Santa Ana, CA – On Wednesday, September 23, chants of “Kingsley escucha, estamos en la lucha!” could be heard on Sullivan Street.
Rain Mendoza with Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) kicked off a rally, stating, “We are here today because of the years of harassment the majority working-class immigrant residents of Coach Royal have been subjected to under Kingsley Management Corporation.”
35 people, including residents of Coach Royal Mobile Home Park and community members, rallied in front of the park to demand a stopping of all fence removals, allowing residents to keep their air conditioning, and maintaining all allotted property sizes. Kingsley uses these bogus violations and changes to the rules to begin the process of stealing homes from the residents.
Teresa Osorio, a resident of the park, spoke about her recent experience. “Olivia Garcia [park manager] came to my house to tell me to remove my fence when just a year before she herself told me to repair it.”
Irene Rodriguez de Guzman spoke about her interactions with Garcia, “She is telling me to remove my fences, which contradicts the fact that she told me to install them because I had issues with the neighbors. She told me where I should put it and came to inspect it after it was installed and she said it looked good. I sacrificed to pay for that fence, how am I going to remove it?”
Karla Alvarado spoke about Kingsley’s intimidation tactics and home theft, “I was one of the people that helped a lot of the residents obtain their titles and after that we were retaliated against by Kingsley Corporation.”
Alvarado added, “I was offered to stay as a tenant as long as I waive my rights and never helped anyone in the community. I obviously refused that, and I was eventually kicked out of my house. My house was taken out of here and sold illegally in a private auction, violating all the laws, because I was never informed of the auction taking place.”
Gabriela Mendoza had a similar experience. “My lawyer confirmed that my house was sold. I told her that to this day I haven’t received a single dollar. And I don’t think it’s fair that my new house that I worked hard for years, they stole my property. This is an injustice.”
Pointing out more illegal practices, Rain Mendoza added, “Kingsley is starting the process of having all residents allotted property sizes changed. If residents don’t comply, they are hit with severe financial consequences. To force these residents to make these changes and enforce consequences is illegal.”
During the rally, residents pointed to for-sale signs surrounding the protesters and that those homes are ones that have been stolen. As people walked by the rally, they stopped to listen to the testimonies of the residents.
Protesters chanted, “No mas acoso! No mas temor! Los inmigrantes tenemos valor!” which translates to “No more harassment! No more fear! Immigrants have bravery!”
“They are forcing us to remove our air conditioners. This is a horrible thing. You know, recently we were living in an insufferable heat. If it hadn’t been for our air conditioning, there would have been tragedies here at Coach Royal,” testified Guadalupe Barragan, a resident of 38 years.
Teresa Carrera, another former resident, described the physical and psychological impact of Kingsley’s actions. “In reality, everything we have been through has been a traumatic abuse. We’ve been to psychologists. We’ve had sleepless nights. I got sick to the point that I didn’t eat for a month or two. I only drank water and I lost almost 25 pounds. So much stress, so much insomnia, so much thinking about why these people are so unjust.”
Protesters chanted, “Vivir con miedo no es normal! Queremos justicia en Coach Royal!” or, “Living in fear isn’t normal! We want justice at Coach Royal!”
Luis Pedraza Morales Babylon, a former resident whose home was stolen, spoke on behalf of CSO OC. “The Community Service Organization stands firmly with the residents of Coach Royal. CSO is on the front lines fighting back, organizing protests at the park entrance, packing hearing rooms, demanding justice for unjust evictions, and shining a harsh light on management’s deceptive tactics. They are fighting to ensure that working-class families and immigrants aren’t pushed out through intimidation, language barriers, or forced displacement.”
If you are interested in joining CSO OC in this campaign, you can contact them at orangecountycso@gmail.com or on Instagram at @CSO.OC.
#SantaAnaCA #CA #OrangeCounty #PeoplesStruggles #Housing #CoachRoyal #KingsleyCorporation #OppressedNationalities #CSOOC
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