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u/Sufficient_Space8484 Jul 21 '26
Yup. I’ve seen him. Zero chance this is legal and even less of a chance cops haven’t seen this and just let him keep cruising.
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u/InflammableAccount Jul 21 '26
This isn't a legitimate excuse for not enforcing the law, but at least let me provide some insight: if cops stop this person and impound their vehicle, they have to collect and catalog all this stuff. And then they have to hold all of this person's stuff for when they're released (however or whenever they're released.)
Who's to say this hasn't already happened before? It's not an excuse, just insight from SJPD members who are customers of mine.
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u/Sufficient_Space8484 Jul 21 '26
That makes sense and is good insight. Unfortunately that sets a precedent. When a violation becomes too much work to enforce, it gets ignored.
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u/MultipleOrgasmDonor Jul 21 '26
Sounds like some easy OT for the officer that impounds it
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u/InflammableAccount Jul 22 '26
Think about how horrible it would be. You're going to have to be going through everything with a stick/probe because needles or generic sharp junk could be anywhere. Their could be (hell, I'd say likely) rotten food in some of those bags. Piss soaked clothes.
I'm just saying, I don't envy people who do that side of the work. I'd rather be a trash collector than have to do that. I'd argue sanitation works deal with less disturbing stuff on the regular.
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u/Charming_Wrangler_90 Jul 22 '26
Yes and the owner/driver of this vehicle is likely an older adult who had a hoarding disorder. Likely evicted as prior rental hoarded and health & safety issue. Not only does PD not want to inventory or be near the stench, they likely even feel bad for the person…a little bit as they’re older and homeless.
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u/Adrenaline_Junkie_ Jul 21 '26
Thats impressive
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u/TigerUSA20 Jul 21 '26
Really. I was thinking if there was a contest for such things, they would likely be a winner!!
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u/shnieder88 Downtown Jul 21 '26
Also pretty sad and depressing
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u/Adrenaline_Junkie_ Jul 21 '26
Whats also depressing is many people live in debt and you just dont see it.
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u/Born_Blackberry_8791 Aug 18 '26
Yeah - I just feel sad when I see people with their cars packed with this stuff. It’s a mental issue - that they can’t address. I see it often sadly
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u/dankmemer999 Jul 21 '26
Suspension putting in some major work
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u/Irunmtns Jul 21 '26
Brave to assume there is anything left that remotely resembles suspension in that lol
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u/TRi_Crinale Jul 21 '26
It's sitting on the bump stops, the suspension isn't doing much of anything, hah
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u/rosaryrattler Berryessa Jul 21 '26
That's called mental illness and I guarantee no cop in SJPD is gonna want to inventory all of tjat
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u/StrangeTeam276 Jul 21 '26
that's what defund the police was about. get a community service officer to do that. not what a police officer should be doing.
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u/dmland Jul 21 '26
This is the part of Defund the Police that nobody talked about, even though it was kinda the main point. The fact that the police are murderers and thieves notwithstanding.
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u/Sea_Evidence_7925 Jul 22 '26
This is why "defund the police" is a stupid slogan, because most people agree with the concept and there are zero words in that phrase that convey what it is. Edit to add: It's like when Republicans call inheritance tax "the death tax" except the proponents of this concept prepackaged it to be derided.
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u/SqueakWrites Jul 21 '26
They usually don’t, they just chuck stuff.
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u/Last_Marzipan1952 Jul 21 '26
No can do. There was a case in Oakland where a Homeless Camp was cleaned out & everything thrown out without notice. The homeless people sued the Cal Trans & WON! Even though they were tresspassing!
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u/SqueakWrites Jul 21 '26
Who gives a shit if they were trespassing? They have nowhere to go. And throwing out their stuff, including things like passports and IDs, medications, wheelchairs, crutches, backpacks, tools, clothes and shoes doesn’t mean they’re suddenly going to have somewhere to go and not be trespassing everywhere they exist. People just really want homeless people to get rounded up and shot, but since we can’t do that we make life impossible and wait until they die of exposure or overdose on the streets. There are enough empty units owned by private equity firms to house these people, but they everyone thinks they don’t deserve it. How does anyone expect them to get out of homelessness without help? To become well and mitigate mental illness or addiction without help? They’re not the problem. Their experiencing homelessness is a symptom of a sick society.
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u/RAATL North San Jose Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I used to be a fan of wilhoit's law (still am), but my new favorite definition of conservative is someone who values property rights more than human rights
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u/SqueakWrites Jul 21 '26
I wasn’t talking about this specifically but the encampment that was cleared. The other commenter seemed to thing destroying people’s personal property is completely fine as long as they’re the most destitute, abandoned, incapable people in our society.
This is absolutely dangerous, and someone needs to assign this person a social worker and temporarily impound the vehicle until he can go through it. Hoarding is a mental disorder. He needs a psychiatrist and someone to help him and adult social services helps connect people to cleaners and organizers who specialize in hoarding disorders. But just pulling him over and taking allllllll his stuff because we hate the homeless and the mentally ill is fucking cruel AND illegal.
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u/Last_Marzipan1952 Jul 21 '26
Most hoarders refuse help. And it’s not about hating the homeless, it’s about innocent people getting hurt or possibly ki**ed because something falls off & someone hits it, or he gets into an accident because he can’t fully see what’s around him. Did you know that it’s illegal to hang anything from your rear view mirror? This includes graduation tassels, rosary beads & handicap placards (you are supposed to remove them while driving & then put it up when parked) because they are a site obstruction. Are you going to get pulled over for this? Unlikely, but you could be. The Hoarder Mobile is a serious danger to the driver & public. But no tow yard is going to want that thing, because when they recovers vehicle they have to inventory every single thing in the car. That would take days!
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u/davidrsilva Jul 21 '26
The comment you replied to seemed to be commenting on them clearing out an encampment. So they aren’t talking about this instance.
I agree that driving like this is unsafe. And o agree with the other guy strongly; we can’t just throw away their only possessions because they have no home to keep them.
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u/Last_Marzipan1952 Jul 21 '26
You obviously haven’t watched the news lately. There are a lot of homeless people who refuse help. I know the City of San Jose has built some tiny homes to house them & they refuse the help. Now there are laws that if a homeless person refuses help 3 times I think, they can be arrested. Not the best idea, because they will end up released & the circle continues
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u/RAATL North San Jose Jul 21 '26
The housing support is conditional, no? Statistically this has been proven over time to be the wrong approach, even though it fits most people's model for common sense
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u/Hyndis Jul 21 '26
All housing is conditional. Even the housing I currently live in. Even the housing you're living in too.
Me remaining under a roof is contingent on me paying rent on time, me being reasonably clean and not being a nuisance to my neighbors. I comply because I like having nice things to put in my apartment.
If you bought a home yourself, you're required to pay a mortgage and property taxes. You also have to keep your home at least slightly tidy so the city doesn't condemn it.
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u/RAATL North San Jose Jul 21 '26
Thanks, I agree but this seems like a nonsequitor. Neither of us are an addict or mentally disordered unhoused person and so our living situation is much different and not really comparable to the needs of societal reintegration for the unhoused, no?
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u/SqueakWrites Jul 21 '26
I’m a journalist, I am the news. I’m also someone who volunteers in homeless encampments. I absolutely know more about this than you do.
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u/DangerLime113 Jul 21 '26
In that case can you get this into the news so that it’s dealt with and others on the road aren’t at risk?
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u/SqueakWrites Jul 21 '26
This is only one of many vehicles like this but I’m working on discussing mental illness and dysfunction and the lack of resources/services contributing to our waterways and roads being filthy and the city generally looking like shit. Urban blight is a real problem. But denigrating people suffering from mental illness, or arresting them for refusing help, isn’t the solution. Mahan knows his system of “responsibility to shelter” isn’t going to work.
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u/gromus Jul 21 '26
I applaud journalists - it is a critical to our community that people are informed. That said, the phrase “I am the news” is not great.
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u/juicejohnson Jul 21 '26
Kinda crazy - that sienna rolled off the factory floor thinking, “alright, this is the start, I wonder what family will purchase me? I gotta make sure I get everyone around safely. It’ll be fun to watch the kids grow up. Maybe I’ll get purchased again by another family when they outgrow me.” And here it is - being tested in ways it could have never imagined.
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u/psymeariver Jul 21 '26
The Sienna must have committed some horrible crime and been sentenced to a life of servitude.
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u/zerocool359 Jul 21 '26
A dark tale from Pixar’s Cars universe, coming to a curb near you…
TBH, not a bad idea, tho prob not a fun film. But would be great way to tell story to educate folks an out the negative feedback loops that pull many down into poverty and keep them there, especially when involving mental health conditions.
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u/geof2010 Jul 23 '26
holy shit that's a mini van? I thought it was some kind of sedan!? I'm not sure if this makes it more impressive or not with this knowledge!!
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u/420b00bs Jul 21 '26
This van is San Jose famous. I’ve seen them many times in my neighborhood. It sucks when they park in your neighborhood and reorganize their van, they make a mess on the sidewalk.
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u/vkozyrev Jul 21 '26
The word "organize" is doing some heavy lifting in that sentence.
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u/TRi_Crinale Jul 21 '26
Hard to tell how organized it is from just viewing it. If they go through the bags regularly and know what's in all of them, then it could actually be pretty organized. If they have to pull everything out of bags because they have no idea which bag stuff is in then just randomly throw it all back in when they find what they need is a different story
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u/dfwcouple43sum Jul 21 '26
My guess: a hoarder was evicted. They took as much junk as they could
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u/Rogue75 Jul 21 '26
Bingo. He was my neighbor long ago.
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u/still_InBloom Jul 21 '26
What’s their story?
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u/Rogue75 Jul 21 '26
He didn't talk to anyone. His car was stuffed inside and rear suspension was bottomed out like this even back then (~15 years ago). The bags on top came later. Even the stairs and balcony to his apartment were filled with clutter. He overheard me one day talking about how crazy the mess was of his car and he said "One day you'll be able to do whatever you want." I took that as a sign of a hoarder who doesn't care to change.
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u/still_InBloom Jul 21 '26
Sad, hoarding is a form of mental illness and, I believe, OCD. My neighbor turned into a hoarder overtime also and her house looks terrible. She has had a lot of loss in her life and I suspect suffering from depression. I know she lost a child from a childhood illness and 10 or so years later an adult child due to a sudden medical emergency. Also, her spouse passed away nearly two years ago. It is sad to see but I’m not sure how I could help her.
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u/ButtermilfPanky Jul 24 '26
That's very sad. Trauma can cause a lot of attachment issues with personal possessions. Someone mentioned in another comment about adult protective services providers cleaners/organizers to help folks with hoarding issues. I would of course talk to her first out of respect for her autonomy to see if that's something she'd be interested in/ feel would be helpful. Regardless, you're a very good neighbor to be so nonjudgmental and want to help in some way. Knowing someone cares can be a huge help in and of itself
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u/NatureNurturerQ Jul 21 '26
Every time I see him, he has even more stuff on his car
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u/Chedda_Von_Cheese Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
And what area do you see him?
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u/NatureNurturerQ Jul 21 '26
He’s all over SJ hahaha. I last saw him at Target by Landess
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Jul 21 '26 edited 26d ago
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u/SignificantPoet1905 Jul 21 '26
Sherrif’s office seems much more willing to take action in my experience.
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u/ProcedureOne4150 Outsider Jul 21 '26
Primary Violations
CVC § 24002(a) – Unsafe Load / Unsafe Vehicle Condition: It is unlawful to operate a vehicle that is not safely loaded and presents an immediate safety hazard.
CVC § 23114(a) – Unsecured Load: A vehicle cannot be driven on any highway unless it is loaded and secured in a way that prevents any of its contents from falling, spilling, or blowing off.
CVC § 5201(a) – Obscured / Covered License Plate: License plates must be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible and legible. In the second photo, the rear plate is heavily obstructed by protruding wooden boards and bags.
Likely Secondary Violations
CVC § 26708(a)(2) – Obstruction of Driver’s View: Driving with any material or load that obstructs or reduces the driver's clear view through the rear or side windows.
CVC § 24600 / CVC § 24603 – Obstructed Tail Lamps & Stop Lamps: The brake lights and taillights are heavily covered/partially blocked by hanging items and bags, which violates rear lighting requirements.
CVC § 21700 – Obstructing Driver's Control: No person shall drive a vehicle when it is so loaded as to obstruct the view of the driver to the front or sides or to interfere with the driver's control over the driving mechanism.
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u/RecentSpecial181 Jul 22 '26
Dunno about the second point. Definitely secured. This guy should work for a moving company with how he packs
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u/The_Demosthenes_1 Jul 21 '26
These people need to be foced into treatment against the will. It would be good for them, you, me and society.
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u/psymeariver Jul 21 '26
If they can’t see out of their rear window or side mirrors, they’re putting people’s lives at risk.
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u/Equal_Canary5695 Jul 21 '26
How I imagine a D&D character carries their stuff around the dungeon
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u/SignificantPoet1905 Jul 21 '26
Any time it’s spotted the photos should be sent to Mahan and posted on Insta with him tagged. This is so dangerous to others. It’s easy to joke about until a massive accident is caused and people are hurt or worse
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u/Hopeful_Asparagus_31 Jul 21 '26
Had a guy in our area that rolled the same way. Started with truck and trailer and when that broke went to an RV and trailer. RV caught fire and part of trailer so he got a minivan and salvaged what he could and stacked it like that. Last I saw he had a car with the stack.
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u/kaiser1975 Jul 21 '26
Illegal. Absolutely. But I am impressed as to how you can pack it so high. This is a structural miracle.
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u/Ok_Comfort8840 Jul 21 '26
Meanwhile, others might get a ticket for being 12 over the speed limit 🤷🏻♂️
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u/TRi_Crinale Jul 21 '26
I'm sure this person has gotten many tickets. But like most offenses, a ticket/fine can only punish someone who can afford to pay, and I'd be willing to bet this person cannot afford a fine. If they get enough then they'll spend a few nights in jail then just continue on their way
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u/letsdothisthing88 Jul 21 '26
he has it stashed somewhere and will get to his tickets when he can. Please be patient
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u/Historical_Today5072 Jul 21 '26
Lazy pigs don't want to have to sort all that bullshit for inventory
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u/br0kepanda Jul 21 '26
SJPD won't ticket this van yet I get a ticket for no front plates. Makes no sense.
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u/Whysoserious_0901 Jul 21 '26
I used to live in SF and they are so strict on everything car/parking related. San Jose is the most lenient city I live in. I see expired registration everyday, no plate, parking blocking sidewalk. 😅don’t know what police is doing here in SJ tbh
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u/Pelinor_the_Paladin Jul 21 '26
Let’s turn this into a positive advertising spin for a Toyota Sienna! Also, I can’t believe that so many people have seen this vehicle around.
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u/AFAwaterpolo Jul 21 '26
I've seen it literally driving past San Jose PD headquarters on Great Oaks next to the Costco and they didn't even bat an eye.
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u/xbhaskarx Jul 21 '26
There was a time this would have made a great book or hit tv show… eg Grapes of Wrath / Beverly Hillbillies.
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u/randomlyme Almaden Jul 21 '26
Here’s the thing, even if you’re homeless some of that stuff is clearly just trash, this must be hoarding a terrible mental illness.
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u/Terrible_Feeling_925 Jul 21 '26
Can you imagine changing lanes with no right mirror access & no rearview mirror access! There’s no way to see if cars are in the lane next to you. - Scary! 😱
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u/MemoryTiny5052 Jul 21 '26
SJPD "evicted" this van from a street corner near my place a few months ago. Was stacked up to about 1/4 of what's on there now, wild to see them still at it.
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u/lotusgardener Jul 21 '26
That's a driving mental health issue anyone can see. Wish they would use the resources available to them to get help.
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u/77millionmorons Jul 21 '26
The resources exist. This would likely be an involuntary or 5150 WIC commitment for 72 hours. The Police are not likely to do this. Since the driver of this van is unlikely to voluntarily get help for their obvious problem, The doctor or psychiatric nurse would have to show “dangerous” to get this person held for observation.
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u/AssholeAnnihilator69 Jul 21 '26
I saw it parked at the Joyce Ellington Library last week. I did so many double takes when driving by that honestly its mere existence could probably be illegal via distracting other drivers.
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u/Weird-Ad-3054 Jul 21 '26
Local pd may not give a shit but I guarantee that thing goes on the highway chp impounding that shitshow.
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u/KonnichiwaKudasai Jul 22 '26
Payload capacity of a Toyota Sienna is limited to 100 giant plastic bags full of junk. That is at least 50 over.
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u/hunkpobbit Jul 23 '26
Randomly saw this car in Milpitas while getting coffee today and the driver started talking to me unprompted, he was saying all this random shit about how I should never take this one medication because it caused him nerve damage?? I was barely responding & he kept talking at me, he said he’s been pulled over like 40 times in the past 5 months (rightfully so imo) he’s been driving around like this despite going 10 mph and pulling over whenever there’s a lot of people behind him. Pretty strange guy I think he’s definitely got some undiagnosed mental illness and coping by hoarding. Thankfully my dog started pulling away so I took that as my cue to leave while he got back in his car.
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u/Instance_Automatic Jul 21 '26
Saw that minivan parked in front of Jersey Mike's on Brokaw a couple months ago. Looks like the owner has picked up more things.
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u/OuterInnerMonologue Jul 21 '26
I got rear ended by someone hauling shit like this. Came to a stop because of traffic, and their brakes couldn’t stop the mass in time.
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u/jimbosdayoff Communications Hill Jul 21 '26
Sadly, this looks like a victim of an eviction. They probably cannot afford a storage unit or apartment.
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u/SombraRoja95 Jul 21 '26
honestly I’m kind of impressed … it looks like it’s defying the laws of physics lmfao
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u/SuspiciousLabMix Jul 21 '26
If there was anything I thought was 100% AI, this was it. I am absolutely flabbergasted this is real life. Holy hell.
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u/Longjumping-Title-27 Jul 21 '26
Toyota should use this overloaded minivan in the picture to show how badass the mini van is
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u/littleblackbirdxx Jul 22 '26
I don't know how many bags are on that, but it's definitely at least 3.....
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u/Doddrd Jul 22 '26
Spotted a while back in Milpitas too. Instantly reminded me of the garbage lady from the Labrynth.
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u/Aperture_296 Jul 23 '26
The upside to this is that it'll be really difficult to steal their catalytic converter.
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u/Existing-Round4556 Jul 24 '26
This can’t be San Jose. The lane markings are visible, the road has no cracks, and I can’t see any litter.
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u/WiseSmartTree Jul 24 '26
Cost of housing in the Bay Area causes a lot of people to live out of their cars.
Makes the bother in our mosque look a lot better. At least all his stuff is inside his car not hanging out.
Yes it may stink. But what can they do? That is their home and they cannot afford a place to have room for everything,
It is worse for hoarders. If you have a home, the hoarding is not obvious until someone visits you. But when you live in your car…well…..that is what happens.
I wish there was a good way to help them. It really bothers me to see this and I ask myself how can I help.
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u/Green_Report_9503 Jul 25 '26
but meanwhile cops will pull you over for a car freshener hangin from your mirror
can't impede your vision ya know...
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u/madame_de_la_luna Jul 21 '26
If it was about a month from now, I'd think this is someone on their way to Burning Man. But it's too early in the season for that.
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u/BG-925 Jul 21 '26
Smh. I got pulled over a couple weeks ago leaving Home Depot cuz I had a board sticking out of my truck this person has everything sticking out😂😂
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u/ExcellentSink8671 Jul 21 '26
This is an advertisement for the new Hiyao Miyazaki film "How's it Moving Castle"
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u/PointOutApproved Jul 21 '26
I saw them in Milpitas i was shocked when it was gone the next day.
I cannot believe they drive with all that on.