A longtime colony for independent spirits in the California desert, Slab City may soon face mass eviction. A potential response by the community has its denizens divided.
Portrayed in Sean Penn's 2007 movie "Into the Wild," the anarchic desert haven called Slab City has harbored self-exiles for decades. Technically, these people are squatters. Erik Eckholm writes, "Yet it is not truly off the grid: Cellular service is decent, many residents have laptops, and everyone drives into nearby Niland or other towns for propane gas, generator fuel and water. Those with Social Security or pensions live well; those without scrounge for odd jobs and are sometimes arrested collecting scrap metal from the nearby Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range."
Whether they're there to retire, hit rock bottom, or pursue their personal utopia, a desire to be left in peace unites the residents. But that might not last: "After the notion spread that the California State Land Commission might sell the land, the Slabbers started debating what to do: should they try to buy the place that they occupy illegally? Should they form a residents' association to save the anarchistic soul of Slab City, or would that spawn the type of bureaucracy that people came here to escape?"
The commission says Slab City is safe for now, but the announcement has bred tension and politicking where it was supposed to be all good.
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