Residents at Bell Mobile Home Park have declared the founding of a new community group to advocate for justice in the City of Bell. "El Nuevo Amanecer de Bell" or "The New Dawn of Bell City" is founded by Merli Albizures and Betsy G. Alcivar, as well as by over 200 others who signed their name to a letter delivered to the City on December 21st, 2020.
The letter speaks out against the City government, which is considering the sale of two mobile home parks wherein reside hundreds of families. Albizurez and Alcivar provided us a copy of the letter, which appears below. They can be reached at bellnewdawn@yahoo.com
The New Dawn of Bell City
El Nuevo Amanecer de la Ciudad de Bell
Bell Mobile Home Park | Florence Village Mobile Home Park
Through the years, the City of Bell has been dominated by a political system that has ruled over a housing crisis in this city, increasing due to income inequality, inexcusable corruption, diminishing social services and respect. basic towards its residents and workers. To we who live, pay taxes and now even work from home due to COVID, this indifference has become a violent threat to our lives.
Our community is made up of families with children, veterans, and fixed-income retired seniors who looked forward to living their old age in the homes they worked hard to own and maintain for generations. Now, in the midst of a global pandemic during a Christmas season like no other, it is not fair for families to lose sleep or to worry today about what tomorrow will bring and whether their children and grandchildren will have a bed to sleep in. The corruption in our city of Bell now has its eyes set on our homes and seeks to profit from the destruction of our lives. We will not allow our families and lives to be erased, we will work and defend our rights and homes!
Why do we have to pay the consequences for your negligence of never paying attention to mobile home parks in the City of Bell? They got us more into debt and where have they been all this time?
It's time for something new. Workers and residents need to unite and defend themselves and their homes against those who seek to use their power to benefit those most at risk during these difficult times. It is time for a New Dawn for the City of Bell. To those who see how unfair and harsh life is today and can't wait any longer, we ask that you join us in restoring our city and defending our lives and homes!
We will not accept the psychological terror of our houses being auctioned.
We will not accept the displacement of 800 families.
We will not accept the displacement of 51 people with COVID-19.
We will not accept the displacement of 123 people with disabilities.
We will not accept the displacement of 54 children with special needs.
We will not accept the displacement of 330 seniors.
We will not accept the injustices raised by the Mayor and the City Council.
We are the People of Bell and we declare a New Dawn for our city.
More than 200 signatures of the Bell Community are attached.
The New Dawn of the City of Bell