A woman spoke exclusively to NBC6 on Thursday from her hospital bed after her forceful arrest was caught on camera amid tensions over the demolition of a mobile home park in Sweetwater. Laura Rodriguez reports
A woman spoke exclusively to NBC6 on Thursday from her hospital bed after her forceful arrest was caught on camera amid tensions over the demolition of a mobile home park in Sweetwater.
The demolition at Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park, which includes 900 mobile homes, began Wednesday with the residences that have already been vacated. There are plans to close the park and develop a new community with affordable and workforce housing and a school.
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Vivian Hernandez, 61, was arrested after police said she refused to leave the main office, describing her as “unruly” in an arrest report.
She spoke to NBC6 over the phone from the hospital, saying: “Everything hurts.”
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Video of the takedown shows an officer grabbing her and bringing her to the ground, where she yelled in Spanish, “I’m not doing anything. You’re using force on me for fun.”
"He threw me on the floor. He broke my glasses in my face," she told NBC6, saying she had pain on the left side of her head and face.
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Hernandez said she was released from jail at around 5 a.m. She went home, and her family took her to the hospital.
"What do I want to happen? I want justice, because that police didn't have a reason to mistreat me that way only for expressing my opinion, and I didn't yell at him, mistreat him or raise a hand against him, or anything. He got there and said I couldn't be there, and he threw me against the floor," she said. "What am I going to want? Justice. I want the police to fire him."
“It's a step backwards in a case of trying to bring order to this,” said David Winker, an attorney representing Hernandez and hundreds of tenants on Wednesday. “All of this is disturbing, you can see how high emotions are with people.”
Winker said he doesn't believe the owner is doing things the right way.
“I think we're going to find, in my opinion, a law has not been followed,” Winker said.
The park will close permanently May 19, 2025. The park's owner said they will help tenants relocate and provide financial assistance, including up to $14,000 for anyone who leaves by Jan. 31.
The payment decreases the later the tenants vacate – $7,000 will be offered to tenants who leave by March 31, and $3,000 for an April 30 deadline.
Matt Rosenbaum with The Urban Group, the management agent for the mobile home park, said in a statement:
Safety is our top priority as we begin the demolition of abandoned units in the mobile home park. We are managing the entire removal process, focusing on preventing vandalism, squatters and crime. There is absolutely no cost to tenants for the demolition. Before demolition, we are conducting thorough inspections to ensure each unit is completely empty, verifying no people, pets, or personal belongings of value remain.
So far, nearly 600 tenants have visited the park office to meet with the relocation team and discuss the assistance that is available to them. We anticipate that by the end of this week, approximately 50 tenants will have accepted the relocation incentive package and vacated their mobile homes since we began the process three weeks ago.
When combining our incentive with the amount required by the state, tenants who relocate before January 31st may receive up to $16,750 for abandoning a mobile home or up to $20,000 for relocating it, depending on its size. We have also been collaborating closely with the city to explore additional support options. Tenants are encouraged to contact city officials directly to help identify and access supplementary benefits and assistance programs.
We remain committed to supporting our tenants through this transition.
Sweetwater Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz said in a statement:
We are aware of the arrest circulating on social media involving one of our Sweetwater Police Officers. The preliminary information reveals that the officer was summoned to the administrative office in reference to a disturbance. An altercation ensued causing the officer to take police action, which resulted in an arrest. This is an unfortunate situation for all, however, as part of our Use of Force policy, my command staff will conduct a thorough review of the incident to ensure all legal guidelines were met.
Rosenbaum also addressed the tenant interaction:
We understand that this is a difficult and emotional time. While our team is committed to hearing and supporting our tenants, the safety of both our staff and tenants remains our highest priority.
During a recent tenant interaction in the park office, the situation escalated quickly and became unmanageable. Despite our team's efforts to de-escalate, it became necessary for law enforcement to step in.
We continue to encourage open and respectful communication, and we remain dedicated to supporting our tenants through this difficult transition. We are committed to maintaining the safety of our community.
