Squatters are blighting entire neighborhoods in Atlanta, and the police response to evictions is so slow that some homeowners have resorted to paying inconvenience to leave.
The brazen squatters even opened an illegal strip club on property they had taken over – one of 1,200 homes that have been occupied in the city, according to trade group National Rental Housing Council (NRHC).
“In Atlanta I would be very afraid to rent one of my properties,” Matt Urbanski, who runs a local home cleaning company, told Bloomberg.
Urbanski’s company cleans out the homes of corporate owners and, in some cases, has to remove squatters’ possessions.
Recently, one of his employees was shot after trying to remove trespassers from a property.
Simon Frost, CEO of large landlord Tiber Capital Group, said there have been incidents of squatters brandishing weapons and threatening neighbors, affecting the safety of neighborhoods and other residents, according to Bloomberg.
Evicting squatters in Atlanta is difficult, involving negotiating court delays and limited police resources.
Meanwhile, online listings and virtual real estate agents make it easier for squatters to identify vacant properties to enter.
Tarahsjay Forde (right) and DeAnthony Maddox (left), who were arrested for squatting. Jeremy Wheat (left) and Kelvin Hall (right) of the Fulton County Jail were also arrested after neighbors reported they had opened an illegal strip club on the property they were squatting. Fulton County Jail
In October, an Atlanta neighborhood found itself at the center of a scandal involving squatters who transformed a home into an illegal strip club, with weekend parties and even live horses on the property.
The drama unfolded in the South Fulton area, where four people (DeAnthony Maddox, Jeremy Wheat, Kelvin Hall and Tarahsjay Forde) settled without permission. What neighbors didn’t know was that the 4,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, three-bathroom home would become a den of illicit activity.
The squatters ran the underground strip club, held loud parties and even organized car races in the street, ruining the neighborhood for others, according to local reports.
The property at 4951 Wewatta St. in South Fulton, Atlanta, where four squatters were said to be running an illegal strip club. Google Maps People in a metro Atlanta community said their nightmare was over after a SWAT team moved in and arrested four people they said were nuisance squatters. WSB-TV
“They would get live horses. One day they had live horses,” a neighbor told Atlanta station WSB-TV TV2.
Ultimately, a SWAT team had to clear the house and recovered two stolen cars, a stolen gun and stolen credit cards from the property, according to the local report.
One neighbor told The Post that they are afraid to even go on vacation because if the squatters find out their house was empty, they will just move in.
“Is this even America anymore? We are homeowners and we can’t even do anything against intruders? the neighbor said with frustration.
Daure says the man inside his home is Vincent Simon, a Georgia resident who has been convicted on weapons, drug and robbery charges. DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Col. Dahlia Daure said a man with a long criminal history was occupying her $500,000 Atlanta-area home while she was on active duty. Dalia Daure/Facebook
In another incident, US Army Lieutenant Colonel Dahlia Daure discovered a convicted felon occupying her home.
Daure returned to her property to find a squatter living in her sprawling $500,000 residence while she was on active duty.
He previously told WSB-TV that he came home to find a man named Vincent Simon living in his home.
Lieutenant Colonel Dahlia A. Daure Linkedin/LTC Dahlia A. Daure
Simon, who has been convicted of weapons, drug and robbery charges, refused to leave the house.
When Daure reported to the police that there was an unwanted man in her home, they initially told her that their hands were tied because it was a “civil matter.” Serving him with eviction papers didn’t help either.
After an obscure law was used to finally get the police involved, cops found guns and drugs in the house.
“Finding out that this person moved into my house right after I finished renovating it was very irritating and I got angry,” Daure told Fox.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn