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[dog barking in the distance]
[birds chirping]
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[wind rustling]
[soothing piano music playing]
♪
[water trickling]
-[Petra laughing] -[Petra] Oh, you shot me!
-[child laughing] -[Petra] I got you back!
This is my backyard. I call it my sanctuary.
[Petra] I love to come here and just take in calmness
and just let the rest of the day go.
There's a big bumble bee, look, look, look.
You see the big bumble bee right there?
I open my door and plop down, feel at home, you know?
Take a load off.
You're welcome to come in here any time.
That's home.
[chuckling]
[wistful music playing]
Go ahead. Oma's gonna go on this side.
[tutting]
[tricycle squeaking]
I've raised my children here.
I've made so many memories here
for 18 years.
Everybody's dream is to go ahead
and have a place that they can call their own.
♪
[birds chirping & squawking]
[egg sizzling]
[parrot squeaking]
[dog barking]
[Luz] Mobile home
i. . is not a second-class house.
A mobile home is my home.
It's where we put our energy,
our family, our history, our everyday memories.
[Sara] How did you come to live in Denver Meadows?
After being married for so many years,
I became a single mom.
And the only way that I can be able
to pay and support my daughters be in college
was moving from my huge big house to a different place.
I have the opportunity to buy this house
for $10,000.
I won't be able to find an apartment
with a big backyard like I have here
with two bedrooms
for no less than 1,600 a month.
[calm music playing]
[laughing & chatting]
Mobile homes are homes.
And it's the only option for affordable houses.
♪
[train whistle blowing]
[Sara] I've never lived in a mobile home,
but housing instability is an issue I know well
and it's why I wanted to tell this story.
I nearly lost my home
in the toxic mortgage meltdown of 2008.
Ever since,
I've spent more than half of my income on housing.
I belong to the one-third of Americans
who spend way more than they can afford on home.
Experts say that's a big red flag.
It's the affordable housing crisis.
There's a landscape of housing in America
that we've ignored for years.
Mobile homes.
They're the largest source
of unsubsidized, affordable housing in the country.
20 million Americans live in one.
I read about a mobile home park in Silicon Valley,
the high tech region
that's one of the most expensive places
to live in the United States.
The mobile home park is right next door
to Google headquarters.
♪
[wheels grinding]
[Barbara] We would've never thought
we were gonna move into a trailer.
Never in a million years.
Probably the most expensive trailer park
in the United States.
[laughing] Definitely the most expensive.
[intriguing music]
A little over a year ago, I got a job with Google.
I came out in 2013 to work for Google.
We didn't qualify for any of the. . the Section 8 housing,
and so. . But we couldn't afford the traditional homes.
The rent was, like, 2,100, uh, for a studio.
So, we were really looking for a place that had enough room.
So, what was left. . and that was. . that was Santiago Villa.
I depend on my, uh, Social Security
to pay all my bills.
[Steve] The mobile home park,
it makes moving into a home achievable for us.
For the first time in my life, I have my own home.
There's a house listed in Palo Alto
for $64 million.
I mean, $64 million.
Fif. . compared to 54,000.
[chuckling] I mean. .
But I probably appreciate this maybe more
than they appreciate that 64-million-dollar house.
♪
[Sara] There's a catch to this version of the American dream.
It's about who owns the land.
Like the people I've been meeting at Santiago Villa,
most mobile home park residents own their homes,
but not the land they live on.
They have to pay rent for that.
Lot rent.
And in most states,
park owners can raise those rents
almost any time they want to,
by as much as they want to.
[indistinct chatting]
Every night, the sun sets in those three windows,
so I have. .
Until Google builds their five-story building out there,
I have the most splendid sunsets every night.
[solemn music]
[Barbara] The lot lease is really scary
because Google is buying up everything.
[Brad] We're. . we're vulnerable to. .
-[Barbara] Vulnerable. -[Brad] Change, to other people
making new decisions that will affect us.
[Barbara] Some pays. .
Like, we'll have to rob Peter to pay Paul.
[Brad] Buy 50% less groceries.
I mean, how many jobs can we work to pay land lease?
-Yeah. -I don't. . I don't know
what we would do.
Ooh, nice.
That looks delicious.
Looks good.
-What's your favorite part? -[Brad] Gravy.
[Barbara chuckling]
My favorite part is you guys.
[parrot chirping]
[whistling]
[parrot chirping & squawking]
[train whistle blowing]
One thing Aurora has is a lot of land.
And Aurora has a lot of water.
And those two things
rule everywhere in the West right now.
Aurora, because it was a military community,
and essentially middle class and white,
um, it had a strong conservative bent.
The Republican Party's held power here
for. . for several decades.
As far as the individuals themselves,
you know, that's part of the libertarian Western mentality.
The code of the West is,
it's your land and you get to do with it what you will.
[delicate & pensive music playing]
I think in the past, our identity was a suburban city.
Now, we've become more of a. .
I would call it a. . More of a metropolitan city,
a diverse city.
We're becoming larger and better.
[Sara] Somebody had told me
that Aurora is 60% built out, is that right?
I. . I heard about 50%
from the planning department, out of 160 square miles.
That's correct.
[Sara] So, you have 80 square miles.
-[Bob] Yeah. -[Sara] To become
what kind of city?
Boy, I think the. . the opportunities are endless.
American dream, I think, is to, you know,
raise your family in a free country.
Have your kids grow up
and get a good education
and then be able to retire
and watch your kids and grandkids grow up.
And to be able to afford to do that.
Yeah, I'm a big believer in the dream of this country.
I do not go to a council meeting at all anymore
where I don't see either a developer
or somebody from a metro district
or, um, somebody from a homebuilder.
They are so interested in the decisions that they are making,
whether it be around water, about building lots,
about annexations.
My background is commercial real estate.
I've invested in real estate since 1981.
So, the reality is, um, people think that you can stop growth
by stopping development,
but it. . it really doesn't happen.
It just moves to the next area.
[train whistle blowing]
If you look at the landscape of Denver Meadows,
you really see the story
of mobile home parks across the United States.
They were developed oftentimes on the outside of cities,
where land was cheaper
and where landlords faced fewer obstacles from city councils.
Denver Meadows is just this little sliver of land
that's captured by train tracks on one side
and then newer development to the south and west sides.
So, you can really see the pressures.
[tranquil piano music playing]
[birds chirping]
[Petra] As I was walking my dog,
I found one of the two signs, off the beaten path,
where nobody really sees it as they're driving by.
And a second sign hidden by bushes.
I was looking at it and wondering,
what is this public hearing notice?
[news anchor] And the owner of the property
wants to rezone the mobile home park.
And as Fox31 Problem Solvers learned,
that would force residents out without any compensation.
[reporter] The property owner is asking Aurora
to rezone the 20-acre plot
as shops, apartments and offices.
That would mean the hundreds of people
who live here would have to leave.
[dog barking]
[phone ringing]
[Shawn] Hello?
-[Sara] Hi, is this Shawn? -[Shawn] Speaking.
[Sara] Shawn, this is Sara Terry.
I told you I was doing a documentary
on mobile home parks and that I'd. .
I'd check back with you.
[Shawn] Calling me. . and I told you,
I'm not going to give you any information.
Why you keep calling me?
[Sara] I haven't kept calling you.
I told you I would call you back.
[Shawn] I don't care who you are
and I have nothing to say to you.
Listen, if you're going to harass me,
I'm gonna file a lawsuit.
[Sara] You. . I'm sorry, you're gonna do. .
you're gonna do what?
[cellphone beeping]
[pensive & wistful music playing]
-[indistinct] Hello! Hi! -[dog barking]
Hi, how are you?
The land owner wants to sell this land for a high price.
We have no rights. None.
[parrot squeaking]
That's not easy. It's not like I. .
"Well, let me put it in the back of my car
and I move my house. "
We're talking about between $20-25,000.
[Sara] To move the homes?
To move the homes.
Minimum wage is $9. 30.
Come on, give me a break.
Now, the definition of the American dream
is to hold on for dear life
so somebody doesn't pull the carpet out
from under your feet.
[Luz] That's the situation that we have right now
in my community.
We have less than a year to move.
With no money saved,
with no resources to move our house,
and no. . no place to move our houses.
[trumpet music playing]
[narrator] The American population
is becoming increasingly mobile.
A family today might span the continent several times
during Dad's working career.
These mobile homes reflect this condition,
and they are the fastest growing segment
of the homebuilding industry today.
[wistful cello music playing]
[Sara] Mobile homes
have had a lot of ups and downs over the decades.
They were housing for the poor in the Great Depression.
For defense workers during World War II,
and then returning GIs.
They were starter homes for young couples
in the 1950s and '60s.
They were cool. They were hated.
They were the new American dream.
They were where trailer trash lived.
As for mobile home parks,
most of them started as mom-and-pop businesses.
They got handed down to second and third generations.
Until recently.
[Frank] Uh, the mobile home park industry
is hugely underpriced on rent.
The moms and pops of the world, they hate raising the rent
because they befriend their customers,
which hopefully you'll learn in the next three days,
you never do that.
aYou don't want to know your customers' names.
You don't want to know anything about 'em.
We just rent land.
Welcome to the Mobile Home Park Boot Camp.
I'm Frank Rolfe.
We'll be together the next three days
with one simple goal,
and that's to make everybody in here a competent investor.
Uh, at any rate, what we're going to teach you
how to do in the class
is we're going to show you how to identify, evaluate,
negotiate, perform due diligence on,
renegotiate, purchase,
turnaround and operate mobile home parks.
Today, we're the sixth largest owner
of mobile home parks.
We own over 160 mobile home parks
spread out over about 22 states.
So, we've built that basically one park at a time.
We only own this grass
and this concrete and the utility lines.
We don't own this.
So, the very fact that this guy has built something
that's totally bizarre
i. . is not our issue because he did it,
and the guys at the city, good old inspector,
he's certainly seen it.
Never done anything about it.
[Sara] You do these seminars how many times a year?
We do the seminars typically
about six. . six to eight times a year.
The majority of them come out,
like the business model, go back,
and then start looking for mobile home parks.
We get it.
Our typical park right now, we get 50 to 100 calls a week.
So, the affordable housing in every city in America
is typically the mobile home park.
That's. . that's it.
Statistically, right now,
a third of the United States population,
they make 30,000 a year or less.
That is kind of the sweet spot of the industry.
[indistinct chatting]
[Frank] All right, our quick park evaluation system. .
This is not in your manual. . It's called the ideal system.
I-D-E-A-L system of park evaluation.
This allows you to focus on what's important
and not worry about the stuff that's not.
But you'll be shocked and turned off by, for example,
the beach towel in the window instead of an actual curtain.
That doesn't mean anything.
What you gotta worry about are the following items:
"I" is for infrastructure,
"D" is for density,
"E" is for a. . a guesstimate of the expense
to get the park up to where it needs to be,
"A" is for the age of the homes
and "L" is for the location.
There's two locations that work with mobile home parks.
There's that gritty, urban kind of deal
that you would recoil from.
There's, like, an adult bookstore across the street
and a liquor store.
That location works really well.
Because there's a lot of folks looking for affordable housing,
they actually like that.
[downhearted music playing]
[woman] What's going on?
[Sara] How long have you lived here?
[laughing] Over 20 years.
-[Sara] Wow. -I like it.
-[Sara] Yeah? -Mm-hmm.
[Sara] And. . and what do you like
about living in a mobile home?
Well, it's all. . you know,
it's like a little house I couldn't afford,
you know, myself.
[Sara] What do you think we should do
about the affordable housing crisis?
[woman] I don't know, but it seems like
when they have a nice piece of prime property,
they call us up.
They build all the houses for rich people.
[chuckling] And, um. .
rich people,
and no affordable housing for the low-income people.
[Frank] So, this. . this park would not get any deductions. .
If we don't keep the rents up to par,
then the parks will go away,
because there's other things you can do with the land
that are higher and better than parks,
unless the parks rents are high enough
to make it the better option.
[Sara] I mean, you could choose
to stay with a mobile home park and just make less money.
Uh, that is. . that is entirely true.
There's no question of that.
[chanting in Spanish]
[crowd cheering]
We got in touch with a group, um, that's called "9to5,"
who is helping people nationwide
preserve affordable housing.
My, my, my!
Housing is a human right!
[Andrea] We've gotten calls from,
um, at least 30 parks across the state.
We see a lot of the same issues,
overcharges of water, rent increases,
um, parks being bought by huge corporations
and then forcing everyone to sign a new lease.
Um, and so, people ask, like, you know, "What do we do?"
For us, the biggest priority is anti-displacement,
um, and. . and creating avenues for community ownership.
[indistinct chatting]
[man] Roll call, please.
-Mayor LeGare. -[Bob] Here.
-[man] Mayor Pro Tem Berzins. -[Berzins] Here.
-[man] Council Member Bergan. -[Bergan] Here.
-[man] Council Member Gruber. -[Gruber] Here.
-[man] Council Member Murillo. -[Murillo] Present.
[Andrea] I've been working with residents
living at Denver Meadows Mobile Home Park
for well over two years.
We're very grateful to hear that the city
was able to negotiate with the owner of the park
to extend the closure date until the end of February 2019.
We're also here today to ask the city
3to continue to work with us
on creating a permanent solution for Denver Meadows,
such as building a new mobile home park.
We would like the city to continue searching
for relocation funding
in case it is needed as a last resort
if the priority to stay in the current park
or the creation of a new park is impossible.
So, I would like to ask everyone present to stand
if the following applies to you:
if you are here in support
of Denver Meadows residents.
If you are someone currently seeking
stable, affordable housing in Aurora.
If you are in favor of the city of Aurora
taking bigger and bolder steps to prevent displacement
and provide dignified and affordable housing
for those who need it.
We believe community members
are the experts of their own lives.
Don't let developers push out the people who built this city.
Do more now before it's too late.
Thank you.
[Bob] So, thank you very much for your comments.
Let the record show that approximately 100 people
stood up in, uh, support of your comments that you made.
My name's Shannon Holloman.
It's hard to follow Andrea,
I'm going to be honest with you.
[chuckling] We're your people. Please don't give up on us.
This is the family that I'm fighting for.
We're fighting to. . to stay. . to stay in our home.
To not worry about, you know,
um, kids not being able to go and study,
parents having to work more jobs.
Uh, because no duty of this council
is more important than serving its working people.
It's these residents who keep this city running
and who vote to elect you.
These residents deserve more.
[kindhearted music playing]
[indistinct chatting]
[Jason] I started going to resident meetings
fall of last year.
They're f. . faced with eviction, losing their homes,
losing their chief financial asset.
They're raising young families, they're working all the time.
As a lawyer here, I'm working for the residents.
[chatter continues]
[Jason] I'm. . I'm nervous to talk. . To tell you,
because I don't want to get hopes up,
because I don't know if they'll come through.
I don't trust them to come through with it.
To. . to extending the closing of the park.
A part of it's based in state law in Colorado
about when he's allowed to close the park
and having to rezone.
And there's an argument that he can't close the park
until the rezoning process has been approved
or green lighted formally.
And that hasn't happened.
I'm going to continue filing a lawsuit
to force that we continue to have the park open.
And we can decide the rest of our grievances
and fight it out.
Uh, until we have it signed, that's the plan.
I've told them that I think I could wait
until the end of this week coming up,
next Friday, to file an action in court.
-[babies crying] -[indistinct talking]
And I said what you said.
We are. . I'm ready.
I'm glad to hear you say you're committed to it,
because it's gonna be a fight.
[heartfelt music playing]
[Luz] It. . it's not right.
It's not right that one person. .
has everything
and we have nothing, and ready to lose everything.
We deserve better.
[Sara] There's something else you should know
about the history of mobile homes.
They actually started out as playthings for the wealthy
in the early 1900s.
Rich people were buying cars,
and they didn't have any place to stay when they traveled,
so they started customizing cars
and building coaches to pull along behind them.
The first mobile homes.
Over a century later,
the wealthy are back in the market again.
Billionaire Sam Zell owns more mobile home parks
than anyone in the country.
Billionaire Warren Buffett
owns the largest mobile home manufacturer
and the two largest lenders.
And then there are the private equity firms.
Groups of private investors who buy up businesses
they think are undervalued
and then squeeze every penny they can from them.
The Carlyle Group,
one of the largest private equity firms in the world,
bought its first park around 2015.
They set off a buying spree among private equity firms
who've been snapping up parks across the country ever since.
[violin cover of "This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie]
[crickets chirping]
[bushes rustling]
[engine rumbling]
♪
[indistinct chatting & laughing]
-How are you? -I'm good.
Oh, good.
[chatter continues]
I found a letter taped to my door
that said that Golfview had been purchased by
a company, and they didn't give us a name.
It was a couple days later,
a second paper appeared on the door
to tell us that it was Havenpark Capital
that bought the trailer park
and that, um, our rent would be increasing.
Mine would go up by 63%
Yeah, let me wash my hands.
I just felt if they treated people like that,
that I didn't know if I wanted to stay here.
But I've been here for 21 years.
I have a lot of friends.
I like where I'm at. It. . it means something to me.
-[Cindy] It's for chili dogs. -Oh, yeah.
-Plug it in. -Yeah, I want.
[Cindy] We got a letter from Havenpark.
That was a shocker.
And it was not a nice letter either.
-Mm-mm. -It was pretty, uh, blunt.
You know, uh. .
It was just abrupt.
It wasn't, um, friendly at all.
Uh, I don't even think it was dated.
-[woman] Hi, Cindy. -[Cindy] Hi, how are you?
[woman] Hi. Good.
-How are you doing? -Good. Good.
[Jesse] We wanna welcome everybody for coming out
to another Goflview Resident Association block party.
My name's Jesse Case, I'm with the Teamsters Union,
which has worked with the Golfview Residents Association
as we've been fighting Havenpark
on their vulture business practices
as they're stealing money out of people's pockets
to put it in their own corporate coffers.
[Ethel] I did us a little bit of homework on this
and, uh, the. . This same company has gone in
and done the same thing in other areas.
These people that have all this money,
they're investing their money
and they don't care who they get it from
as long as they put more in their pocket.
That's the only way it looks to me.
And they. . they've been doing business in, you know,
a lot of different states,
buying up a lot of different mobile homes.
And nobody has ever called them on it before,
until they got to Golfview.
[Cindy] You know, quite frankly,
I don't think any. . any of us really have been exposed
to somebody that's a predator like that,
that maybe uses their money and their power
to, you know, intimidate people.
This is not right.
People can't just come in and raise things up so bad
that people can't afford to live.
[Candi] If you were to add up
the 50 largest corporate owners across the country,
over 680,000 home sites
were cutting their monthly lot rent check
to a real estate investor and/or a corporation.
It's not just Golfview in North Liberty, Iowa,
it's clear across the country.
These are homes.
They're not just lot numbers.
They're homes.
A lot of the time you feel angry.
To think that there are people that survive on this
and can get up and look themselves in the mirror
and feel good about themselves.
Oh, we want to make it really tough for Havenpark.
I mean, we want it. . we want it. .
we want to be in the media all the time.
We. . we don't want people to forget
that we're here and what they're doing.
I don't care if you're a Democrat or Republican,
it doesn't matter.
I mean, it's. . it's the moral, right thing to do.
[Jesse] You know, they've come into our community,
jacked up the rent.
They're shoveling money into their bank accounts.
We're gonna keep up this fight, we're in it 'til the end,
and we just really appreciate you coming out today.
And let's que up the music and the bouncy house again
and. . and, uh, and keep up the fight.
-So, thanks a lot for that. -[crowd applauding]
[downhearted music]
[Sara] There are some parks
where residents have already figured out
how to win that fight.
They've been able to buy their parks
when an owner wants to sell.
[radio] $35, Irving Energy.
Heating New England homes for decades.
Visit irvingenergy. com for details.
[radio playing music]
[Sara] So, how did you all become owners of the park?
[Mike] Well, we just got together
because, uh, they was gonna sell the property.
The guy who was actually going to buy them,
he was gonna tear it down and do a condominium out of it.
We all got together.
Decided this would be a good idea,
and we had a chance to put our bid in first.
It felt good, you know,
because we don't have to worry about rent going up
unless we all decided.
[Sara] Mike and his neighbors purchased the park
for 150,000 dollars in 2016.
They had help from the national nonprofit, ROC USA.
[Kathy] A lot of people just assume
because you live in a mobile home or trailer
that you're no good, but that's not true.
I worked two or three jobs all my life.
And you own something, you know,
to live in a mobile home,
but it doesn't mean you're trash.
[George] I've. . I've lived in regular houses,
and people in trailer parks,
I think they're a much tighter group of people.
They're more like family than, you know,
people that live in regular. . regular homes.
You know what's missin'? Cheeseburgers.
[laughing]
[heartfelt music playing]
[Mike] You can't put a person down
because what they can afford.
To me, everybody is equal.
It's just some people have more money than others.
[fireworks sizzling]
[Kathy] You. . you just do the best you can
and you work hard every day,
and you get something to call your own,
and that's something everybody should be proud of.
[George] You know, personally, I. . I. . I think
I am living my American dream right now.
It's as simple as that.
[fireworks cracking]
♪
[inaudible chatting]
[Petra] We got in touch with an organization called ROC
that helps people that live in mobile home parks
purchase the land when it is for sale,
which in many ways is great,
because once we own the land,
we. . we. . we don't, um, spend money frivolously
or put it in our pockets.
It would be returned to make the park better.
ROC went to the owners of this mobile home park
and offered them 18 million dollars for this piece of land,
which is above the current value.
They keep turning us down.
[birds chirping]
-[Sara] Hello. -[Faye] Hi, good morning.
[Sara] Hi, how are you? Are you Faye?
-[Faye] Uh-huh. -[Sara] My name is Sara Terry.
[Faye] No, I don't. . I am not interested to talk to you.
[Sara] Oh. Can I ask you just one question then?
-[Faye] I don't need to tell. . -[Sara] My question. .
I. . I. . I was wondering why you wouldn't take an offer
of 18 million dollars for the park.
[Faye] Nobody gave me 18 million dollars offer.
[Sara] But I think that's what they're willing to pay,
is what. . From my understanding.
[Faye] They willing to pay, it's their problem.
I'm willing to get is my problem.
[Sara] Oh, so you want more money than that?
[Faye] Sure, I want more money.
[Sara] Well, I appreciate your time today, Faye.
-[Faye] No problem. -[Sara] Have a good weekend.
-[Faye] Same to you. -[Sara] Thank you.
[Faye] So, where do you live? In California?
[Sara] In Los Angeles.
[Faye] Why did you come all the way to [indistinct]?
[Sara] I'm making the film all over the country.
I. . I think mobile home parks
are an important part of the answer
to the affordable housing crisis.
[Faye] Not if the land belongs to us.
Mm-hmm. .
Um, we made an offer to Denver Meadows
for $20,500,000.
So, we executed the contract and sent it.
And you can see that the sellers never executed.
He said. . I sent it on the 25th. .
He said, "Thank you for your offer,
but it'd be advised that it's not acceptable to my clients. "
A mobile home park on a, you know,
a four or five billion dollar medical campus
is not the highest and best use.
Yes, I agree with that.
You know, that. . that doesn't make it okay
that these families are being displaced.
But. .
I. . I. . yeah, I don't. .
I don't have regrets about it.
[Jason] It's not a coincidence that the mayor, Bob LeGare,
and City Councilwoman, Marsha Berzins,
sit on the board of directors
for that redevelopment authority,
along with a bunch of re. .
Developers and construction CEOs.
They're making excuses, and just not being genuine
about what they want to see happen over there.
They see that as a lucrative area for development,
which by necessity means
that there's not mobile homes there anymore.
And there's not the people living there anymore.
[rustling]
[Sara] One of the things I've learned
is that when someone talks about pressure on the land
or best use of the land,
what they're really talking about
is how to make the most money from a piece of property.
They're not talking about land as a place where people live.
They're not talking about the value of community.
♪
[dog barking]
[wind chimes chiming]
So, you got a notice
that your lot rent was going up by more than 60%,
and that you had a new owner?
Did you try to reach out to them?
[Candi] Several times.
It took us almost two months
to get a phone number from the management here.
They would not give us a phone number, even.
Someone was able to trace it down,
and then Havenpark decided to have a town hall.
Well, the meeting also was from 5:30. .
Starting at 5:30 and only an hour.
Well, people don't get off work 'til five
and go get their kids.
And, you know, they couldn't get to the meeting.
Not many of our questions were answered.
I can't think of any right off the top of my head that were.
[man] Okay, so, uh, first. . first, uh. .
first I want to introduce is, uh, Anthony Antonelli.
One of Havenpark's co-founders and managing partners.
[Anthony] Some of you indicated
that you'd like to get to know us better.
So, I'll start off, uh, with my life story.
My dad was one of nine kids.
We were homeless before homeless was popular.
Our big aspiration
was to move into a trailer in a trailer park.
He was trying to get our sympathy,
but he then said h. . he was homeless
before homeless was popular.
[Anthony] And one of the things that I wanted to do
was to try to give back.
That's one of the things that led me
into this, uh, arena
of manufactured home communities.
In particular, to keep them from disappearing.
He wanted us to know what a good person he was.
He was, uh, riding in on a white horse
to save us all, and we should be thankful.
[Anthony] We can save this park.
But if we pay this price,
what has to happen with the rents?
They. . they have to go up to preserve the park.
-You see that? -[woman] No.
-[people] No. -[Anthony] Oh, who's. . who's. .
who's gonna make the payment?
[woman] Well, you are.
[crosstalk]
[Anthony] Sounds like some of the. .
sounds like some politicians tonight.
[Sara] Back in Aurora, some of the homeowners
have given up and moved out.
But the homeowners who remain at Denver Meadows
are still fighting.
They want the city to help them
get financial compensation from Shawn, the park owner.
[Francoise] I really wished the owner would have stepped up
to cover the entire cost of. . of this. .
of being part of the solution.
But I also want to say, he doesn't have to.
I mean, he. . By legal rights, he doesn't have to.
This is not normally a city responsibility.
[Crystal] Sometimes, I find it really just unfathomable
that we weren't able to figure out a solution
when an outside organization
was willing to invest
20. 5 million dollars in our community.
When you have to think about, and you're saying,
"Where am I going to stay in the next month?
What are we gonna do in the next month?
Where are my kids going to live in the next month?"
To me, that's just not right.
Especially when the city,
and when we can do something about it.
The reality is, the owner of the park at Denver Meadows
wants to close the park and he has the right
to close the park.
Um, he's. . It's important to note
that this park was gonna close on September 30 of last year.
And it was through my negotiations
with. . with Shawn that got it extended
for another six months.
Um, otherwise, there would have been
this massive eviction process last fall,
and it would have been very, very. .
unfortunate, I guess, is the. .
the best word I could use.
The problem here that they won't say
is they don't have the political will.
They don't want to challenge this guy's private power.
Um, and they don't want to do that
with the business class, generally, or something.
Um, other discussion?
Council Member Berzins.
Everything looks like they want th. . this rezoned,
and they want the private property owner to do it.
And he's kind of calling their bluff.
You want me to handle your dirty work?
You're not gonna touch me while I get it done.
[Sara] How have the negotiations gone
with Shawn Lustigman?
Actually. . actually, they've gone very well.
And, uh, I'm hoping that within a few days
that we would be able to release to you
and. . and the public, an agreement.
[Sara] Why are you not part of the negotiations
as the councilperson for that ward?
I don't know.
I mean, to be really honest, at one point I was in a. .
The first couple of meetings with the owner
and with the mayor and the city management,
and I haven't been in any. . in any since.
[Sara] Why the negotiations with Shawn have not included
the councilwoman from that area
or representatives from the. . the people
who live in the park?
It's been you and the city staff.
Um, I just felt
that we would have the best negotiations
by keeping it as small as possible.
I actually had something in common with Shawn,
and that is my real estate background.
Having worked with tenants, having had tenants,
having mostly good tenants but some bad tenants.
I didn't feel that adding. . adding
another elected official to the mix would be beneficial.
[parrots chirping]
[soft instrumental music playing]
[parrot chirping]
♪
[Hilda laughing]
[train whistle blowing]
[Alison] All right, so, on this list,
I don't have a ton of doors left,
so I'm just gonna loop up this street.
Denver Meadows just completely breaks my heart.
Um, we literally have people
who this was their housing opportunity
to stay in Aurora
and be able to live and work here.
The fact that over 20 million dollars
was not adequate to keep folks in their homes
is extremely disappointing.
My name is Alison Coombs.
I'm running for Aurora City Council
for ward five.
I've been going to city council meetings,
advocating for affordable housing
and sustainable development for the last few years,
um, and we haven't really seen much movement on those issues.
What happened at Denver Meadows is proof
that our city council needs to address issues
like affordable housing differently.
And so Juan, Ryan and I decided to run together
as a progressive bloc
to bring those kinds of changes.
[Sara] So, it was Denver Meadows
that got you interested in city council?
[Bryan] Yeah. Specifically Denver Meadows.
I'm a social studies teacher.
I actually have students who lived in that community.
So, I started going to city council,
and I'm going in a meeting where person after person
is begging for their home,
and one of them is a parent to one of my students.
These people matter.
Denver Meadows matters.
The handful of trailer parks
we have left in the city matter.
My name is Brian Lindstrom, I'm a teacher here in Aurora,
and I'm running for city council.
About 15% of my students deal with unstable housing.
Um, you know, I'm trying to teach history
and they don't have their basic needs met.
[Alison] I don't remember a point
in which there wasn't kind of this view
that our government was set up in a way
to make the rich richer.
So then it's like, "Okay,
when is. . you know, when is it enough?"
When do we say people being able to stay in their homes
is more important
than more millions of dollars for someone?
I don't know.
I think we're starting to see a tide turning
of having moral leadership.
[Juan] Hi, you should be getting your ballot,
-uh, either tomorrow. . -[woman] Okay.
or on Tuesday.
I think that we are absolutely at a crossroads,
and I think one direction looks like a place
where we continue to divest
from the older parts of the city
to continue economic segregation.
I think the alternative is that we actually have
a city council that puts people first.
If Alison and Brian and I win, it will be the first time
that we will have a progressive majority
on the Aurora city council in the city's history.
[Luz] I just had to make the decision
that was the best decision for me and. . and my family.
That was to move out of my. .
home.
The reality, now that I move to this apartment,
my rent is 1,800 a month.
And that's why I now I have three jobs.
Every single light bulb that is here,
every single screw that is here in. .
in this nice apartment, is not mine.
And in my mobile home,
yeah, the. . One of the windows was cracked,
but it was my window.
My glass.
It doesn't matter
how small and how ugly,
for some people it can be.
That mobile home was my home.
My home for me and my family.
I have been, uh, uh, in meetings
with Shawn Lustigman
and. . and his, uh, advisor team and his partner,
which is Faye, uh, Faye Klein is his, uh, sister.
And he's. . he's gone
from offering zero dollars to the owners
to where we think we're close to $300,000,
um, that will be available for them.
[Sara] To the remaining owners?
Yes.
[Sara] What about the more than 85 families
that have moved out?
[Bob] You know, that's, uh. . that's something
I'm not gonna be able to address.
Uh, I think we can all look at situations where we decided
to do something and we realized later
that if we'd waited a little longer,
it would have been better.
That's. .
Like, why do you get into government
55if you're a person like that?
What the hell did you think. . I mean, why?
Everyone's in that situation at some point,
and just imagine the people with power saying,
"That's just. . " you know, "That's tough luck. "
[Sara] Have you talked with him about rezoning?
[Bob] Uh, yeah, we've talked about rezoning.
That's part of this agreement that we're working on.
[Sara] In. . in. . in what way? How does it fit into that?
Well, it takes the zoning off the table.
And he gets his T. O. D. zoning.
Hopefully, gets his T. O. D. zoning.
It hasn't been promised to him because we can't. .
city council can't promise zoning.
[Sara] That deal between Shawn and the mayor did go through.
$300,000 for the 17 families
who remain after three years of fighting to save the park.
Nothing for the people who moved out before them.
Denver Meadows closed on May 31st, 2019.
Three days later, the city council
took up Shawn's request for rezoning.
He stands to make millions.
[Jason] Public hearing and consideration of an ordinance
for introduction of the city council
of the city of Aurora, Colorado,
rezoning 20. 41 acres, more or less,
for mobile home district
and residential agricultural district
to transit-oriented development district
and amending the zoning map accordingly.
[indistinct speech]
[Sara] I'd really like to know what makes you angry.
Greed. [laughing] I think greed.
Greed and power.
Like, with Shawn, for example,
he could have taken 20 million dollars
and made a. . a ton of money
selling the park to the residents,
and they would've had somewhere to live.
And it's greed that kept them from doing it.
[indistinct speech]
[Jason] Taking as much as you can,
I'll be. . Damn the consequences,
You know, uh, is something our government,
like, sanctions and facilitates.
And that's kind of, like, what I feel like
I'm beating against most as an attorney.
Okay, item 11A is a public hearing.
We're concerned that if there's
not a designated number of affordable units,
developers are going to continue
to build market rate housing
while destroying the limited number
of affordable units that exist.
[Jason] I am opposing the rezoning.
You think back to the underlying reason,
the motivation in all of our involvement,
the residents, uh, coming to you all,
is that they didn't want to be displaced
and they didn't want to lose homes
that they had purchased, they're not just tenants,
but they're homeowners who purchased these homes.
[Francoise] It's private property
and the property owner is closing down the park.
This is a rezone.
What are you going to do with the homes
and the 11 parks that are still in Aurora?
I ask you to please not do the rezoning
because they're our. . our. . our. . our. .
our homes, our houses.
-[woman] Gracias. -[translator] Thank you.
[Bob] Thank you for your comments.
[soft instrumental music playing]
[indistinct conversation]
[Luz] I have nothing to celebrate.
I'm one of the residents on Denver Meadows,
and. . and I lost everything.
Everything means everything.
Every single penny that I have in my. . my. . my saving account.
And the reason what I'm here is to ask all of you,
we cannot continue di. . displacing people.
[Bob] Thank you for the comments.
Now, I'm gonna call the question on item 11A.
And the motion carries on
a vote of six to four with councilmembers
Johnston, Lawson, Hiltz and Murillo voting no.
[reporter] Shawn, do you know how much money
you're gonna get for the park?
Between 100 million to 300.
♪
[Petra] I lost my home.
I watched Shawn get whatever he wants to.
I watched the worst of the worst.
It doesn't look like home anymore.
It's so naked.
Oh, wow. This is, like, all gone.
Oh, wow.
[sentimental music playing]
Tons of memories are really tied up in my home
and I don't get to go down memory lane.
♪
When are the rich rich enough?
[car engine whirring]
[Sara] Petra's question haunts me.
Who are we becoming as Americans
when housing that's on the lowest rung
of the American dream is being devoured
by the wealthiest of the wealthy?
Private equity firms are notorious
for not wanting publicity.
Havenpark Capital doesn't return my phone calls,
but I figure it's worth a try to show up
in person at their office.
I've got their address.
It's 51 West Center Street, Suite 600.
Orem, Utah.
[Sara] Havenpark Capital is what I'm looking for.
-They must. . -[man] So. .
Because we just have mailboxes here,
so if they're an owner of a mailbox. .
um, that might be the address you're looking for,
but th. . th. . they don't have an office.
-[Sara] Okay. -[man] Sorry.
These people are coming in
to make money off of the backs of people
that have worked all their lives. .
to have what they do have.
They're the most vulnerable in society in most cases.
And the people that are taking advantage of this situation
are some of the richest people.
[Sara] So, some people would say,
"That's just how capitalism works. "
Treating people fairly is how life works.
[man] Here tonight, to talk to you about this place,
Iowa City, please join me
in giving a big Hawkeye welcome
to Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Hello, Iowa City!
[crowd cheering]
Um, we've got a problem in America on housing,
and it's a problem across America.
[sentimental music playing]
Hello, hello, so nice to see you.
It's been a long time.
[Elizabeth] Yeah, it's good to see you.
-[Elizabeth] Hi. -This is Cindy Wade.
-It's nice to meet you, Cindy. -It's good to see you.
[indistinct chatter]
A week ago, Sunday, I was sitting at the front bench
and he said, "Grandma, you look tired. "
I said, "I'm just tired. I just want to quit. . quit. "
-[Elizabeth] Not gonna quit. -No.
He said, "My grandma don't quit. "
-[man] Yeah. -[Elizabeth] And. .
you're grandma's not alone.
-No. -You got your neighbors.
-No, I got my neighbors. -That's right.
And you've got people who are willing to get into this fight.
That's why Zach is here. We're gonna do this.
-Yeah. -So, currently,
in the state of Iowa, you can be evicted
without cause from a mobile home park,
-which is actually very common -Uh-huh, uh-huh.
in many states across the country.
So, we've heard Havenpark has been busy.
They've been buying more mobile home parks.
There's another company out of Colorado
called Impact Communities
that's bought several mobile home parks
across the state, exact same model.
Buy it, jack up the rent.
And so we're hoping that we're going to be able
to go back to the legislature in January.
Even some of our Republican friends
are looking at this and saying,
"Boy, that doesn't look fair. "
Uh, and so, theoretically, I. . I think
it's possible we'll see some change.
But of course, um, it's not over 'til it's over.
Yeah, you know, people are gonna. .
Nobody can stay on the sidelines anymore.
This is really about people getting in the fight.
-[Candi] And we're gonna win. -Yeah.
[Zach] You know, mobile home parks
could be a part of an effective,
affordable housing solution
so long as they're not being
sold under false pretenses.
As long as we don't have out-of-state companies
jackin' up the rent
and making them no longer affordable.
And. . and so long as we have the basic protections
that are necessary for folks
who. . who live in these properties
to. . to call them home.
[man] Yeah, I mean, I've never been
-really politically active. . -[Elizabeth] Yeah.
[man] But I tell you what,
uh, when they're coming after me,
I guess they kind of forced me into it.
This has been going on for years.
Oh, gosh, yeah.
[Elizabeth] And these hedge funds that come in,
they buy up a business, and they don't care.
They made their money.
And whatever's left behind is not their problem.
[sentimental instrumental playing]
[Candi] Havenpark Capital stated this,
"Our fund invests in stable, high cash flowing,
manufactured home communities
that provides a generous, dependable investor yield
while steadily growing investor capital.
We only acquire properties that generate
a significant target cash flow from day one
and have ample upside opportunities
that will allow us to significantly raise
the value and cash flow of the property
in any market, good or bad. "
It makes your blood boil.
There is no concern about a mo. .
Saving mobile home parks.
Once again, that proves it.
[indistinct chatter]
Morning. Hey, how're you doing?
I am good, how are you?
Good to see you.
I need a statement on "I won,"
statement on "I lost,"
and statement on "Too close to call for press releases. "
Because I want all those just written and ready to go.
[Kristen] We're grassroots people.
We have people on the doors every day.
We have people making phone calls every day.
We are sitting there and we are talking
and we are listening.
[indistinct chatter]
-[applause] -Good morning, everybody.
[all] Good morning!
Thank you so much for being here.
As has been mentioned, it's been quite a year.
Um, we started out this year with folks
underestimating the power of what we could do
coming together as a team
and fighting for the people of our city.
We are ready
to get in there and to make change,
and to make change for every one of you
and for all the folks that couldn't be here today,
for all the folks that we are getting ready to go talk to,
to make sure that every single one of them
turns in their ballots, has their voices heard,
and creates a city that works for all of us.
Thank you. . Oh, Alison Coombs,
running for ward five.
[woman] She has come all the way from Missouri,
off of her campaign trail, to be with us here in Colorado.
Miss Cori Bush.
First of all, let me just say, "Thank you for your work. "
Let me start with that.
Because this can be a very thankless job.
And then once you win, it'll be even more thankless.
-[man laughing loudly] -It's time.
The power is in your hands.
Each and every one of you are influential.
Each and every one of you have a platform.
Each and every one of you have a squad.
Each and every one of you are somebody
in this community and beyond.
So, know what you're influencing
and tap into it, some of you have thousands,
some of you have ten thousands,
some of you may have your block.
Whatever you got, we all have something.
Go out there and take it, and let's do this on Tuesday.
[group cheering]
When we win, then you sleep.
I'm just calling to make sure that you're able to get
your ballot in by tonight.
Please vote, because democracy works when we all participate.
-[man] Dude. -[woman] We have three hours!
Uh, this election's gonna be really close.
Every vote's gonna really matter.
There's no way. . We've been on phones
since, uh, ten o'clock this morning.
[talking indistinctly]
Every vote counts right now and we have about two hours.
[indistinct chatter]
-[woman 1] Okay, so here, um. . -[woman 2] Bye-bye.
[man] Did you receive your ballot?
So, should I stop calling people?
Or just keep going?
We did everything we could.
Ah, thank you. Thank you so much.
Francoise is ahead of Bryan.
-Really? -Mm-hmm.
Juan is down at 44,
almost 45%
Alison is down at 47.
And Bryan is down at 41.
-[woman] That sucks. -[Kristen] Yeah.
[man] We're gonna, um, head over
to, um, the city building.
[woman 1] All right. We'll see you.
[woman 2] Okay. All right, see you.
Hopefully, it gets closer, but we'll see.
That's where it is.
[Candi] Six months ago,
I didn't think I'd be standing here
talking to anybody. [chuckling]
Thank you for coming, and thank you
for all the support from everybody.
We exposed Havenpark, who is the company
that purchased our park,
and we put them on the defense.
Our next step in preparing ourselves
is to fight for a better state laws
in the next legislative session.
Some of what we're hoping to gain from this session today
is how to deal with these legislators,
how to put them on the right track
to tell them what we want,
what we need to survive
and be a community of our own.
Possibly, even to buy our own park.
And. . and it. . it can't be just one park.
It has to be across the state.
It has to be across the country.
That's so important that we get this out.
[Kristen sighing]
♪
[Kristen] Bryan lost. We're very sad.
We still don't know the results for Alison or Juan.
[Alison] It's kind of a last hope election for change
in a lot of ways for Aurora.
[sighing]
[Alison] We're at the recall point.
Recount, not recall.
Oh, my God.
-Just 21 fucking votes behind. -[Alison] What?
21 votes behind, Kristen just said.
[sighing]
[Kristen] I hate having to hit refresh every 30 seconds.
So stinking close.
Oh, they're killing me.
[sighing] Fuckity fuck.
Oh, my God, you guys.
I just need the new numbers.
[Alison] An hour and ten minutes
-y'all are. . -[Kristen] Wait, wait, wait,
this was a long refresh.
[man] You got it?
I don't know, it's still refreshing.
[Alison] Mine is still refreshing too.
[man] That could be it.
[Alison] No. Goddamn. Do we have updates?
-Do we have numbers? -Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
[Alison] What are the numbers?
-Oh, my God. . -[Kristen] Juan is winning!
-[Alison] Yeah! -We're at 50. 5!
[cheering]
Juan, where are you?
[laughing]
Oh, shit. Okay.
[Alison] We gotta go to the S. O. S.
[man] Get the full one.
[Kristen] You are a numbers guy.
[laughing]
I'm out of recount range, baby.
Whoo! Yes!
You are. . you are out of recount range as well.
We hit 51%
They legally cannot pay for a recount.
-[Alison] Yeah. -We won.
[yelling]
[Alison] Politics isn't just about rich people
moving us around like pawns.
We are taking the reins,
and we're taking that power for people.
[indistinct chatter]
[sighs]
A group of Iowa lawmakers from both sides of the aisle
are in agreement on the need
to strengthen the rights of people
who live in mobile home park.
[male reporter] Statehouse reporter,
Caroline Cummings, breaks down the sweeping proposal
moving through the Iowa House and Senate.
[Caroline] The Iowa Manufactured
Housing Association is the only group
registered against the bill.
They argue the bill imposes
overly burdensome regulation on property owners.
The provisions in the bill that. . that cause us
so much, uh, heartburn, are so egregious
that we have to oppose the bill in its entirety.
The bill also presents an inconsistent approach
to what we're trying to do
in. . in keeping and attracting people to the state.
[Jodie] The section that I'd like to talk about today
is the rent control provision.
What we view as overly burdensome regulation.
Um, it doesn't capture
the realities of what I see as the market dictating rents
and. . and doing an okay job with it.
There's a perception that these residents are. .
are. . are trapped, um, and can't move
from their, uh, mobile home community
if they. . if they want to leave.
Can you, or I don't know, Jodi, or Tim,
if you're speaking for the association,
can one of you please confirm that Frank Rolfe
was a member of the Iowa Manufactured
Housing Association?
-[Jodi] Uh, yeah. He is. -[Zach] Okay.
[Zach] So, you said that these are easy to move
and it's easy to get out of these rents.
Here's what Frank Rolfe said.
"The customers are stuck there. They don't have the option.
They can't afford to move the trailer.
The only way they can object to your rent raise
is to walk off and leave the trailer,
in which. . in which case it becomes abandoned property,
and you recycle it and you can put another person in it.
So, you really hold all the cards. "
Is it true or is it false
that a landlord can evict a resident
for any or no reason with 60 days notice?
Uh, okay, to address a couple of those, um. .
[Zach] Sorry, we've got a limited time.
-Yeah. -[Zach] Can a landlord
evict a resident for any or no reason
with 60 days notice?
[Jodi] No, because of those provisions I talk about.
-[Zach] Okay. -[Jodi] So, they cannot evict. .
[Zach] How many of those evictions took place
in Midwest country estates in the last month?
[Jodi] I don't have that information.
We are not just dollar signs on a lot number.
We are a real community, real people.
And we're fighting this.
[Zach] The. . the downside of democracy
is that wealthy people have huge amounts of power.
And we are struggling today to figure out
how to live up to the ideals of the country.
So, first of all, thank you to all of you
for taking the time to come here
to the Capitol today.
Um, we did get some bad news,
uh, that the House Republicans
have pulled the bill from the agenda
of the House Judiciary Committee this afternoon.
It does not mean the bill legislation is dead.
It means it was not on the agenda for today,
but we're hoping that with your support,
talking to Chairman Holt,
he'll reconsider and put it on the agenda
for either today or for tomorrow.
[Candi] Where's his office?
[Candi] We have about, I don't know,
30-some people here to talk to him
about the bill for manufactured housing.
[man] Yeah.
[Candi] And we want to know where he stands on that.
A lot of us are in fear of lo. . losing our homes.
It's important that we get some action on this right away.
[Cindy] We elect these people to protect us.
I've heard you guys' story,
I. . Personally.
But, I'm not an elected official.
There's not anything that I can do right now.
Um, if you have some information,
-I can pass it along. -[Candi] Please.
But it's in the committee process right now.
[Cindy] Could you let, uh, Grassley know
-that we were here? -[man] I absolutely will.
-And our. . and our concerns? -[man] Yes.
[Candi] Is Representative Grassley in?
People say he's not here, so. .
[man] He's. . he's in there.
He's downstairs. I saw him in the hallway.
Come on in, we'll talk inside.
[indistinct] Grassley can then [indistinct],
so it doesn't reach the floor.
[Candi] But does Holt have the power
to put it back on the table?
-[man] He has the committee. . -[Candi] Yeah.
[Candi] But we probably don't speak as loud as the ones
that spoke to him, and told him to kill it.
Evidently, the right thing to do
isn't the most important thing on their mind.
A bill that would've given protection to people
who live in mobile homes from price gouging rent
has died in subcommittee this week.
But as KCRG-TV Nine's Brian Tabick
is learning, that's not stopping some
from continuing the fight.
If you don't fight, you can't win.
So, I'm determined to. . to. .
do what I can to encourage people
to fight with me.
[man] Next will be councilwoman Coombs.
[cheering]
[man] Congratulations.
Again, it's my great honor to administer the oaths.
So, if you please, raise your right hand,
and repeat after me.
[Sara] If you could talk to somebody
who lived at Denver Meadows today. .
what would you say?
Um, I wish
that we had already been in office
when y'all were going through your whole ordeal.
Um, you know,
and we certainly. . Or are going to do everything
that we can to make sure
that there's housing in our city
that the working people who live here
can actually afford and can live in.
Because you make our city great,
um, and we need you.
[soft guitar instrumental playing]
[Luz] What I miss most about Denver Meadows,
the people.
The neighbors.
Um. .
I don't know where they are.
That hurts not to know that they're okay.
What are they. . Maria?
Where is, uh. . Connie?
Where is Isabel? Where are they?
What happening with them?
Do they have money to live?
Do they have money to pay the rent?
I wonder where is everybody else?
[Sara] What happens next isn't my story.
But it is.
And it's your story, too.
It's about what we call the American Dream,
and it's about whose dream we're serving these days.
♪ There was a big high wall there ♪
♪ That tried to stop me ♪
♪ The sign was painted ♪
♪ Said private property ♪
♪ But on the backside ♪
♪ It didn't say nothing ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ In the shadow of the steeple ♪
♪ I saw my people ♪
♪ By the relief office ♪
♪ I saw my people ♪
♪ And as they stood there hungry ♪
♪ I stood there wondering ♪
♪ Dear God, bless this land for you and me ♪
♪ Nobody living ♪
♪ Can ever stop me ♪
♪ As I go walking ♪
♪ That freedom highway ♪
♪ Nobody living ♪
♪ Can make me turn back ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ This land is your land ♪
♪ This land is my land ♪
♪ From California ♪
♪ To the New York island ♪
♪ From the Redwood forest ♪
♪ To the Gulf Stream water ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
["This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie playing]
♪ As I went walking that ribbon of highway ♪
♪ I saw above me that endless skyway ♪
♪ Saw below me that golden valley ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ I roamed and rambled ♪
♪ And I've followed my footsteps ♪
♪ To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts ♪
♪ All around me a voice was sounding ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ When the sun come shining, then I was strolling ♪
♪ And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling ♪
♪ The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ This land is your land and this land is my land ♪
♪ From California to the New York island ♪
♪ From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪ When the sun come shining, then I was strolling ♪
♪ And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling ♪
♪ The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting ♪
♪ This land was made for you and me ♪
♪
[music fades]