Video shows 'neighborhood battle' over empty SF lot turn violent, prompting restraining orders

AGGRESSIVE GROUP OF NEIGHBORS AND A FIGHT THAT GOT OUT OF HAND. >> NOBODY TOUCHES ANYBODY. >> TONIGHT THE ABC 7 I TEAM IS DIGGING INTO A WAR OVER AN ABANDONED PLOT OF SAN FRANCISCO WILL TAKE -- SAMPLE CISCO REAL ESTATE NEIGHBORS: NO MAN'S LAND. HOW THE YEARS LONG DISPUTE HAS TURNED VIOLENT. >>>> A STORY YOU WILL SEE ONLY ON SEVEN. >> IN SAN FRANCISCO'S MISSION DISTRICT THERE IS AN ONGOING FEUD THAT HAS PITTED A LOCAL BUSINESS AGAINST A GROUP OF NEIGHBORHOOD GUERRILLA GARDENERS. IT HAS ESCALATED FROM PUNCHES AND THREATS -- >> NOBODY TOUCHES ANYBODY. >> TEST SLEDGEHAMMERS AND POWERS ALSO. >> I PERSONALLY DID HERE ONE OF THE MEMBERS SAY HE WAS GOING TO SEE THEM BURN IT ALL TO THE DOWN -- TO THE GROUND. >> IT IS ALL OVER A PIECE OF LAND NEIGHBORS CALL NO MAN'S LAND TO THE CITY CALLS A PARTIAL 36. FOR DECADES THE LOT HAS SET VACANT AT THE CORNER OF HARRISON AND 22ND STREET. OF THE PAST FIVE MONTHS A LOCAL BUSINESS HAS CAPTURED SOME UNWANTED VISITORS ON CAMERA. ONE OF THE VISITS TURNED VIOLENT. >> WE DO NOT WANT A FIGHT. >> IT WAS MAY 24 JUST BEFORE DINNER. RUDY WALKED OUT OF HIS BUILDING TO SEE FOUR PEOPLE ON THIS PARCEL OF LAND. >> THEY WERE SHOUTING AT ME TO LEAVE. THEY STARTED TO BUMP INTO ME. >> THIS MEANT SAYS HE IS UPSET ABOUT SOME CEMENT ON THE PROPERTY. THE WOMAN BESIDE HIM TOOK IT OUT ON RUDY'S BAG OF CHINOS. >> NOBODY TOUCHES ANYBODY. >> MY DINNER, MAN. I'M SKIPPING MY DINNER WITH MY FAMILY. >> THEN THIS. >FROM PUNCHES TO THREATS. >> GO AWAY. NOBODY TOUCHES ANYBODY. GO AWAY. >> COURT RECORDS IDENTIFIES THE ALLEGED ATTACKERS AS JAY MARTIN AND HIS WIFE ELIZABETH. THEY'RE PART OF A GROUP THAT CALLS THEMSELVES MISSION GREENWAY. THEY HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR YEARS TO TURN THIS NUMBER ENDS LAND INTO A PUBLIC GREEN SPACE EVEN TAKING OVER ONE OF THREE LOTS IN NO MAN'S LAND AND STARTED A GARDEN IN 2022. >> WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS THERE IS TO SHARE. >> LAST SHE SPOKE TO ABC 7 AND THE GROUP GOT FED UP WAITING TO SPEAK TO THE MISTRY PROPERTY OWNER AND BROKE THE LOCK TO BEGIN A COMMUNITY GARDEN. THE GARDEN IS STILL THERE BUT THE LEGAL PROPERTY OWNER IS STILL SOMEWHAT OF AN MISTRY. THIS SOMEWHAT OF A MYSTERY. HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO TRACK DOWN THE OWNERS? >> WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE UP TO DONALD WUERL ER OR IF THEY STILL EXIST. >> GIVE ANY REASON TO BELIEVE THEY ARE STILL ALIVE? >> I'LL THINK ANY OF THEIR HEIRS ARE STILL ALIVE. >> SANTA YOUNGKIN IS A LEGISLATIVE AIDE FOR SUPERVISOR HILLARY RONEN WHO REPRESENTS THE AREA. HE SAYS THE LAST COMPANY WHO OWNED THIS PART OF THE LAND WENT DEFUNCT IN 1936. >> THIS IS A LARGE TRACT OF LAND AS YOU CAN SEE. I WOULD GUESS IT IS WORTH BETWEEN 20 TO $50 MILLION. THAT ADDS TO THE MISTRY. ALL THIS MONEY ON THE LINE AND THERE IS NO ONE HERE TO CLAIM IT. >> THE UNCLAIMED LAND SET VACANT UNTIL FEBRUARY. THAT IS WHEN RUDY AND HIS IS IN HIS PARTNER PAID THE BACK TAXES ON PART OF THE LOT AND STARTED TO USE IT. THEY ARE THE FOUNDERS OF A LOW-COST INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER THAT SERVES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS IN THE CITY INCLUDING PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS. >> REGARDLESS OF WHO OWNS THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHTS TO USE THE BACK. THE OWNERS HAVE ABANDONED IT. >> RUDY AND ALEX PURCHASED AN ADJACENT WAREHOUSE FOR THEIR COMPANY HEADQUARTERS. THEY PAID THE CITY AROUND $20,000 IN BACK PROPERTY TAXES TO ACCESS PARCEL 36 A THAT MAKES UP NO MAN'S LAND. ACCORDING TO THE CITY OF PROPERTY TAXES ON A PARCEL OF LAND REMAINED UNPAID FOR ANYWHERE BETWEEN FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS THE CITY HAS THE RIGHT TO AUCTION OFF THE LAND. JUST PAYING THE TAXES DOES NOT GIVE THEM THE RIGHTS TO THE PROPERTY. >> IT DOES NOT. PAYING THE TAXES MERELY DELAYS THE CITY BEING ABLE TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE LENTIL AUCTION. >> RUDY AND ALEX AVOIDED THE AUCTION BY PAYING THE TAXES. LERMA SAYS IT APPEARS THEY READ THE LEGAL STANDARD FOR WHAT IS CALLED A PRESCRIPTIVE EASEMENT. >> BY NECESSITY AND FORMER USE SOMEBODY CAN BE ON THE LAND AND USE IT TO REACH THE ROAD. >> A JUDGE WILL ULTIMATELY DECIDE IF THE EASEMENT WILL BE GRANTED TO RUDY AND ALEX. AS FOR THE ROGUE MISSION GREENWAY GARDENERS DASHED OF THESE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE ANY GROUNDS TO BE ON THE PROPERTY? >> NONE I CAN SPEAK FOR >> AFTER THIS FIRST PUNCH, THE GROUP CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY. THIS TIME WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER AND POWER TOOLS. >> A WEIRD ALMOST BIZARRE SURREAL ENGAGEMENT WHERE THEY WERE TAKING SCREWS OUT OF THE FORM WE MADE AND WE WERE PUTTING THEM BACK IN. >> THE GARDENERS SPENT ALL DAY INTO THE NIGHT DEMOLISHING THE PLANTERS AND UNTIL SFPD ARRIVED TO DETAIN THEM. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THEY COME BACK SINCE FEBRUARY? >> THIS GROUP HAS COME BACK MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES. >> COUNTLESS. IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE LOT, HUNDREDS. IN HERE, MAYBE FIVE. >> TO HARASS AND IT IS A DATE -- TO HARASS AND INTIMIDATE US. >> RUDY AND ALEX SAY THE HARASSMENT HAS NOT STOPPED. FROM VANDALIZING THEIR FRONT DOOR TO DUMPING DIRT IN AN ATTEMPT TO BLOCK EMPLOYEES FROM COMING TO WORK. >> THEY STARTED ADDING LARGE MOUNDS OF DIRT AND STUMPS AND OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS. >> HE SAYS THE GARDENERS HAVE MADE FALSE COMPLAINTS TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND RESORTED TO CYBER BULLYING POSTING PICTURES ONLINE SHOWING ALEX WITH A TARGET ON HIS SHIRT. HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED? >> NEGATIVE POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA THE ONES WE KNOW ABOUT MAYBE 30 TO 40 TIMES. >> IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE IT STOP -- >> THIS WEEK I WENT AND GOT A RESTRAINING ORDER. >> THEY HOPE IT WILL BE ENOUGH. >> NOBODY TOUCHES ANYBODY. >> TND ATTACKS LIKE THESE. >> ACTUALLY IT IS DEPRESSING. EVERYONE DESERVES A COMMUNITY BUT WE ALL LIVE IN AN URBAN AREA. WE SHOULD BE COEXISTING. WE >> TRIED TO SPEAK WITH THE GARDENERS INVOLVED IN THIS BUT HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK. THE COURT HAS ORDERED THEM TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SITE AND RUDY AND ALEX. A HEARING TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDERS WILL BECOME PERMANENT IS SCHEDULED FOR LATER THIS MONTH.

Channel: ABC7 News Bay Area

Views: 17,031

Keywords: news, no mans land san francisco, property dispute san francsco, unclaimed land sf, harrison and 22nd street san francisco, empty lot san francisco mission district, no mans land mission district, who owns no mans land in sf, monkey brains san francisco, mission greenway san francisco

Id: F8vYKl36-ko

Length: 6min 57sec (417 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 09 2023