LANSING, Mich — Residents near Cesar Chavez and Vermont streets are frustrated with what they call an ongoing eyesore: multiple broken-down cars parked along their neighborhood street.
"It just makes the neighborhood look like it's not nice," one neighbor said.
Gabriel Workman-Villa, who bought his house in 2021, says the problem has persisted since he moved in. He contacted our newsroom to describe the issue, pointing to the nearby Able and Affordable Auto Shop as the source.
"Basically, they just leave their cars, usually they are missing doors and tires and stuff, they leave them in the street like that silver car over there," Workman-Villa said.
City officials are also aware of the situation. Council President Ryan Kost, who represents the area, says the city has taken the auto shop to court twice. A judge prohibited the business from storing vehicles at the location.
"It's frustrating to me too," Kost said.
When I visited the auto shop, a worker introduced me to owner Kenneth Thomas. Thomas denied that the street-parked vehicles belong to his business.
"All the cars are not mine that are sitting on the street," Thomas said.
When I pointed out that his worker had just moved one of the cars to the street, Thomas clarified his position.
"Yeah but they aren't mine, they belong to the customers," Thomas said.
Thomas says he doesn't leave cars parked on the street for extended periods.
At the city level, Kost says he is exploring solutions to resolve the issue. Meanwhile, neighbors like Workman-Villa have a simple message for the auto shop.
"Just respect the neighborhood, don't park your cars on the street and in front of people's homes. It's all about respect around here," Workman-Villa said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
