A Burger King in Memphis, Tennessee, that went up in flames now serves as a trash-covered homeless camp and drug den — and community members are completely outraged.
Blankets, pillows, shop art, bicycles and two toilets are spread throughout the site. The building itself has been vandalized with graffiti.
According to police, a person and his dog are reportedly living in the dumpster WREG.
People who live near the vacant Burger King or go to nearby businesses have strong opinions about the situation.
A burned down Burger King in Memphis now serves as a homeless camp
The Burger King closed last year after a fire, but now trash, shopping carts and more are creating a mess in the building
Tony Myers, who lives nearby, told WREG: “It’s terrible. I just live around the corner and call the police and say, “I see them doing drugs and bringing in stolen goods.”
“They’ll say to me, ‘We’ll go there and see, but we can’t do anything about it.’
Myers told the outlet that he has called the police several times over the past month, but no action has been taken.
The owner of the animal hospital next to Burger King, Dr. Bill Conley, said his patrons are equally angry about the encampment and have tried to get the city involved.
The garage-filled encampment has been complained to the city at least three times this month
Memphis received at least three formal complaints about Burger King in the past month alone.
The owner of the property has been notified by code enforcement that the property will be vacated at the owner’s expense and that its current condition is in violation, according to WREG.
Myers told WREG, “That sounds good. That’s very good. I have lived here for 25 years and have done everything I can to get the neighborhood in order.’
Locals like Conley are curious about what the future holds.
Conley told WREG, “I feel sorry for the people. They sometimes hang under the awning at the hospital.
‘I don’t know what the franchise plans to do with the building. I would have thought they would have opened it back up by now.”
The Burger King, located in Berclair, caught fire last October, about an hour after the store closed.
There are two toilet bowls and other junk at the Burger King, with the city claiming they are going to clean it up
Another Burger King in Seattle has a similar story. Last year, KOMO news reported that the store closed after a fire and subsequently became a homeless camp.
The property was occupied by campers, tents and cars.
People living in the area were concerned about the crime rate and its connection to the rise of the encampment.
Developers plan to turn the Seattle property into low-income housing. The Urban League is the organization behind the decision, according to their website.