North Hollywood RV encampment cleared out while its residents claim they weren't given option

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The city of Los Angeles cleared out an RV encampment in North Hollywood, but the people who were living there said they have nowhere to go.

"They said they needed to do street cleaning and we're trying to get our RVs out of here," said Renee Higley, who called Eyewitness News Friday morning to inform us that the city sanitation department started clearing out the encampment.

The encampment was located in an industrial area off of Raymer and Sherman Way.

Higley said once people left to arrange for towing, they weren't allowed back in.

"I came back to get my RV, to get my RV out of here and they won't let me back in. Even though we have the ability to tow it and everything, they just want to tow them away. They just want to take them. They just want to take our homes," she said.

Carey Klippsten, who owns a nearby business, said he's been emailing the city for months to get the encampment removed..

"It began to get really out of control. The drugs, the trash that was piled up feet high," he said.

A group from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) was seen clearing out the encampment. Eyewitness News reached out to the city and LAHSA to find out what's going to happen to the RVs but did not immediately hear back.

Oscar, who was one of the residents of the encampment, said: "If they're trying to help the homeless, I would think that they would take our RVs away... and give us an apartment at the same time right? Instead, they say we're going to take your house away and you'll still be homeless. They're not helping at all."

So what happens to the folks who lived in the encampment? They said they weren't given an option on where to go.