Benito Flores, a 70-year-old retired welder, is bracing for eviction from an illegally occupied home owned by the California Department of Transportation. He fortified his front door and retreated to a tree house he built as a last stand against authorities. Flores's actions reflect a broader protest against homelessness, having occupied vacant homes since March 2020 to highlight the crisis. He argues that local and state officials are failing to address housing needs for vulnerable populations, expressing frustration over their lack of compassion amid the ongoing struggle for affordable housing in Los Angeles.
"I plan to resist as long as I can," Flores said.
"They don't care about the people," Flores said. "Who is supposed to give permanent housing to elders, disabled and families with children? It is the city and the state. And they are evicting me."
The issue, Flores said, remains no less urgent today. Political leaders, he argued, have failed to provide housing for all who need it.
For the public agencies involved, the resistance represents an intransigence that belies that assistance and leniency they've offered to Flores and fellow protesters.
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