers see everything, talk to many people, and hear conversations like a fly on the wall. Riders think they driver doesn’t have ears or they just don’t care. Something I picked up on the other day was the eviction piles.

Eviction piles happen when a family is evicted. Their possessions are removed and placed on the curb. The piles serve as a warning to others that this is how it ends when you don’t pay. If this weren’t the case, there would be laws in place preventing landlords from littering their slums with more garbage. Why would law enforcement on the scene not enforce littering laws when they take part in an eviction?

The now homeless can feel the burn of their meager possessions left to whoever lays claim. Landlords want neighbors to see the warning and do all they can to avoid the same fate. This probably reduces some of the eviction cases, but not many.

When I see them, I feel profound sadness. More people try than don’t. The eviction pile is a memorial to their failures. Imagine the pain of trying for many years, then coming to a point where your labors are nothing more than some free trash on a curb. The…

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Mark Spearman

I hail from Central Ohio. I have a diverse background and enjoy writing to the fullest. See more at http://markspearman.com