“When you go pretty much down to it, we are pretty much squatters,” Slab City resident Mike Bright said. “If you play your cards right you can live for free.”
Some live in the Slabs for ideological reasons, he said, and some — himself included — “want to create a utopia and have limited success at it.”
But Bright acknowledges Slab City can be a magnet for thieves and methamphetamine addicts.
Most, though, “try to behave in an ethical, moral fashion,” he said.
A non-conventional government
There is certainly “a lot less pressure” here, said resident Cookie Richardson when asked if the Slabs is the last free place there is.
The problem with the saying is that people think things are free here, or that any way of behaving is permitted, she said. That is not the case.
So even though Slab City doesn’t have a government in the conventional meaning of the word, there are associations that provide services to those who are willing to contribute to a group.
Residents have clubs, an Internet café, a Christian center, a library — in bad condition — and even the Slab City Community Group. The community group meets every Saturday and the turnout varies.
“These meetings came about to create a sense of community here at Slab City,” reads the agenda of Dec. 10. “Everyone is welcome at these meetings. All we ask is to listen to each other.”
Freedom here isn’t free as in “free lunch,” said Lynne Bright, a permanent resident, member of the community group and the Oasis club, a 60-member association.
“It’s just that you have the freedom to come here and be who you want to be,” she said.
During their community meetings, important issues are discussed, Lynne said.
“Keiran’s laptop is still missing,” reads a line under the “hot items” portion of the same agenda. “January 28 is the Slab City Talent Show” and “Lizzzi’s heart was stolen, suspect is David” are just some of the other topics found.
There are also public health issues covered and announced, such as, “mixing narcotics, alcohol and hot springs will cause dizziness and may lead to death,” as seen on the Dec. 3 agenda, or “the flu is making its nasty way around the Slabs this week.”
And yet, “we are not the government,” said Lynne, referring to the community group. “We don’t tell people what to do,” she said. “We lead by example.”
And when people don’t follow the example, the community may avoid those who are not community-driven, she suggested.
For example, she said, people who own problematic dogs end up taking the animals away because they are left out from the community. It’s similar with problematic people. These characters tend to be shunned by the community and usually leave, Lynne explained.
“There’s a few of us who have a sense of community,” “Builder” Bill said. He’s a resident who lived on the streets of San Diego for years only to start a new life here. “I’ve built a place of business and built a name,” he said.
Every Saturday night “Builder” Bill has events in a music venue he made from salvaged trash called The Range.
The venue came out in Sean Penn’s 2007 movie “Into the Wild” and Bill has been interviewed many times, he explained before agreeing that it’s fair to say that Slab City is the last free place in the country.
