SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Neighbors in North Park are nearly reaching their breaking point over a home that's been taken over by squatters.
ABC 10News first told you about the situation in July, and neighbors are still feeling frustrated.
This week, we follow through with the latest complaints.
10News senior investigator Jim Avila returned to the area and found trash piled high, attracting rats and flies.
Neighbors told Avila new squatters are getting more aggressive.
"This is everyday from midnight on," says Christi Nail.
Nail lives next door, and she has installed cameras to watch what's going on at the house. She and other neighbors have claimed in a lawsuit against the owner that rampant criminal activity, including drug dealing and prostitution, happens there on a regular basis now.
"Cars will pull up without a front license plate, and then they'll stop and someone will come and bring something to the window, and then the car speeds down the alley," says Nail.
A more immediate problem is the smell of rotting garbage in the backyard, fouling the quiet, family neighborhood. Avila could see piles of it and smell it from the public sidewalk.
"The backyard is piled high: Almost 6 feet to the top of the fence with trash... All kinds of trash — smelly trash, just rubbish, everything," Nail says.
The City of San Diego's Code Enforcement Division posted a 10-day notice nearly three weeks ago at the home, but it has not taken any enforcement action since then.
The owner has not signed paperwork that would allow police into the building to check for evidence of crimes.
The police have been called to disrupt fights and did make one arrest of a squatter wanted on a warrant, but still, the house is filled with people who are not supposed to live there.
Some neighbors, like this man who identified himself as Alfredo, say they are disgusted with the criminals inside ruining what he describes as a good thing.
"Does it bother you that you're squatting on somebody else's property?" Avila asked Alfredo.
"It does bother me," he replied.
Alfredo says he has nowhere else to go, carrying his possessions on his back.
"I got this shirt. I got this jacket for the cold. I got a backpack," he said.
"When you come here, you sleep on the floor?" Avila asked.
"Yeah, I sleep on the floor," Alfredo replied.
The owner talked to Avila on the phone briefly, but didn't answer any questions.
Nail has nearly reached the end of the line.
"I've been in my house for 24 years, and I don't know that we're going to make it to 25," she said.
The owner once again promised to clear the people out and clean things up. ABC 10News will continue to follow through on this story.
