Luz Galicia: "We didn't have any option, but to fight"
I used to bewealthy.Ihada big house. ButI got divorcedandbecame a single mom.
Mydaughters are verysmart,and they finished high schoolearly.I was excitedbecause Isaved$300for college books.But Ididn’trealizehowexpensive bookswere.Two cost $681,and I didn't havethemoney.
I will never forget my daughter crying,“But Mommy,you never say‘no.’”
Ijustcouldn't supportabighouseasa single mom, soI movedtoalittleapartment. There were so manycharges–parking,trash, sewer–that I decidedthe apartment wasn’t going toworkeither. A womanwanted toget rid ofhermobile home (inDenver MeadowsMobile andRV Park in Aurora, Colorado) andsoldit to me (in 2013)for $10,000 in payments of $500 a month. The landrentwas $600;$1,100 for both,including the water and the sewer.
Iwaslike,“Ican doit;I can payforcollege.”
But I didn't know that thehouse was inreally badcondition.There was aninfestation of roachesand nothing worked. IfIusedthe blender, I hadto disconnect the refrigerator.Same if I blow driedmy hair.
SlowlyIfixedeverything. I felt peaceful knowingI couldcovercollege for my two girls.
Ayear and a half after Imovedintothe mobile home,I found out ourlandlord was submitting a request for rezoning to commercial.Atthattime, the residentsdidn't know what that meant, so we beganeducatingourselves.
I remember very clearlywhen we realized we were going to lose our homes.
I became increasinglyinvolved because most residentswereHispanic–some undocumented–and most didn't speak English. I was able to communicate with them.We hadmany issues with the landlordtaking advantage ofpeople in thecommunity, sowe notified (anonprofit that helpedorganize residents to fight the eviction).9to5 let us knowwhat we needed to do. Wewrote more than 60 lettersto city councilors, and in that first hearing for rezoning,more than 200 people showed up.At the hearing,the city councilorsasked thelandlord to bring a relocation plan for us. After many attempts the landlordsaid,“The only thing youcan get from meis arecommendationto move yourhomes."
That’s whenI became thecommunityleader.Afterwe formed the HOA,wehadmore people power.I was nominatedpresident.Overtime,we were making so much noise that we hadthe media behind us:Telemundo,DenverPost, Univision, Fox31,Denver7 News.
It wasn'tdifficult to get othersinvolvedfor onereason: Everybody–130 families–werelosingtheirhomes.We didn't have any other option but to fight.
There washistory in thatpark. Peoplewhohad livedtherefor25years. Some residentsgot married while living there, and now they’regrandparents.A lot of single moms, elder people, adultsandkids with disabilities.Peoplewithmedical needs andlow-incomefamilies.
But itwasdifficult to coordinatemeetings because most people hadtwo jobs,maybe more.So,we hadto use our creativity.We formed acommittee toknock on doors and inform the residentswhat happened duringthe meetings.
We madean offer to the landlord (*)for $20.5million, but hesaid, “No.” (The landlord's asking price was $35 million.) Then there weren’tanylawsto protect mobilehomeowners. We knew that time was our worst enemy and that sooner or later we'dhave to leave.Someresidents had already left.
Then the landlordexpressed tous that inhis“generosity,”he wouldleave theparkopen another two years.We found outlater thathe owneda lot ofthehomes.He left the park openbecause he wanted to collect the money.Mostresidentsmadetheirlast paymentsinMay.InJunethey closed thepark, so those familiesonlyhadone monthof home ownership.At thattime Coloradodidn't have any lawsto bringtransparency to the process.
A lot of theresidents left their homes behind.Their houses were very old, and they couldn’t move them. My home could be moved, and I sold itfor $9,000–$1,000 lessfromwhen I purchased it, andI used the money for a downpayment foran apartment.I didn't have other options becauseit wouldcost around$23,000 to move my house. Like me, most peoplewerethinking, "better to get a couple thousandthan to get nothing" because theydidn't have $25,000 to move their homes.
I live in a house now. But I continue to work in mobile home communities becauseofwhat happened to me and myneighbors. I am still in contact with some ofthem, andthey still struggle to findaffordable housing. Mobilehomes areone of the biggestoptionsfor affordable houses and, as we know, mobilehomes are notportable.
My role nowis to help underrepresented voices beheard andto inform, educate and empower parkresidents through trainings with the organization 9to5. I also offer45-minute workshopsevery week with community leaders, and we discussthe subjects they want to address, for example, snow removal or parkinfrastructure.
During the pandemicpeople have helped each other.I want to build on thatmomentum–so thatdiverse cultures continue to work together.
*Denver Meadows residents tried to buy the park property themselves and become a resident-owned community (ROC). Thistle is a private, nonprofit organization that develops and manages affordable housing options in ǸԹ County.