Protests continue in Sweetwater as hundreds of people at a mobile home park are trying to figure out where they’re going to live in six months. NBC6’s Niko Clemmons reports
Protests continue in Sweetwater as hundreds of people at a mobile home park are trying to figure out where they're going to live in six months.
For the third night in a row, tenants of Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park went outside to protest, and their message remained the same.
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“At least give us time,” Leticia Matos said. “Where are we going to go?”
This week, tenants learned they have until May 2025 to find somewhere else to live.
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There are plans to close the park, which includes 900 mobile homes, and develop a new community with affordable and workforce housing and a school.
Emotions were once again high Thursday night.
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Matos and her mom have lived at the park for more than 30 years. Right now, her mom is in the Dominican Republic and has no idea she'll have to pick up her life and move.
“When she comes back she has to stress herself out and say where are we going to go,” Matos said. “It's unbelievable what they're doing to us.”
Tenants brought the protest to West Flagler Street Thursday night and called for Sweetwater's mayor. Sweetwater Police showed up to the scene to make sure people didn't block traffic.
Twenty-four hours earlier, the mayor showed up at the park with city commissioners to say they were searching for solutions.
“They make it seem like it's easy to take these trailers, pick them up in a crane and take them somewhere else,” Karina Cuba said. “It's not that easy.”
Demands are growing for more help. Tenants say they won't stop until they feel they're heard.
“They're not seeing us over there, we're going to be heard out here,” Matos said. “We have to get all these cops out here, OK, we'll do this, too.”
The park's owner says they'll help tenants relocate and provide financial assistance, including up to $14,000 for anyone who leaves by Jan. 31, but that number decreases as the May deadline approaches.
Sweetwater's mayor told NBC6 he plans to speak with the owner of the trailer park to see if the tenants can get more time.
