Play Roadside Trash Bingo on I-220 in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

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It's all the 'rage' on I-220 in Shreveport-Bossier City, LA—Roadside Trash Bingo!

Okay, so this isn't an actual game, but it totally should be! Because, on my way to work today, I spotted an old mattress on the side of I-220 West, a cooler, a bench, a huge roll of hay, and even a satellite dish—talk about a random mix! And that's not including the things we couldn't see because of the lights being out on the Cross Lake bridge for repairs. Oh, and let's not forget about the leftover car parts and debris from wrecks or all those rubber slabs from abandoned semi-truck tires. It's honestly embarrassing.

Wasn't it just last month that we welcomed 50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, to Shreveport with all that pomp and circumstance? Don't you think it would be nice to tidy up a bit before company starts coming to town for the reinvention of Shreveport? Just a thought!

Y'all, we have got to do better. Litter is 100% preventable. Let's make Shreveport a town we can be proud of. It all starts with sprucing things up and feeling better about the place we call home. Not only does litter undermine community pride, it can even harm local ecosystems.

Does anyone else remember when New Orleans comedian Theo Vonn posted this after playing Shreveport last year?

@scout.sgt #Shreveport #PortCity #RachetCity #rachetcitylouisiana #rachetcity #theovon ♬ original sound - Scout.Sgt

Unfortunately, he's not wrong. Oh, and in case you were wondering, here's what Louisiana has to say about littering, you filthy animals!

Here's how the Louisiana statute regarding litter reads:

§2531. Intentional littering prohibited; criminal penalties; simple littering prohibited; civil penalties; special court costs
A. Intentional littering. (1) No person shall intentionally dispose or permit the disposal of litter upon any public place in the state, upon private property in this state not owned by him, upon property located in rural areas in this state not owned by him, or in or on the waters of this state, whether from a vehicle or otherwise, including but not limited to any public highway, public right-of-way, public park, beach, campground, forest land, recreational area, trailer park, highway, road, street, or alley, except when such property is designated by the state or by any of its agencies or political subdivisions for the disposal of such litter and such person is authorized to use such property for such purpose.
(2) Whoever violates the provisions of this Subsection shall:
(a) Upon first conviction, be fined five hundred dollars and sentenced to serve eight hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(b) Upon second conviction, be fined nine hundred dollars and sentenced to serve twenty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court.
(c) Upon third or subsequent conviction, be fined two thousand five hundred dollars, have his motor vehicle driver's license suspended for one year, and be sentenced to serve eighty hours of community service in a litter abatement work program as approved by the court, or all or any combination of the penalties provided by this Subparagraph.

50+ Pictures of Shreveport's Abandoned Historic Fairgrounds Field

Before you know it, Shreveport's historic Fairgrounds Field will be will be exactly that - history. Once the legal wrangling is done, the proverbial endangered-bat-guano will hit the fan and the once glorious Ratchet-City cathedral to baseball will be demolished and gone.

Before it "bats" its final inning, let's take a final look at the glory that once was. I warn you though, it's kind of like seeing that super-hot girl from high school 20 years later - and time has not been kind.

These awesome pictures were provided by urban photographer extraordinaire Ron DeBello.

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.