Clothing donation box in Petaluma that caused woman’s death will be removed

A large green clothing donation box in north Petaluma where a woman died Wednesday trying to retrieve items inside it soon will be removed from a store owner’s property where it’s sat for at least 10 years.

Andy Dusanjh, owner of Steel Bear Deli & Country Store on Old Redwood Highway, said he got a telephone call Thursday from the mother of Kaily Land, the 30-year-old homeless Petaluma resident found dead halfway into the container, asking him to have the donation box taken away.

“Obviously, I don’t want her to drive by and have that thought in her mind every day,” Dusanjh said, of the box on his parking lot near McDowell Boulevard and Highway 101. “Even though it is for a good cause, we’re definitely going to remove it. I think it’s a blemish.”

Dusanjh said he called Recycle for Change, the Richmond-based nonprofit that owns the box, and left a voicemail message for officials there to come and take the container as soon as possible.

The day after her tragic death, Land’s family and friends turned the donation box into a makeshift shrine to celebrate her life and post tributes to her. The ?container was adorned with flowers and candles, and a picture of Land as a child hung on the box with the message “We Love Kaily.”

Petaluma residents who knew Land described her as a kind and generous person who worked hard to help others, while she struggled to survive as a homeless woman.

“She was a free spirit, that’s for sure,” said Paul Palmer, who lives on the street in Petaluma and knew Land for six years. “A lot of energy came out of that young lady, I’ll tell you that. Just flowed out of her. It was nonstop.”

Palmer said Land often scavenged for clothing and other survival items and would give many of the things she collected to other homeless people in the Petaluma area.

“If she had something she found you wanted, she’d give it to you,” he said.

Sam Lyons, who is also homeless, said if he needed a new pair of pants Land always was happy to go find it for him and would not charge him.

Land would often retrieve clothes from the donation box in which she got stuck and died, he said, but she usually had someone to help her get in and out of the container. The opening in the container in which she got trapped is for people to put things into, but isn’t designed for items to be removed. Petaluma police said Wednesday Land likely suffocated after the container opening “pinched” her neck as she was trying to climb inside.

“Normally, she wouldn’t have been by herself doing what she did, ... but it was cold and wet (early Wednesday morning),” Lyons said. “Terrible thing.”

Despite the difficult conditions of living on the street, Land stayed upbeat, Lyons said.

“I think she just all around enjoyed her freedom, her lifestyle,” he said. “She loved her cat, Chub Chub.”

Bettina Kirby, a friend of Land’s for five years, came to the Steel Bear parking lot to leave flowers for Land at the donation box on Thursday evening. She said Land was “a survivor” who would work constantly to find items that might be useful for herself and others.

“Most of the stuff she came up on, she shared with people who needed it more than she did,” Kirby said. “Everyone around here that knew her loved her dearly.”

People who knew Land expressed concern about the safety of the clothing donation containers.

Tanya Samansky, an employee of the Valero gas station across the street from Steel Bear deli who knew Land as a frequent customer, said she particularly worried about the danger the donation boxes could pose to children.

“I can totally see that, kids trying to climb in there,” she said. “They should do something about those things.”

Land’s friend Palmer said the boxes should be redesigned to prevent people from climbing into them.

“Nobody should have any access,” he said. “Those things are really easy to get in.”

Doug Hughes, the chief building official of Petaluma, said the donation containers are too small to be covered under the city building code and so the city doesn’t require a permit for a business to have such a containter sitting on its property.

A reporter’s attempts Thursday to reach Land’s mother by phone for comment were unsuccessful.