Posted on 08/26/2024 9:05:36 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
You worked hard your whole life. You saved for a down payment and bought your dream home. The neighborhood is great, and you never have to worry about crime. The only thing your local police department has to do is hand out the occasional parking ticket.
You did everything right — and you thought you were safe from the scourge of squatters who can only take over in “bad neighborhoods.”
You were wrong.
The Daily Caller’s new documentary, “American Squatter,” exposes the dirtiest secret in the housing market: squatters are king. And they can take over anywhere — even in tony Beverly Hills.
“American Squatter” is available exclusively for Patriots subscribers. Catch a first glimpse below.
No one knows Los Angeles better than John Woodward.
He’s been a realtor in the city for 45 years, selling homes to some of the biggest names in the business. David Bowie, Mick Jagger, even Rihanna — name them, and he’s probably sold them a home.
So when he was asked if he wanted to sell a multi-million dollar mansion across the street from LeBron James, “Of course I said yes.”
Woodward is just one of the many landlords and property owners the Daily Caller’s investigative team sat down with for “American Squatter.” But the story of 1316 Beverly Grove Place in Beverly Hills isn’t just something out of a movie — it’s straight out of every homeowner’s worst nightmare.
Soon after taking the listing, Woodward got a call from the pool boy letting him know that someone had shown up with a U-Haul to move in. He hadn’t sold the house yet, so he drove down to see what was going on.
Once there, he did what every responsible citizen would do. He called the police to report an active crime; these people were breaking into his house. When the police showed up, the squatters produced a fake lease even though Woodward protested. But that’s all it takes in liberal Los Angeles.
With the fake lease, the crime scene became a simple civil matter, and Woodward was forced to fight for an eviction in a backlogged and ideologically crippled court system.
“These guys are professional squatters,” Woodward told The Daily Caller. “They know what they’re doing, they know they’re going to eventually be kicked out of there, but they get a free place in a nice neighborhood before the legal system kicks in.”
And boy did the squatters enjoy their time. The quiet, affluent neighborhood turned into the biggest party street in Los Angeles. For months, the squatters hosted all-night raves filled with hundreds of people, illicit drug use and thumping dance music that lasted into the morning. They even allegedly sold entry to the parties, making thousands off the stolen property.
It was so brazen, you would think the police would shut it down after one night — especially in a ritzy neighborhood like Beverly Hills. That’s all we hear from the media these days; the police only care about helping rich white people.
Tell that to Fran Solomon, the neighbor who was forced to flee her dream home when police refused to do anything about the parties for months on end.
“They were loud, they were disruptive. The fire trucks would come in, the police would come in. The neighbors would be calling the police and nothing was able to be done about this,” Solomon explained to the Daily Caller.
“We realized that they were squatters,” she continued, “and squatters, I guess, have rights.”
This wasn’t just a case of uptight neighbors. The home might have been destroyed, but the whole neighborhood was put at risk. Drunk drivers routinely sped around the curvy cliff side neighborhood. The squatters’ pitbull wandered around unleashed. And party goers routinely spilled into neighboring properties.
And still, the police did nothing. They couldn’t. The system is designed to protect squatters no matter how much chaos and abuse they sow.
Finally, the squatters were removed — only after months of a media frenzy. Squatters can victimize anyone, even in Beverly Hills. But the average person victimized by squatters isn’t wealthy and connected. They can’t point to LeBron’s house next door to bring in the media spotlight. They don’t have thousands to pour into eviction litigation or to pay off squatters to leave. They don’t have a second home to escape to. They are just trying to pay the bills.
And in a matter of seconds, their American Dream can be ripped away by criminals.
Stream “American Squatter” today to learn more about how the legal system shields criminal squatters and how every day Americans can protect their most valuable asset.
Shelton said he successfully got his mother’s house back from a group of squatters in 2019. He has since turned his experience into a career, helping others facing similar situations.
Shelton said on a recent episode of EpochTV’s “California Insider” that in 2019 after his father passed away, he moved his mother into his home. However, when they tried to sell her house, he discovered that a group of people had broken in and taken over.
After contacting law enforcement, he quickly learned that since the squatters had moved in with furniture to make it appear they lived there, it was considered a civil matter rather than a criminal one, leaving the authorities unable to act.
Although squatting or trespassing on a vacant property is illegal in California, the situation becomes complicated when law enforcement are unable to determine whether people are trespassers or have a legitimate claim to the space.
The presence of furniture and personal belongings can create the appearance of a tenant-like situation, which may force the property owner to follow formal eviction procedures rather than having the squatters removed as trespassers.
Instead of enduring the lengthy eviction process, Shelton found a “backdoor” solution: becoming a squatter in his mother’s house to oust the squatters.
“I figured that if I could become their squatter and switch places with them, that I would assume those rights,” he told the show’s host, Siyamak Khorrami.
He asked his mother to sign a lease granting him legal rights to the property. He then returned to the house and set himself up as the new “tenant.”
“As soon as they left the driveway, I went into the house, secured the back door, put up cameras, set up an alarm system, and then when they arrived back, I told them I have possession of the house,” he said.
The squatters eventually left.
Too bad it’s not LeBron’s.
Life imitates art.
Our HOA requires al leases to be approved through the HOA office. For security reasons they want a list of every person living in units. The landlord, or their agent has to deliver a notarized copy of the to the office within five days of a new lease or it isn’t valid.
That stopped squatting cold.
You should be able go kill all intruders in your home—and get their estates to pay you for your troubles.
At least you should be able to get money for any organ donations you do from their bodies, if they have no other assets.
Well, there is that method. My instinctive preference is for surprise and numerical superiority, with an appropriate and escalating level of armament as needed, from baseball bats to tasers to firearms.
You go down to McWhopper to get a slurpy and by the time you get back strange people have moved into into your home. This is industrial strength stupidity. And Fran Solomon, the neighbor, comes to the conclusion squatters have rights.
I bet they're just waiting for Fran to go down to greedymart so the squatters can move into her home as well.
With how this has suddenly become a widespread problem, it isn't just happenstance. This is coordinated.
The squatter problem reflects a lethal defect in our current political domain, ie, loss of the concept of private property. Hernando DeSoto explained years ago that respect for property is a fundamental of prosperous free market free enterprise systems. That muni judges and such refuse to honor private property is a clear indicator that private property is on the bubble. And yes denying it is a basic pillar of communism.
And the cops don’t do nothing. Hell - they control the squatter rings just like they control the drug rings and illegal alien smuggling rings. Our legal system is so corrupt. Cops, prosecutors, and judges are all taking bribes.
Heh I was thinking about that lol 🤣
Not *could not*, but *would not*.
This is so backwards. The squatters need to be the ones to prove the lease is real, not the homeowner proving it's fake.
Happened to me.
I have been overseas for some time and had a house and land in upstate south carolina. One day got a call from my brother who helped me look after it. He asked if I knew this guy and had asked him to help me out with the house. Of course I didn’t know the guy and have never asked any one to “help me out.”
Being in rural area, my having large extended family, many friends and connections with county sheriff office, the squatters were harassed to the point they moved on fairly qwikly. But sheriff said all they can really do is take them in on trespass and be released upon arrive to jail.
Worse part of the whole deal is everything I had accumulated from my travels over more than a decade overseas was disappeared, they cleaned out every single little thing so there could be no connection to me. Still get angry about that when thinking of what I used to have....
Sad state of affairs when some one can simply move in and take your house.
Good. He’s an a-hole. I saw a video where he cursed at a kid who was asking him for an autograph.
Isn’t LeBron James a major Rat Party supporter? If he is all I can say is HAHAHAHA! If he’s not I’d certainly feel bad for him.
If a squatter takes over your home, go squat yourself in the home of a local politician.
Watch how fast the laws change.
Hernando DeSoto (yes he did). BUMP
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