Mayor Gets Earfull On Dirty Detroit Transit Center

The Rosa Park's Transit Center, which opened in 2009, sits on the corner of Cass and Michigan Ave. The city-owned facility serves as a 24-hour center for public transportation around Detroit and Windsor.

The center also has the only public restrooms in the downtown Detroit area that are open to the homeless community without question or security checks.

WWJ Newsradio 950's Florence Walton reports that DDOT Director LaVette Williams thinks the homeless community are to blame for the cleanliness problem.

"There always are gonna be challenges when trying clean behind some of the homeless folks that come in and out, they use it as their private restroom," said Williams.

According to Williams, the problem is the "transients that come in and out in our transportation providers. They put objects in the toilets and overflow the toilets. They do things to the sinks, to the valves. They bathe cats in the bathroom."

Detroit City Council President Pro-Tem Gary Brown called Williams' excuses unacceptable.

"You come in and make excuses about the victims in the case, we gotta clean it whatever it takes. It's not a money issue, it's a management issue," Brown said.

Williams laid out their solution saying they are trying to improve the situation by working with a homeless agency, and hiring more cleaning staff.