Benito Flores, who seized a state-owned home in El Sereno to protest the homeless in Los Angeles more than five years ago, has passed away.
Flores, a 70-year-old retired welder, was fighting to stay home. Last month, he and a group of supporters prevented lawmakers from ousting him from a small double in El Sereno’s narrow street.
As part of the eviction defense, Flores built an elaborate wooden house, 28 feet tall, on ash tree in the backyard of the house, and he was scheduled to retreat if police tried to drive him out.
Six weeks after the failed eviction attempt, Flores continued to strengthen his fortune, including building additional defenses on the second tree in his backyard. Supporters believe Flores fell from the tree and died.
On Friday afternoon, neighbors discovered he had broken safety harness and was not responding on the ground near the tree, said Roberto Flores, who ran El Sereno’s private community centre and helped with the ongoing protests.
“He is a martial artist for human rights and for decent housing rights for everyone,” said Roberto Flores, who has no connection to Benito.
Benito Flores was the final holdout of the protest that gained national interest when it began in March 2020.
Flores and dozens of others occupied an empty house owned by the California Department of Transportation. It acquired it for an expansion of the highway that never happened half a century ago.
Activists who call themselves “reclaiming our homes” claimed that true crimes were not invading empty homes, but that tens of thousands of people lived on the streets of Los Angeles while publicly owned homes were vacant.
Bringing up by a wave of public support, dozens of “rikamers” were allowed to legally stay in Caltrans-owned homes for two years through a temporary lease agreement managed by the city of Los Angeles housing authorities. When it expired in late 2022, Flores and many recoverers sought to remain in the property, saying the alternatives offered by housing authorities were insufficient to accommodate them permanently.
However, as the threat of eviction increased, some of the protesters began to accept settlements to leave, others were kicked out. Flores continued his fight.
He said he wanted to issue a statement on the eve of his eviction in June that political leaders cannot provide housing to everyone who needs it. Flores suffered from diabetes and said that if he had been removed he would have no other option but to sleep in his van – he lived in the house for 14 years.
“Who is supposed to give permanent housing to elders, disabled people and families with children?” Flores told The Times last month. “It’s the city and the nation. And they’re driving me out.”
On Friday night, about 50 mourners gathered at Flores’ home to hold an overnight and ceremony honouring his life and activities. His body was covered in a white sheet and remained in the backyard, and after his supporters had given him respect, he placed the flowers.
The cause of death formula is under investigation. Officials from LA County Medical Examiner arrived on the property Friday evening to remove the body and begin the examination.
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