These people are probably one of the greatest threats to15 minute cities. Interesting to think that so many whom some think of as problematic are potentially those who might indicate the ways to independence: Simplistic? Probably.
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Iām reminded of how American native tribes used to live before the Europeans arrived who then forced them onto reservationsā¦
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Harassing decent ānomadā van lifers is easy to do by LE. They comply and donāt fight back.
I read a piece some time back that explained why the streets are lined with derelect RVs in CA (people living in them). LE initially ordered them towed, but environmental rules quickly placed normal wrecking yards in the position of having to deal with the hazardous waste (septic) they have no facility to dump. So they stopped accepting towed RVs and police just let the street population grow.
Nomad van people do not set up permanent camp on public streets. Back in the eighties, it was a cool thing to do to have an RV and roam up and down the CA coast camping (legally, full hookups etc) in state owned campground spots near the beach. Stay the max number of days and move to the next one. Thatās so competitive now itās no longer feasible.
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Living without a geographical address requires a certain mindset. Nomads such as as Gypsies are historically treated in a bad light. I suppose that, xenophobia and the risk to property values makes the lifestyle of an outlier difficult.
Iām of the generation where having a van, especially a customized one, was all the rage and cool. When someone is forced into living in a van, the dynamics change.
I managed an RV park for 10 years. Full time RVers, those who sold their residence in exchange for living in their RV for a more adventurous lifestyle were quite proud of the fact. Their mindset was way different than the occasional RV camper.
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The first and last time I met Romaniās was on a camping vacation in Sweden of all places. They did seasonal work repairing the roads at the artic circle in the summer. This was 60 years ago when I was 10 years old. At every camping large amounts of them where also there, paying customers like we were.
At that age with no propagandistic bagage, I just mingled with them. I experienced them as a warm peoples very nice to children too and no, nothing got stolen.
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Cool. Thanks for sharing. Evidence of the goodness in us all, especially children before they are indoctrinated.
Ironically the person who originally developed the RV park I managed was named Roma. She and her husband moved from Canada to south Texas. Donāt know which country they originated.
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Things are certainly changing. Walmart, for example, used to love hosting overnight RVāersā¦now they typically run them off. In several locations in my area, they will not allow you park on the edge of the parking lot even in the daytime to find homes for free puppies, etc
Youtube is filled now with videos evidencing the criminalization of van life. Homeless populations being shifted around and disappearing in some numbersā¦ Nothing new but seems to be gaining steam. Hereās one from three days ago in Austin, Texas talking about a similar situation:
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There needs to be an alternative for these people that does not make them feel like inmates. This is interesting in that Austin is one of the few cities that has been building homeless communities with tiny homes for people in the streets. Obviously, not for everyone.
I know that in Spokane, Washington the number of drug addicted homeless people has risen dramatically because people are literally bussed out of Seattle and Portland and dropped off in Spokane. This would make them ādisappearā from those cities so I am wondering (knowing Austin because I used to live there) if that isnāt what is happening in Austinā¦
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in the showTHE FINDER one of the main characters is a Gypsy. I think there is much in the show that speaks of the ways of the Romani in the States. The family dynamics and values. A group of people outside of what most would consider the ānorrmalā way of life
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Another video from the same authorā¦
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There is a beach near me I visit. Across the highway is a campground. Curious about who the campers are, I drove through. I was surprised at the number of single women who appeared to have chosen camping as a lifestyle. Most had a dog. There was something in me that understood the choice.
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Historically women were the ones who set the camps during the nomad days, or so I read.
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