Councilwoman calls on Bridgeport officials to remove old boats, cars and camper near Newfield Park

Residents of the East End of Bridgeport say they're frustrated with illegal dumping in their neighborhood, which they say has led to illegal drug use and prostitution.

News 12 Staff

Sep 22, 2022, 4:54 PM

Updated 745 days ago

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Residents of the East End of Bridgeport say they're frustrated with illegal dumping in their neighborhood, which they say has led to illegal drug use and prostitution.
The area near Newfield Park is filled with old cars, boats and an open camper, which former City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez says is a magnet for all kinds of illegal activity.
"This lot has a camper here that I've been getting phone calls about. It's being used for drug activity, sex activity," she says. "They call it the oldest profession in the world and a camper with an open door and a couch is an open invitation for prostitution -- absolutely. There's no doubt about it."
Martinez says it doesn't matter who owns the lot, since the city's anti-blight ordinance prohibits things like this from being left out in the open -- in plain sight -- on either public or private property.
There was a similar situation a few blocks away involving an old, abandoned RV, which residents nicknamed "the sex bus," because they said it, too, was a magnate for crime. Within 24 hours of that report, the city towed the RV away.
Martinez is calling on officials to do the same with the old boats, cars, and camper in this lot.
News 12 reached out to the city for comment but has not heard back.