Vallejo's 'Pothole Vigilantes' take matters into their own hands

VALLEJO, Calif. - A group of Vallejo residents who call themselves the "Pothole Vigilantes" are filling potholes instead of waiting for the city to send its own crews. 

So far, the group has raised nearly $5,000 on its GoFundMe page to repair roads and by Thursday, volunteer Garrett Toles said they already patched at least 85 or 90 potholes. 

"We want to better our city. We want to implement change," said Toles.

Members of the group met through Facebook. Toles said he posted on a community Facebook group, asking if anyone would be willing to pitch in to fix the roads.

Toles said the response was overwhelming, so another member of the group started a GoFundMe. They raised enough money to hit the street, filling pesky potholes in different Vallejo neighborhoods.

Toles said, "We’re tired of our cars receiving damage. We’re tired of it being a liability with our kids being in the car with us. It’s safety first."

Volunteer Gilbert Dodson said, "When you get some citizens that are just tired they will pitch in and they will help. And that’s what is happening here."

The group has already made a name for itself with community members. We saw several drivers honk or pull over to thank them and they traveled over the newly patched roads.

"I love them and I applaud them," said resident Diana Thurmond.

"I’ve lived here since I was 13-years-old and these streets are horrible," said resident Anna Larin.

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But the city is less enthused. In the Vallejo Weekly newsletter, Mayor Robert McConnell wrote, "I would also like to discourage pothole vigilantism. It can be a hazardous task to undertake repairs without the proper help with traffic control. Often these efforts and money will all be wasted without adequate compaction techniques if the rains carry away the asphalt once again."

Toles said they also got in trouble during one of their unofficial jobs. "They gave us a legal notice to stop working, But, in response to that, as long as community members are donating I’m going to keep filling potholes until this get resolved."