Damaris Gonzalez, a community organizer with Texas Organizing Project, told the Pasadena City Council on Sept. 5 that tenants at Parkview Mobile Home Park have faced what she described as neglect and mismanagement by the property owner, including unjust eviction notices, property damage and restrictions on visitors.

Gonzalez said the problems culminated when a trailer caught fire two weeks earlier and firefighters could not immediately access water because a nearby hydrant had no water. "It took more than 30 minutes for firefighters to find a working water hydrant to extinguish the fire," Gonzalez said. She said the damaged trailer is now uninhabitable and that an elderly couple was left without a home.

The organizer said tenants have reported cars being towed despite paying parking fees, restrictions on visitors, and a requirement that management be notified before police or emergency personnel may enter the property. "The mistreatment is unacceptable," Gonzalez said. She added that the mobile-home community is predominantly Latino and that residents feel the treatment has been discriminatory.

Gonzalez asked the mayor and council to work with residents to find permanent solutions to prevent evictions and protect tenants at Parkview and other mobile-home parks. "It is our hope that we are able to connect with all of you soon to find a reasonable, humane path forward for residents," she said.

The comments were given during the public-comment portion of the Sept. 5 City Council meeting. The transcript does not record any formal council action taken at that meeting in response to the speaker's request.