Extreme Trespassing

Hi everyone, I would like to inform you of several horrible cases of trespassing that have occurred in the mobile home park I live in.

We have a nice lot on a corner with essentially no next door neighbors. Across the street is a small, banked wall with a grass area as well as the back of the rec room. There is parking allowed on one side of the street, but this wall area is usually not occupied with cars at night. It is at least 2-3 times a week now, where I will here car sounds anywhere from 7 PM to 3 AM. I will look outside and I will see a vehicle that I do not recognize, and there will be 1-4 people in the vehicle, loitering, despite trespassing signs that are in the front of the park. This loitering includes eating, smoking, vaping, drinking, making out, sleeping, throwing up on the street, dumping trash, loudly watching TV on phones, and attempting to steal my WIFI on a laptop. I have witnessed every single one of these instances, with most happening at least a few times. Perhaps the worst situation is on a hot weekend in the Summer, where unrecognized vehicles will park along the wall, then a person, (sometimes with their kids), will immediately go to the pool/jacuzzi, use it for any hour or two, then go back the vehicle and immediately leave the park. This makes it clear that they are not friends or family of any resident in the park. This is a service that we and every other park resident PAY TO USE. I wish I were making these instances up, but they are all true.

These people are not visitors, nor do they live in the park. I assume that people will use the wall area as a place where they think they won’t be bothered or no one will notice because they feel more “secure” in comparison to the street outside the park, or the nearest parking lot. I will sometimes see them leaving and watch them immediately exit the park. I’ll then go outside sometimes and notice liquids and trash on the street or in the grass. It is incredibly annoying and nerve wracking and it is hard to ignore their activities. Our yard is directly across the street with a 3 foot fence that anyone could hop if they wanted to so I feel that it is my duty to make sure they do not leave their car to go do something else around the park.

Our manager is about 70 years old and is not always home when these instances occur. When she is living in the park, she isn’t willing to come out and tell the trespassers to leave. I have called a non-emergency number 3 different times, but the police show up about 20 minutes after the call and by then the trespassers have left. Though I have been tempted many other times to make a call. After 3-4 years of witnessing this, I feel that the final solution would be to install a keypad protected gate in the front of the park.

This upgrade hasn’t been suggested to the manager or owner, but we do know that they are almost always behind on upgrades and they will break their own rules. For instance, we have a palm tree in the front yard. It is not our responsibility to keep it trimmed and we had to ask for years to get it trimmed so that berries would quit dropping on our driveway and vehicles. Finally it did get trimmed mid this year. Another instance of rule breaking happened when our rent went up without any prior notice.

I have taken pictures of license plates and videos of trespasser’s trash and vomit, but I have yet to anything with them. I also haven’t confronted anyone in the act, as I have no idea what their response or actions will be. If anyone has suggestions on what to do it would be most appreciated. Thanks.

It sounds like this parking area is largely unused.

I would ask the Park Manager to have a few parking stops (old ones can be found free on Craigslist) be put out there to section it off so that people cannot park there, and make some signs that designate it as an area for dogs to use the bathroom - hopefully trespassers step in it. If management can put motion activated lights out there even better, also not very expensive for solar powered flood lights. These are cheap solutions that if anyone else in the Park agrees with you can help to setup. Do this with the manager’s approval - it seems reasonable based on what you’re saying.

Good luck.

CuervoGold,

Oh dear, this sounds like an uncomfortable living situation. I hope you’ve been able to work through these issues with the management at your park. If not, we have a few things you may want to think about and talk over with your management.

Studies show that good quality lighting improves public safety by reducing crime. Unfortunately traditional electrical or gas pedestrian lighting costs a lot to install and maintain, so a lot of mobile home park owners don’t think it is an option for them. The good news is that solar lights are affordable and easy to install and are practically maintenance free. Solar alternatives to outdoor lighting offer a significant value proposition, both in improving park aesthetics and safety, for mobile home parks like yours.

For added safety and security in your park, you could talk to your management about installing some Gama Sonic solar security lighting. Our Security Light with Motion Sensors currently range in price from $130-$200 and have motion activation all night. The GS-201 emits 1440 lumens of light and the GS-101 emits 720 lumens of light.

We also have some beautiful pedestrian light options. For example, our brand-new commercial grade Centennial Post Light (model number GS-100) is 900 lumens (roughly 150W). It covers a 40’ diameter spread of light on a 10’ pole. It has a sleek, modern look, but we also offer more traditional style lamps.

Please reach out Matt Cohen (Director, Commercial Sales for Gama Sonic Solar Lighting, matt@gamasonic.com) if you’d like more information. He’d be happy to help you put together some talking points to approach your management.

Why not do what we do in the gang areas of Chicago…community policing. Get your neighbors together with your lawn chairs and sit out there when you know they will be out there (there probably is a regular pattern). Your presence will stop this reckless behavior pretty quickly. Stay vigilant!

You also can get some motion detecting cameras, or at the least just visible signs stating you have posted them. Also, lighting really helps too. High illumination of an area always dampens illegal activity.