SQUATTERS ARE DANGEROUS!

Squatting has reached unprecedented levels, evolving beyond the typical homeless individual. Today, more squatters are organized gangs & criminal networks. Here’s why:

• COVID-19 eviction moratoriums (2020-2022) prevented landlords from removing tenants, allowing squatters to exploit the system.
• Many landlords went bankrupt due to non-paying tenants, leading to a rise in foreclosures and abandoned properties.
• Corporate investors & banks bought up foreclosures but left many properties vacant for years, creating a perfect opportunity for gangs.

• Prop 47 & Prop 57 (passed in recent years) reduced penalties for crimes like breaking & entering, burglary, making squatting lower risk for criminals.
• DA policies in cities like San Francisco & Oakland have deprioritized squatting cases, and police are less likely to arrest squatters due to soft-on-crime policies.
• Tenant protections expanded—squatters exploit tenant rights to delay eviction and live rent-free for months (or even years).

• Fentanyl crisis: Mexican cartels have ramped up fentanyl distribution in California, and squatter houses make perfect stash houses for drugs.
• Human trafficking has increased due to relaxed border policies—vacant homes are now used for smuggled migrants & sex trafficking victims.
• Gang expansion: More out-of-state gangs (MS-13, Norteños, Sureños) are using squatter homes as recruitment hubs and hideouts.

• Gangs realized landlords will pay them to leave—instead of just doing drug deals, criminals now profit directly from squatting.
• Social media & word-of-mouth helped spread this scam among criminal circles, turning it into an organized operation rather than random cases.
• Some gangs coordinate squatting rings—moving members from house to house, demanding thousands in cash only to repeat the scam elsewhere.

• Defunding police efforts (2020-2022) led to fewer officers and longer response times, making it easier for gangs to take over homes without getting caught.
• Even if police do show up, criminals can flash a fake lease and claim tenant rights, forcing landlords to go through a long eviction process.
• Sheriff backlogs—evictions take 6-12 months or longer due to court delays, letting squatters stay indefinitely.

• Squatters are networking online, sharing tactics, legal loopholes, and addresses of vacant homes through private Telegram & Facebook groups, even TikTok.
• Some groups operate like cartels, moving squatters between cities, coordinating fake leases, and using legal aid groups to stall evictions.
• The Bay Area’s "Squatter Ring" operates with organized leadership, turning squatting into a full-time criminal enterprise.

• The cost of rent has skyrocketed—gangs use desperate homeless people as pawns to occupy houses while running criminal operations behind the scenes.
• Homelessness exploded in Northern California, and squatting became a survival tactic for many, increasing overall numbers.
• Some nonprofits & activist groups actually support squatters, making it harder for law enforcement to act.

Squatting in Northern California is generally worse compared to Southern California for several reasons:

• The Bay Area, particularly cities like San Francisco and Oakland, has a high number of vacant investment properties. Many owners leave them empty due to market fluctuations, travel, or short-term rental restrictions, making them prime targets for squatters.

• Northern California has well-documented squatter gangs, such as the “Squatter Ring” in the Bay Area, which operate in a structured manner.
• These networks exploit weak tenant laws to delay evictions, all while profiting from cash-for keys, false leasing agreements & property theft.

• Some cities in NorCal have a more lenient stance on squatting, treating it as a housing crisis issue rather than a property crime.
• Police in Oakland, San Francisco, and Berkeley are often reluctant to remove squatters, citing tenant protections.

• Cost of living in NorCal, particularly in the Bay Area, is among the highest in the U.S., leading to more displacement & homelessness—which fuels squatting.
• Many squatters pose as tenants to take over homes, sometimes even paying rent to fake landlords running rental scams.

• Southern California, especially Los Angeles, has more large apartment complexes with security and management, making squatting more difficult.
• In contrast, NorCal has more single-family homes, which are easier to break into, forge documents for, and claim as a residence.

• Advocating for squatter "rights" are stronger in Northern California, activist movements push for tenant-friendly policies that indirectly protect squatters.
• This makes property owners in places like San Francisco more vulnerable to long, drawn-out legal battles if they try to remove squatters.

Gangs adapt to the easiest, most profitable crimes. Five years ago, they focused more on drug sales & theft. But squatting evolved into a criminal enterprise because:
✔️ Less risk of jail time due to reduced penalties
✔️ Higher profits from extorting landlords, trafficking drugs, and renting to fake tenants
✔️ Minimal police intervention due to tenant-friendly laws and court backlogs

While squatting is a statewide issue, Northern California is hit the hardest due to its high vacancy rates, well-organized squatter networks, lenient laws, and strong political activism. This toxic combination makes it significantly harder for property owners to remove squatters, allowing organized crime to thrive under legal loopholes.