Philly shuts down dumpster pools: 'We are not screwing around'

[Igel]

3. And ...

1. They're taking water. This isn't a good thing.

2. They're occupying and using public property for their activities. That should have a permit. "Pool parking" isn't a usual activity for city streets.

3. If anything happens while the rented dumpster is on public property and the city has done nothing to provide public safety, the city's open to legal liability.

One parents or acquaintance takes a small child and lets him drown in there, and it's suddenly a Very Bad Thing and people will be asking why the city allowed such a dangerous, risky thing to happen on public property. If a kid balances on the edge of the dumpster and falls in front of a moving vehicle, ditto. Because you know that the organizer is going to immediately duck responsibility to the greatest extent possible, and the victim or relatives of the victim won't bother suing the guy who created the public nuisance but the legal entity able to pay out the biggest amount. "Justice for the dead" often involves a lot of blood money for the living.

4. If the street isn't level and something gets that water moving downhill in the dumpster, well, let's just say it's unclear who's culpable. The water probably weighs around 7 1/2 tons, about 2 1/2 times the weight of a Ford F-250 (I'm guessing as to the dimensions of the dumpster, if it's bigger than 10 x 8 x 3.5' then the weight's going to be more, perhaps a lot more), Plus the weight of the empty dumpster.