Lubbock Resident Says Mayor, City Council Won’t Do Anything About Notorious Squatter House

The Lubbock squatter saga continues...

It was recently brought to our attention by concerned parents that there is a potentially dangerous group of individuals squatting in an abandoned house near Overton Elementary School. After we published an article about one of the squatters recklessly driving through the front lawn of the elementary school, an anonymous neighbor emailed us to provide further insight into what it's been like to deal with this problem for years.

Here's what the neighbor, who told us that they've been trying in vain to get the city to do something about the squatter home, had to say:

This house is next door to my mom. We have been trying to get the city to do something about this house for years. I have contacted the city councilperson and all I get is a runaround. Those people living there have pulled down eight red tags. The laws are for the law-abiding citizens not for people like the ones that are staying there. They have been caught stealing electricity from the city. We caught them taking water from my mom's house. I have talked to the mayor which was a waste of time. He was supposed to call me back and he never did. I have talked to the mayor pro tem and all I get is "We will look into it." I also told him yesterday about your post and he said he would look into it. Our city council is a joke.

We're left with so many questions.

How long can someone stay in an abandoned house before they are actually faced with real consequences? Will these people be allowed to hang around there for several more years? Or forever? Why does anyone pay rent anymore when they could clearly just take a house from someone else, along with electricity from the city and water from neighbors?

How many articles will it take to get the City of Lubbock to take some action? Tune in next time, because we won't be stopping until this is dealt with.

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