A massive luxury RV parking lot in City of Industry, California, has been taken over by homeless squatters.
The RV lot, valued at $6.5 million and accommodating 130 campers, has transformed into a crime-ridden homeless encampment in the last two years. This alarming shift occurred after the private entity that owned the RVs abandoned the site, as detailed by Fox 11 Los Angeles.
Videos of the scene show the parking lot riddled with massive piles of trash and one of the campers engulfed in flames.
Local residents and workers have observed a surge in fires at the lot, along with an increase in criminal activities such as robberies, negatively impacting the surrounding area. The situation has become a cause for concern among the community members.
Frequent fires have become a common sight at the RV lot, now inhabited by homeless individuals in City of Industry, California. (Fox 11 Los Angeles)
The man who bought the new campers just left the RVs and has not paid rent in two years, Fox 11 reported, citing the property manager.
Raymond Henderson, a man who works at a local meat market and stays in one of the campers, said the RV owner has come back in the past. He told Henderson that he could stay as a tenant for $300 a month.
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said the property owner recently won a court order to remove the occupants after initiating legal proceedings to regain possession of the site last year.
“Although the City does not own the site, this issue is a private dispute between the property owners and a private party,” Solis said in a statement. “While the County of Los Angeles does not have jurisdiction over land use matters in incorporated cities like the City of Industry, my office has been proactive in addressing concerns at the lot. To that end, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) will continue to conduct outreach this week.”
The property manager said it would cost $80,000 to clean up the trash, Fox 11 reported. Cleanup efforts will begin Wednesday and crews hope to have everyone out within two days, the station said.
