Santa Ana, CA – On Saturday, March 21, Coach Royal Mobile Home residents protested at the entrance of the mobile home park. The protest was in response to yearslong abuse at the hands of the park managers, eviction, and theft of mobile homes by Kingsley Corporation. There was also a recent suicide of resident Maria Pedraza due to the abuse. The Coach Royal residents are majority working-class immigrants.
The protest started strong with residents and supporters from Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) protesting in front of the Coach Royal entrance. The protesters were chanting and holding signs, making themselves visible to the residents entering and exiting the park.
“Kingsley kills!” “Hands off our homes!” and “Justice for Maria Pedraza!” shouted the protesters.
Luis Pedraza, son of the late Maria Pedraza, spoke first, “My mom committed suicide on February 20, 2026, because of the abuse that she was sustaining from Coach Royal mobile home park that is owned and managed by Kingsley corporation. She worked her whole life to own that home. That was her pride and joy. She bought that home with all of our work.”
The protesters and passersby leaned in as Pedraza recounted stories of his late mother, “We lived in all kinds of states: in a single room, in a tiny garage. I didn’t have Christmas or New Years with my mom because she was working. I wish I had that. But we do have that house and Kingsley is trying to steal that from us.” The protesters chanted in unison, “Shame!”
“It is not fair for them to be doing this here or anywhere in the country. This is happening everywhere in the country but this needs to stop and needs to change. That’s how things happen in this county. We move, operate, get together, we become one movement and then things change,” ended Pedraza.
Victor Fuentes is another Coach Royal resident who is facing eviction. He took off his sun hat before speaking to reveal a large scar with stitches running all across his scalp. “We are all here to put an end to retaliation, repression and harassment. My family and I have been evicted. We all do things we regret and to de-stress myself I began to drink. I had a great fall and don’t recommend using it to drown out your thoughts and worries. I am the provider of my family and now I can’t keep a roof over my family’s head.”
Fuentes continued, “I came to give this testimony because enough is enough. Enough of stomping their foot over our necks. They are trying to silence us. This must stop. What else do we have to lose? For everyone here, it costs them so much to own their homes. They are shamelessly stealing our homes. It is unjust. We are demanding justice. We need to fight because if even one of us refuses to fight they will keep trampling over us!”
The protesters erupted in chants, “Stop the evictions! Stop the harassment! Stop the threats!”.
The last speaker was Karla García, who was evicted from her home for helping other Coach Royal residents fight for their home titles. “I tried helping out other residents and I was punished for it. The corporation once again came to my home and told me that if I did help out others I would end up homeless. They started harassing, bullying and threatening me. I was attacked every single day until they took everything from me.”
The protest ended with Guadalupe Barragan on a megaphone marching through the Coach Royal neighborhoods urging the residents to stand up and fight back. A meeting was held later in the evening for residents and CSO members to strategize on what the next steps will be in the fight for justice for the Coach Royal residents.
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