Previously on Red Phone … Torches were lit and pitchforks were sharpened as angry townfolk called in, fuming over "roaming rummagers" digging through their recycling and carting it off to the recycling plant in exchange for hard currency.
And with Hollister Code Enforcement Officer Mike Chambless explaining that Hollister Disposal has no intention of prosecuting the Dumpster divers, bereaved recyclers were left to cry alone with no hope of protecting their adored aluminum and preferred polymers.
This week, resident John Wolgamott, a homeless man, called in to defend his and his family's rights to go through the trash.
"We're not thieves," said Wolgamott, a homeless Hollister resident. "This is how we make our income. It's how we eat. This stuff is being thrown away anyway, so what difference does it make if we take it or the waste company takes it?"
Wolgamott assured local trash tossers he and his "clan" may make a big splash when they cannonball into a pool of debris but that they always mop up afterward.
"We always try to respect the Dumpster and never make a mess," he said. "We carry brooms and cleaning supplies wherever we go."
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