I think I may have tried that exact line with an ex-girlfriend once. If I had known at the time that dumping was illegal, maybe I could have been more persuasive.
More seriously, I think that Broken Windows Theory 101 would dictate that if you are trying to discourage people from treating your semi-vacant lot on Park Boulevard in Oakland as a dumping ground, then it would be prudent to make sure that your “Be Nice Don’t Dump” notice does not itself resemble blight. It would have been only slightly more trouble to make the request look more orderly, and I suspect that if the lot looked more as if anyone actually cared about it, then it would be treated with a bit more respect by potential dumpers.
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