SWEETWATER, Fla. – Police in Sweetwater arrested a resident of the Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park on Wednesday.
A protest was then held outside Sweetwater City Hall Wednesday evening amid rising tensions over a looming eviction to residents of the trailer park.
The people there stood shoulder to shoulder, loudly and visibly protesting following the arrest of Vivian Hernández.
Cellphone video shows the 61-year-old on the ground, being physically forced into handcuffs by an officer during an arrest for disorderly conduct and trespassing.
Noon report:
According to an arrest report, Hernández went to the property’s office to pay her rent but then, “became angry and began to yell at the staff that was assisting in relocation.”
Authorities said Hernández was told to leave but refused.
“She’s not going to comply, she’s resisting and not listening to the officer’s commands and we see he reaches to try to stand her up now to place her into custody, that’s where the resistance, the altercation occurs and then he redirects her to the ground,” said Alvaro Zabaleta, a spokesperson for the city of Sweetwater and the Sweetwater Police Department.
Video of the arrest has enraged Hernandez’s neighbors, which led to the protest at city hall.
The land underneath the 900 lots at Li’l Abner had been recently sold, with residents being told they have up to six months to leave.
The quicker it happens, the more money they receive, but most say they have few options, which is part of the frustrations fueling the tension among tenants who own the trailers they live in.