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Neighbors have been gawking at a hard-to-miss Spanish-style stucco home in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. Locals have dubbed the property a “trash house” after mountains of garbage bags piled across the front yard.
The home, located on the 600 block of Martel Avenue, is occupied by Vietnam veteran Raymond Gaon, according to KTLA.
Many in the neighborhood have spoken out against the overflowing trash bags strewn across the multimillion-dollar home, with several expressing concern for the homeowner himself.
“It’s pretty gross and it smells pretty bad,” neighbor Jay Carey told KABC. “It just keeps happening and, you know, they cleaned it out what, like a year ago?”
The local TV station reported that the property was covered in hundreds of bags containing bottles, cans, clothing, and other trash.
Public complaints previously pushed the city’s mayor to visit the home last year. Following the visit, city workers removed seven tons of waste.
“It is really disappointing that the owners of this private property have again allowed the conditions of the site to disintegrate. The city expended significant public resources last year to address this health and safety hazard, including removing tons of nonhazardous waste, and there is an open and ongoing criminal case against the property owner,” officials said.
The station reports that records indicate the veteran has lived in the two-bedroom home for several decades. Considering his background, some Fairfax neighbors are calling for sympathy and support for the elderly homeowner.
“If he was homeless, nobody would be pointing a camera in his face and trying to record him or his living situation,” Paul Wilson, a neighbor who lives across the street, told the Los Angeles Times.
Gaon, described by local media as a private man with a college degree in biology, allows vegetation in his front yard to grow wild so he can observe butterflies and other insects.
Neighbors say the media attention he has received due to the state of his yard has only pushed him further into solitude.
While some are willing to look past the trash, others argue that Gaon’s yard could pose a health and fire hazard.
“I noticed it when I first moved in, the trash piling up, but a couple of weeks ago when I walked by the street, I was pretty shocked,” Christopher Watson said. “I can understand how [city officials] think it might be a fire hazard or pose a risk to the place.”
A spokesperson for Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said in a statement that she is “outraged” the conditions are once again impacting the neighborhood, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
“Our office has pushed [the Department of Building and Safety], the City Attorney, and the county for more than a year, flagged every complaint from neighbors, and demanded updates on every court hearing. This case shows how slow and fragmented the system is. It is designed to request compliance, not demand accountability. That is why Councilmember Yaroslavsky is leading on a motion demanding the overdue nuisance abatement report so the city can strengthen and streamline enforcement and hold property owners accountable,” the spokesperson added.
Still, at least one neighbor has attempted to help by clearing away some of the debris, removing bags from time to time.
“The way neighbors can help is to understand … people who have to do things their own way,” Tonya Lee Jaynes said. “He’s been living decades his own way and getting his own way. We need to understand that.”
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