Classic case of RVer's abusing the privilege and ruining it for the rest of us who use it for a short nap and move on.

Racerguy wrote:

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Classic case of RVer's abusing the privilege and ruining it for the rest of us who use it for a short nap and move on.

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>>had lost their S&B homes and jobs

 

Maybe it's me but I read the line "lost their homes and jobs" and I think thank god it's not me.  But then my fathers family came to California during the dust bowl they were Okies.  As a native of the state the idea of compassion is not easily found in California sure if your a blue whale or whatever the cause of the week but another human being not so much.

Maybe it's just me.

 

Mallo

 

Thank you, Racerguy.

These folks were not camped out at Walmart...they left every day and went to one of several city parks, and they also used the Flying J on occasion. They did not setup camp at Walmart, at least not the folks they interviewed.

Where are these people supposed to go? Lodi solved the problem by forcing these folks outside the city limits.

NorCal Dan wrote:

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News last night covered about 10 RV'ers being kicked out of the Walmart parking lot in Lodi California.  ...

While WalMart does allow RV parking the City of Lodi has laws on the books that says you can't sleep in your RV unless it's in a RV park. 

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Walmart's usual policy is to abide by this kind of "Anti-RV" No Overnight RV Parking ordinance. When you ask permission to park at some Walmarts, however, the store will tell you "The store doesn't mind, but there's a local ordinance, so the police might evict you in the middle of the night." An RVer was told this by the Lodi store in Sept 2008, and reported it to my website. Some stores have told RVers that local "No Overnight RV Parking" laws have never been enforced in their lot, so the risk of eviction is very small in these cases.

In many cities, these local laws aren't enforced unless there's a citizen complaint. This is what happened in the case the NorCal Dan wrote about -- someone complained to the city and the police enforced the ordinance.

Jim O'Briant
Administrator
www.OvernightRVParking.com

Nationwide it seems there are more and more folks living out of their cars or RVs. The cities are enacting restrictions to prevent this from becoming an eyesore and public health issue.

I can't imagine how these homeless/jobless folks feel when they are moved from city to city due to new ordinaces or new enforcement of old laws.

You can say, why don't they move out to long term BLM sites or find some backwoods remote place to park, but that makes it difficult for them to continue job hunting, keep kids in school...etc. Even some of the local churches and missions have had to restriction the number of homeless they serve. It must be such a struggle to have any sort of routine daily life when you must find a place to stay for the night, look for work and still maintain a family atmosphere.

I was always a person who shunned the homeless when they would approach me for money... now I find myself giving them what I can because it's become such a problem here in Southern California with a 17% unemployment rate and 26% increase in home foreclosures. I've seen more people move from just our block this year than I've seen in the past 5 years.

I don't think we've seen the bottom of this, I bet the worst is still to come

I agree --- it's going to get worse before it gets better. It's not only the global outsourcing but the uncertainty regarding tax bills and health care bills and how much the companies are going to have to increase overhead just pay the bills. Americans are speaking up more now than ever before but the problem seems to be that the upper level in Congress must have their earplugs to the Ipods in their ears for they are not hearing the message that middle class Americans are paying the price by losing their jobs, homes, and retirement money that we have worked for and saved so that we can buy that awesome RV and hit the road and see America. I don't know that any of you think this way -- but you are the privileged class who did survive and managed to get through without a scrape and now able to enjoy your life. I am thrilled for you all and if I couldn't read the tales of your journeys I think I would just go jump off the nearest cliff. I have survive the recessions created by the oil embargos, been stapled, and folded but always landed on my feet. This time around, the rules have changed and the government forgot to send the New Rule Book. The people living in the RVs parked temporarily at Walmart are not uneducated and believe me they would much rather be sleeping in their sticks and bricks comfortably in their own beds. This is a time of transition for America --- we'll make it --- but all I ask is for someone to send the new set of rules! Written by a 61 woman who has two masters degrees and a bachelors plus over 20+ years in management that will absolutely bonk the next HR person who says to me "you are over qualified." By the way, Shell laid off another 1,000 employees today. I think I may need to get some flippers so I can stay afloat of the flooded market.

-- Edited by khardamon61 on Thursday 4th of February 2010 08:47:09 PM

I own a landscape maintenance business that serviced a Wal-Mart in a rural part of Oregon. The homeless people in really old RV's are always the worst about litter, dog crap, sewage on the ground, and you name it. Visitors coming and going constantly??, the back of the RV hanging over the lawn so it cannot be mowed for weeks and sometimes months on end. A regular RV person could probably stop at that place without a problem. The cops are wise to who is staying there and what they are up to. Wal-Mart employees don't get paid beans and don't really care whats going on outside as long as their car isn't broken into. I personally would feel safer parked out in the woods somewhere than in the Wal-Mart lot.