Hamtramck 'Guerrilla Road Repair' goes DIY on potholes

Editor's note: An earlier version incorrectly attributed Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski when. In fact, it was Maritza Garibay's father who brought fruit to the house on St. Aubin.

A fast-growing campaign to tamp away craters from Hamtramck neighborhoods entered Round 2 Saturday when nearly 4 tons of filler were dropped into potholes on the streets of the small east-side enclave.

“It’s going to save people from getting flat tires and bent rims,” said Jason Cockram, 27, of Hamtramck. “We’re here to help our community out.”

The second round of do-it-yourself road repairs drew a small crowd of as many as 35 people who split off into groups with tampers, shovels and 50-pound bags of cold patch. The neighborhood-improvement effort, which started a week earlier among Cockram and a few other friends who conceived it in a local bar, has quickly amassed support and volunteers.

About $4,000 had been contributed to a “Hamtramck Guerrilla Road Repair” GoFundMe campaign by Saturday afternoon, all of it intended for buying large bags of cold patch. On Saturday, about $1,000 worth of cold patch — that’s 149 bags, or 7,450 pounds — was distributed among the neighobrhoods. Roughly one to four bags fills a pothole.

Alissa Shelton, 27, who lives in Hamtramck, learned of the effort on Facebook and showed up Saturday to help out and fill a pothole for the first time.

“I’m just really excited that instead of just complaining, people are taking things into their own hands and actually making improvements,” she said.

Maritza Garibay, 25, said all the bags were emptied and tamped into potholes within a couple hours.

“It went really well,” she said, adding that they plan to continue the effort every Saturday until all the potholes are filled.

Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski previously voiced her support for the effort, as reported by MLive.

Garibay's father brought fruit for the volunteers as they gathered outside her house on St. Aubin between Commor and Casmere avenues on Saturday morning. After a quick demonstration, the group dispersed across the neighborhoods.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Cockram said. “And it really makes me love my city to just see all the people get up and get together, just to make things better here.”

Contact Robert Allen at rallen@freepress.com or @rallenMI.