How we get a bad reputation!

[grantgoold]

This behavior may effect everyone who has a "bus" or claims to have a bus. Perhaps we say something like coach or mobile mansion, or ......... in place of bus.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=12535853

Just putting it out there for discussion as this seems to be a growing issue around the country. The word bus seems to be raising red flags more and more.

Why?

[Dave5Cs]

Grant;

Maybe they should park in the city councils parking lot with as many Busnuts and their Coaches as can afford to drive up thee and lend a hand. This is actually happening all over the country right now because so many are losing their homes etc. They are getting buses and RV's to move into. City councils are puttingup no overnight parking signs.
On the other hand Santa Barbara county is welcoming over nighters and longer. Interesting

Dave

[white-eagle]

i'm not sure what your point is about bad reputation?  the bus is not necessarily attractive, but if the person is doing the best he can, and he's not making a mess by the river, then i'm with him.  on the other hand, if he's leaving garbage for others, trashing the area, then he needs to clean up.  Living cheap does not mean avoiding personal responsibility.  if he is living by the river, not making a mess, but not hurting anything or anyone, the council should help, no hurt.
i'm not getting a bad reputation from a person living on his own, not bothering anyone, not creating a mess, just because he doesn't have a newell.

[rampeyboy]

hmmm, I bet someone on council knows someone who wants the land by the river to turn into a gated neighborhood for the rich.

[Jeremy]

There is an ongoing problem here with groups of travelers (gypsies, Romany etc) setting up camp either on common land or private land around towns and villages. I realise that this is a different situation to individuals camping for long periods in buses, as reported in this story - legally though the situation is the same, which is that it is extremely difficult to get rid of people who are deliberately flouting civil laws, but are not necessarily doing anything criminal. It can take many months, if not years, to go through the necessary legal processes to get trespassers of this type to move, during which the land-owner or local inhabitants often have their lives ruined by their unwelcome guests. It's especially annoying when it you realise how wealthy the travelers often are - they pay no tax but often earn good livings from running all sorts of cash-in-hand businesses (tarmac-ing is a favorite), and you can guarantee that whenever you see a travelers site there will be plenty of luxury cars and expensive 4x4s in evidence

As I say, I'm not suggesting that this is anything like the situation being reported in this article - it's just that you need to be very careful about turning a blind-eye to people camping for long periods on common land without permission - it's a situation that can quickly escalate and become almost impossible to stop.

Jeremy

[happycamperbrat]

Oh gee!! I hate heavy handed government! Anyway, the City has a problem with them because it is "against zoning" to live there because it is a "flood plain"......... oh my. Think about it, flood areas are bad because a house is stationary and the house gets damaged and swept away which costs $$ and lives and tax dollars. Okay, I agree a stationary house there is a bad idea. But in a bus the person can move if heavy rains are expected. Maybe when foul weather is expected they should send police to the area to warn the campers and then everyone is happy

[paulcjhastings]

Some of the mountain bikes pictured were probably worth more than the vehicles in question

[pabusnut]

The township where I formerly lived had a zoning ordinance against people "camping" for more than 14 days on the land of a friend or relative.

My plan was to invite people to stay that I didn't know!  Completely legal!

These people who want to "protect their property value" also want the cheap labor these workers provide, and the tourism that their labor supports.  You can't have both.  If you want cheap labor, you need to make provisions for these people to live somewhere.

Steve Toomey
pabusnut

[Len Silva]

I pretty much support the idea of people doing what they want and living as they please as long as no one else is harmed.  My concern in this case would be sanitation.  Those buses don't look like they a driving to a dump station every few days, and "stuff" making it's way into the river could be a real problem.

[Mex-Busnut]

Besides the obvious "flood plain zoning" problem, maybe some of these people having their camping area so littered with all kinds of junk is also a real problem.

About the flood plain, I am sick and tired of people that put up houses of any kind where they are told not to, and then when the inevitable disaster strikes, OUR tax dollars are supposed to provide them a new "home".  

And I really liked the propane gas line plumbing the guy in the white International skoolie did to his water heater! Maybe a few busnuts here could follow suit...

[luvrbus]

If any of you guys have been in that area like we were this summer you would see why the city wants it gone 5 years ago that was a nice family parking area we always stayed there,we saw one guy dumping his toilet in the river (a 5 gal can) nasty people there now people.
Lots of people  can not afford money for campgrounds like the ones in Quartzsite but they are clean you never see that in Quartzsite from the people living there 6 months a year.
Moab is a nice area it shouldn't have that JMO.
I guess taking pride is not high on the list for those people living in that spot you can be poor with no money and still be neat and clean there is no law against that


good luck

[Lin]

Usually, news stories like this show refuse, sewage and other conditions to justify the eviction.  Since they didn't show that stuff, it would seem that these people are doing a good job of maintaining a standard.  But, on the other hand, if you can't persecute the homeless who can you persecute.  I, personally, have trouble with anyone that says they're a member of a "grand council".  Is the head of the council called a wizard too?  I guess there is something to the town moto--"Moab Bites."

[luvrbus]

Lin, the Forest Service has a place not far from there with water and a dump station those people can have for 140 bucks a year but it has rules and those people don't like rules.
I have tried to help the homeless for years and it always comes back and bites me in the but.
I offered a couple with a young child a motor home that the wife got on one of trade lol every thing works on it just needs tires and the guy checked it over and had the balls tell me if I put a set of tires on it he would take it how in the hell are you going to help those kind of people ?  enjoy Bryce see you soon

[kyle4501]

I don't have a problem with full timers living 'off the grid'.
I do have a problem with free loaders. Organized society works best for everyone when everyone contributes. When you have a segment that looks for & exploits the system that was set up for the truly needy, that places an unjust burden on those who do contribute.
Property taxes are what funds county services such as EMS, fire & police protection. If they are squatting, they aren't paying their share.

I'm not a fan of multiple families renting a single house - Why? History proves it is the rare exception that they don't trash the place & leave a huge mess behind for someone else to clean up.

Who is going to bear the cost of cleaning up after them when they leave?

About the flood potential,
Sure they can drive away - but will they listen to the advance warning OR will they claim it to be a conspiracy to get them to leave? If they heed the advance warning, can they get all their stuff (including their trash) loaded quick enough. Maybe their rig will start without the need for additional repairs. . . .
Not all floods are predictable - If one happens, who is going to bear the cost for the rescue efforts? Ever stop to think that the safety of the first responders may have played a part in the zoning requirements?

Flood danger is REAL:

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-11/us/arkansas.campground.deaths_1_flood-waters-rv-site-kthv?_s=PM:US


Sewage is a real important consideration too - proper disposal is important for everyone downstream.

If they were in an authorized place, those things have been considered.

And another thing, if they are on public land, why do they have a right to use it continuously during the tourist season & deprive others of a chance to enjoy it?
If it is private land, consider the land owner for a moment - how would you like not being able to do what you want with the land you own & are paying taxes on?

[cody]

The idea of the flood plain doesn't hold water, ( I can't believe I said that lol), if people couldn't live on a flood plain then the greater part of the midwest would have to move.  I've found that when people have a financial interest in a place they tend to care for it better, we have very little problem with homeless people up here mainly because of the climate, they tend to filter further south where the weather is more agreeable.  There are too many reasons for a person to be homeless to be able to list, it may even be a personal choice on their part, who knows.  Personally I feel badly, I know that many of us are a paycheck away from being in their position, with todays economy and the foreclosure rates a person could be on the street with the stroke of a pen.  There is no easy answer to the problem and it'll continue to grow, transient workers will follow the crops regardless and others will continue to live a problematic existance possibly due to dependancies of one sort or another, some may do so by choice, it's hard to determine why it happens, just the fact that it does happen and will continue to happen is tragic for the children involved that get swept along with the parents.  In the last year we've done 6 benefits for people that were loosing their homes to raise the money to get them caught up, of those, 2 ended actually loosing their homes the other 4 were able to continue to tread water and get by, some of them got caught up in the easy credit scams and bought more home than they could afford.  In the past the bank was allowed to say you didn't earn enough to buy that house, now that isn't done as much as it used to be.  That alone is a commentary on our changing times.  Sad but true, we're in trouble and I don't think it'll ease anytime soon, I don't blame anyone but ourselves, we're the ones carrying the pocketful of credit cards, nobody put a gun to our heads and told us to buy that vacation home, we became greedy and the business world stepped in and said they would help us satisfy our greed, there was no reason the jones would have to stay ahead of us, they have 2 cars so we can have 3, then we miss a payment and the struggle is on.  Many of us could be looking for a place to park our buses after the lock is put on what used to be our front doors, sad but very possible.