David Caldwell, Jr. - On the initial promises about the landfill (clip)

Darius Scott (DS): Okay. And you mentioned the landfill a bit a moment ago. Could you describe the moments leading up to the landfill coming to Rogers Road?

David Caldwell, Jr. (DC): Oh, gosh! We had, basically, it was, like I said, we were a little country neighborhood. They came into my father s backyard and the local governments. They were trying to the present landfill was becoming, reaching capacity. And they said, Look, if you guys let us put it out here, we re going to bring water, sewer, amenities, sidewalks, streetlights, all these things, once it s filled. And then, we re going to cover it up and make you a recreation center and put in rec and park facilities. Well, it was filled in the early [19]80s. It reached capacity. And instead of closing it down, they expanded it and didn’t fulfill any of the promises. We asked the government officials at that time, Why not? Here s the promises. They said, We didn’t make those promises. The guys before us made them. And we ’re not obligated to fulfill them. But that day, we were cleaning the yard up, and I remember my father telling my brothers and I, after everyone left, saying, “You know, sons, we made history today.” And we were like, “What?” He says, “Well, first, they came to us, being the government. And second, they put it in writing. And we have the documents that we were lucky enough to find the documents where they did sign it on what they were going to do.” So, all we knew was, Hey, man, we’re getting…we didn’t have to walk five miles to Roberson Street to play basketball. All we knew was, We’re going to have a recreation center out here. We’re going to have basketball courts like they have. It still hasn t happened. [Laughs] Not yet! It’s just around the corner, though. But that was the main thing on that issue right there. It was that they made the promises, they refused to do them, and now it’s slowly but surely, and one at a time, they’re gradually being fulfilled.