Nowhere to go: What do the records show?

The Journal reviewed more than 600 reports of requests for defecation cleanups — handled by the city’s Solid Waste Management Department or contractor Specialized General Services — from April to September.

All of the reports obtained through an Inspection of Public Records Act request were submitted online or through calls to 311.

A map of the defecation sites show the largest concentration runs across the city along the Central Avenue corridor, north and south along Carlisle and San Mateo, with significant clusters in the International District and Downtown.

Nearly 84% of the cleanup calls have come from council Districts 2, 6 and 7, with 225 reports — over 37% — filed in District 6.

“Talk about taking away somebody’s dignity. I mean, this is just one of the most fundamental things a person should be able to do, right? Go take care of their business in private or in functional facilities, and we don’t have that in the city,” said City Councilor Joaquin Baca, who represents District 2, which includes Downtown, Old Town and Barelas.

The second-highest address on the list was J & L Motorsports on the southwest corner of the state fairgrounds, at Central and San Pedro.

“It’ll make you feel aggravated,” said Rob Hardesty, the shop’s service manager. “It makes you not want to come to work because it’s not only that you’re seeing fecal matter, but you’re seeing needles on top of needles. … So, yeah, it’ll aggravate you pretty good.”

Hardesty said he wants to see the city come up with a “solution” for the people experiencing homelessness, such as restrooms or shelters.

It hasn’t been just business owners affected, as hundreds of residents have reported defecation outside their homes.

Ifele Maldonado called the city about defecation outside her house on May 31. It took almost a week for her report to be marked closed — mostly because someone sent to pick up the feces initially did a poor job.

“I think it was the city, but it was just a little Toyota truck and they just came with a bucket of water,” Maldonado said. “Before I knew it, they were putting the buckets back into the back of the truck and then they just drove off. And I told my husband, ‘You know what? I think they came, but they didn’t clean.’”

She called back and SGS workers were deployed. She said Martinez came out and was impressively friendly and professional.

“He did a really good job about spraying it and, disinfecting and sanitizing it and everything,” Maldonado said.

She said the number of homeless residents in her neighborhood has increased since the city removed them from Coronado Park and closed off the area in August 2022.

“I think with the closure of Coronado Park, the unhoused just scattered throughout the city, so my husband and I have seen a couple of people just sleeping on the side yards of homes along Indian School off of Jefferson,” Maldonado said.