Cleanup efforts begin at luxury RV lot taken over by squatters
RV lot taken over by homeless to be cleaned out
Homeless squatters have taken over a luxury RV lot in Industry, but now officials say they expect to clear out the encampment soon.
INDUSTRY, Calif. - City of Industry neighbors are fed up and said they had enough with a growing homeless encampment growing at an abandoned luxury RV park.
However, the removal has not been an easy process as cleanup efforts began.
What we know:
Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they are fighting enforcement on a private lot and stringent laws that protect squatters, giving the squatters more rights than they’d like to deal with.
Following FOX 11’s report, those living in the RV park got the word they were no longer welcome and hit the highway.
As moving day arrived, sheriff’s deputies patrolled the parking lot through the fence.
The growing encampment had been home to problems through the years including constant fires, burglaries and plenty of trash.
"The outside has painted a picture of us being drug addicts and it’s not like that," said Lena Doktoiczyk.
She added it's more like a community campground and some said they pay a landlord $300 a month to play in the Black Series campers.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Abandoned RV parking lot in City of Industry taken over by homeless, residents say
Fires, trash and tears as RV lot cleared out
Emotions were high after an abandoned luxury RV lot was cleared out.
What they're saying:
"There’s no help. Back to the streets I go," Kimberly Graham, a former tenant, said as moving day arrived in the dirt parking lot.
"I am mostly here because it rained and I don’t want to be out in the rain," she added.
"It’s scary. It’s a scary thing for those that don’t have family," another tenant added.
What's next:
As cleanup efforts began, outreach was expected to begin within the next few days.
Sheriff’s officials said everyone is expected to vacate the property by the end of next week.
The Source: Information from the LA County Sheriff's Department and interviews with tenants of the RV lot.