Protesters duel over Del Rey homeless RV camp

LOS ANGELES - Dozens of people held a protest Saturday in Del Rey against homeless and RV encampments in the area.

The protest was held near tents, an RV, and a person sleeping next to a "no trespassing" sign at Inglewood and the 90 Freeway overpass.

Protest against homeless

What they're saying:

"There’s a difference between being homeless and being squatters," said Mandana Mellano. "I think what we’re dealing with is people squatting and taking advantage of a system that’s not enforcing the law."

"We had a trailer blow up right here and burn," said Keith Evans. "You can still see the burn marks there."

According to Evans, an RV caught on fire at the location just a few weeks ago.

"They camp here and when there’s a cleanup posted, they all move back into the hills," said Evans. "When the cleanup is done, they come back and get to live in a nice, clean environment. I don’t get to have a cleanup in my home."

SUGGESTED: Cleanup efforts begin at luxury RV lot taken over by squatters

"It’s biohazard material," said Mellano. "They’re using electrical panels from the city to set up tents and have open fires. I think we’ve had enough of that."

"Reject the hate" counterprotest

The other side:

While the protest was taking place Saturday afternoon, counterprotesters set up on the opposite side of the street.

"We’re having a counterprotest that’s called ‘Reject the Hate,’" said one counterprotester.

The counterprotester who spoke with FOX 11 chose to remain anonymous. He says he’s been living in a RV for almost 10 years. Currently, his RV is parked near the location of Saturday’s protest.

"If I could afford an apartment in Venice, I would take one," said the counterprotester. "[The protesters] just see a mass, a blob [of homeless] and that’s called ‘othering.’ The reality is, sometimes there’s people who are a problem in the neighborhood who are doing bad things. Then, there are people who are simply trying to exist in a gentrified real-estate environment."

Los Angeles homeless cleanups

Dig deeper:

Los Angeles District 11 Councilwoman Traci Park posted a video to social media Saturday highlighting some of her recent work. In the video, Park mentions clean-up efforts underway at the location of Saturday’s protest.

"At Inglewood and the 90 Freeway, we’ve been battling a lot of encampment and RV issues," said Park. "While the progress is slow, some hopeful news. We got 41.18 protection approved for the entire Ballona Creek area. We introduced a motion to red curb some of the problematic overpasses."

Protesters at the location Saturday are calling for more action.

"There’s definitely compassion for those that need help, but when it comes at the cost of those that are paying the taxes and trying to live a normal, safe life, no I don’t support that," said Mellano.