Taylor is a proud long-time resident of Oakland, California. She’s aware the city suffers from an ongoing plague of people illegally dumping on the side streets instead of paying to dispose of materials properly. Illegal dumpers frequent Campbell Street near 24th Street, littering it with discarded furniture, wood, metal, and other debris.

She drives past it every day on her way home from work. So, when she drove by and saw a man in a 2025 Tesla Cybertruck brazenly contributing to the growing pile of illegally dumped materials, she was furious.

“My initial reaction, frankly, was just disappointment, and then anger and frustration,” she told CBS. “If they can afford that vehicle, they can afford to go to the dump.”

Taylor drove down the street and recorded the man, who ignored her. He continued to dump construction material as she filmed.

She sent the footage to the news, which called him out

Duy Tran, who manages a gym near the dumping site, expressed frustration at the man’s decision to dump his materials.

“It just shows a level of entitlement and disrespect to every person here,” he said after reporters showed him Taylor’s video. “That’s ridiculous. It’s disheartening to see. Do the right thing. Take care of your own garbage.”

Suzette Bradley, a member of the gym, felt disgusted by the man’s boldness.

“He doesn’t think twice about it. He doesn’t feel like he’s doing anything wrong. Broad daylight, all of that,” she said, shaking her head.

Taylor sent the video to the media and police, who used it to remind the public not to dump illegally. The police reminded people that illegally dumping can result in a $750 ticket, which Taylor feels isn’t enough to dissuade people.

“What we want is behavior change. And to me, engaging in that sort of thing would be a better push in that direction,” she said.

The video shocked viewers—but not because of the illegal dumping

One viewer wanted to make something clear: the Cybertruck isn’t the cause of everyone’s outrage.

“It’s not about the Cybertruck, people,” they wrote. “It’s about the person who owns the Cybertruck. Don’t get it twisted.”

Another agreed with Taylor, that harsher penalties should be imposed on those who are caught illegally dumping.

“Community service, doing a minimum of 4 weekends of trash clean-up at some of the most trashed sites in the city must accompany every citation,” their comment read. “And if the fine isn’t paid, the city should extend the length of the clean-up detail. Hopefully that would make the perpetrators develop a better understanding of the blithe they contributed to and why it’s nasty and not acceptable.”

Someone else echoed Taylor’s original sentiment, that there’s no excuse considering his financial wellness.

“He can afford a Tesla but can’t afford to rent a dumpster,” they wrote. “That’s awesome.”