Earlier than the solar rose Tuesday, Benito Flores fortified the entrance door of his one-bedroom duplex on a slim road in El Sereno.
Flores, a 70-year-old retired welder, had illegally seized a house 5 years in the past after its proprietor, the California Division of Transportation, had left it vacant. He’d been allowed to remain for a couple of months, then was directed to this close by residence owned by the company, however now it was time to go.
Later within the morning, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division have been scheduled to lock him out.
Flores clearly had different plans. Over months, he’d sawed picket two-by-fours to make use of as a brace between the entrance door and an inside wall to make it tougher to breach. He bolted shut the metallic display screen door. As soon as Flores was happy he’d secured the doorway Tuesday, he retreated to a picket construction he constructed 28 ft excessive in an ash tree within the yard.
If the police wished him to depart, they’d have to come back get him in his tree home.
“I plan to withstand so long as I can,” Flores stated.
The selfmade construction, 6 ft tall and three ft huge, represents the final stand for Flores and a bigger protest that captured nationwide consideration in March 2020. Flores and a dozen others occupied empty properties owned by Caltrans, acquired by the a whole lot a half-century in the past for a freeway enlargement that by no means occurred. They stated they wished to name consideration to the homelessness disaster in Los Angeles.
The problem, Flores stated, stays no much less pressing immediately. Political leaders, he argued, have failed to offer housing for all who want it.
“They don’t care in regards to the individuals,” Flores stated. “Who is meant to offer everlasting housing to elders, disabled and households with kids? It’s the metropolis and the state. And they’re evicting me.”
For the general public companies concerned, the resistance represents an intransigence that belies the help and leniency they’ve supplied to Flores and fellow protesters who name their group “Reclaiming Our Properties.” The state allowed group members, or Reclaimers, to stay legally and paying rents far beneath market charges for 2 years. Since then, the companies have continued to supply referrals for everlasting housing and monetary settlements of as much as $20,000 if group members left voluntarily.
Evictions, they’ve stated, have been a final resort and required by legislation.
“We don’t have any authority to function exterior of that,” stated Tina Sales space, director of asset administration for the Housing Authority of the Metropolis of Los Angeles, which is working the housing program on Caltrans’ behalf.
4 Reclaimers, together with Flores, stay within the properties.
Two have accepted settlements and are anticipated to depart inside weeks. The ultimate Reclaimer additionally has a court-ordered eviction towards him, however plans to depart with out incident.
Caltrans needs to promote Flores’ residence and the opposite empty homes in El Sereno to public or nonprofit housing suppliers, which might make them obtainable to low-income residents for hire or buy.
Flores stated evicting him is unnecessary as a result of the property is meant for use as inexpensive housing that he qualifies for. Flores, who suffers from diabetes, collects about $1,200 a month in Social Safety and supplemental funds. If he’s eliminated, Flores stated, he has no different possibility besides to sleep in his van — the place he lived for 14 years earlier than the house seizure.
“We’re going to dwell on the streets for the remainder of our lives,” Flores stated of he and others evicted within the protest group in an open letter he despatched to Sheriff Robert Luna final week.
Flores obtained advance discover of the lockout. His supporters started arriving at 6 a.m. Tuesday to fill the usually sleepy block. Flores already was up within the tree.
Inside 90 minutes, greater than two dozen individuals had arrived. They stationed lookouts on the corners. Some went inside Flores’ home by way of a aspect door to offer one other layer of protection.
1. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies communicate over a fence to Benito Flores on Shelley Avenue in El Sereno, CA on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. 2. Benito Flores speaks with the media on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 saying that the sheriff’s division that can serve him with eviction lack compassion and that him dwelling on the road will imply dealing with dying.
Gina Viola, an activist and former mayoral candidate, rallied the gang on the sidewalk. It was “despicable,” she stated, to depart properties empty when so many have been in want. She stated these in energy wanted to behave, simply as Flores and the Reclaimers have, to offer everlasting housing instantly.
“That is a part of a reckoning that’s lengthy overdue,” Viola stated.
She pointed to the tree home, praising Flores.
“He’s a 70-year-old elder who has climbed … into the sky to make this level to the world: ‘That is my residence and I received’t go away it.’”
The construction has been seen from the road for weeks. Flores had hooked up an indication to the entrance with a message calling for a citywide hire strike.
The tree home is elaborate. Flores used galvanized metal braces to connect a collection of ladders to the ash tree’s trunk. The place the trunk narrowed larger within the tree, Flores bolted spikes into the bark to make the ultimate few steps into the construction.
Contained in the tree home and hanging on close by branches have been blankets, heat clothes, meals, water and his medicine. To maintain issues clear, there’s a picket broom he can sweep out leaves and different detritus. Flores anticipated to cost his cellphone by way of an extension wire linked to electrical energy within the storage. He bolted a chair to the underside of the tree home and has a security belt to catch him ought to he fall.
Deputies had not but arrived by 9 a.m. Flores descended, sporting a harness, to talk with members of the information media from his driveway. He spoke from behind a locked fence.
Flores rejected the assertion that the Housing Authority has supplied him with one other place to dwell. He stated the company’s gives of help, akin to Part 8 vouchers, aren’t ensures. He cited the struggles that voucher holders face when discovering landlords to just accept the subsidies.
“They supplied me potential everlasting housing,” Flores stated of the Housing Authority.
Jenny Scanlin, the company’s chief strategic growth officer, stated that Flores was supplied greater than two dozen referrals to different properties, however that he rejected them. Some concerned ready lists and vouchers, however others had occupancy instantly obtainable, she stated.
“We completely consider he would have had an alternate place to dwell — everlasting inexpensive housing” — had Flores accepted the help, Scanlin stated.
Joseph De La O, 62, seized a Caltrans-owned residence in 2020. He accepted a settlement from HACLA and has since returned to homelessness. He got here to Flores’ residence to assist protest the eviction.”
As Flores held courtroom within the driveway, he rolled up a pant leg to indicate a sore from his diabetes and stated that on the streets he’d have nowhere to refrigerate his insulin.
Whereas Flores spoke, supporters have been on edge. Representatives of the property administration firm milled a block away holding drills.
Round 9:45, two sheriff’s cruisers parked a block away. Three deputies acquired out and met the property managers, then walked to Flores’ residence.
Flores’ supporters met them on the driveway. The deputies stated they wished to speak to Flores and brushed previous to the locked gate. Flores instructed them to ask themselves why they wanted to evict a senior citizen. The deputies responded that that they had supplied help from grownup protecting providers and have been following orders from the courtroom.
A deputy handed Flores a pamphlet describing housing assets the county supplied, together with details about calling 211. Flores held up the paper above his head to indicate everybody. The group began booing and yelling “Disgrace.”
An officer then tried to purpose with Flores in Spanish. However it was clear issues have been going nowhere.
“Suerte,” the officer stated to Flores. “Good luck.”
Then they left.
The Sheriff’s Division couldn’t instantly be reached for remark, and a Caltrans spokesperson referred remark to the Housing Authority. Scanlin stated she anticipated the lockout course of would proceed per the courtroom’s order.
Flores and his supporters consider sheriff’s deputies may return at any time. Some are planning to camp out at his home in a single day.
