Independence Point trashed; city says that's nothing new
Drinking at Independence Point violates city code, but that didn't stop visitors from leaving what was left of their White Claws Wednesday night. (Courtesy photo)
Litter lined Independence Point Wednesday night in what many are calling a staggering display of disrespect. But city officials said the amount of trash, while excessive, was nothing they haven't seen before. (Courtesy photo)
Litterbugs dined and dashed Wednesday night at Independence Point, leaving a half-eaten pizza along with empty hard alcohol cans, wrappers, food containers and assorted trash city crews had to clean up Thursday morning. (Courtesy photo)
COEUR d'ALENE — Locals incensed about a pair of videos that emerged on social media Wednesday night showing a groundswell of trash on Independence Point should be forewarned: City officials say garbage around the lake is nothing new.
“It’s not really news,” Bill Greenwood, director of Parks and Recreation for Coeur d’Alene, said Thursday. “Some people trashed it. We picked it up.”
One video showed Independence Point at nightfall, where the sidewalks and concrete were littered with half-eaten pizzas, empty boxes of alcoholic seltzer cans, discarded towels and clothes, wrappers and empty food containers.
“So disgusting,” the filmographer is heard saying on the video while her leashed dog sniffed for leftovers. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve never seen anything like this, ever. Ever.”
The video, posted late Wednesday night, has since garnered more than 13,000 views as of press time, with many expressing outrage over the neglect demonstrated at one of Coeur d’Alene’s most popular points. A second video, posted by the community group Coeur d’Love, has more than 30,000 views.
But Greenwood said that, while Wednesday night’s garbage was excessive, that level of littering is drifting further from the outlier and closer toward the norm.
“It happens,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. Is it a common occurrence to see that much (litter)? No. But we’re getting used to seeing more and more of things like that, and with summer here, we’ve come to expect this.”
Online rumors of a spontaneous teenage party generating the excess litter were quickly quelled by Capt. Jeff Walther of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. Walther said those rumors likely stemmed from both the amount of trash and Cd’A PD’s swift response to a fight that broke out at Independence Point that evening.
“Our guys responded pretty fast,” Walther said. “That might have got people talking, but it was a pretty standard response.”
No police report was filed for the fight, as the victim declined to press charges, Walther said. As for the trash, Walther echoed Greenwood’s remarks.
“We’re into Memorial Day,” he said. “We’re into June. We’re into the warmer weather. And you have to remember: People have been cooped up for a year. They’re going to come out to the lake. That doesn’t make it right to litter, of course, but we’re going to see more of this.”
Greenwood said that, while Wednesday night’s display was uncommon, his crew was acclimated enough to clean up the garbage Thursday morning before he’d even learned of the incident.
“For anyone who was shocked to see that video, I’d urge you to come out on the Fourth of July before we clean up,” he said.
