‘It’s sad that the county wants to protect the homeless and support them but at the same time make law-abiding people homeless,’ said one man whose family has owned a unit at the Marylander Condominiums for more than 40 years
A judge has authorized police to begin evicting residents of the Prince George’s County, Md., condominium complex besieged by an open air drug market, putting hundreds of people at risk of homelessness ahead of a possible winter storm.
Maryland district court judge Bryon Bereano had provisionally greenlit the Marylander Condominiums evictions earlier this month after vagrants allegedly vandalized the condo’s boiler room, leaving 100 units without heat. On Thursday he signed a final order authorizing “all action necessary” to vacate those units, which were deemed “unfit for human habitation” by the county’s Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement in December.
While it is not clear when the evictions will take place, the judge’s order was posted on the affected buildings Friday afternoon. County officials did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The order marks the latest setback for the embattled condominium, which for years has been fending off incursions from a homeless encampment on its doorstep. The encampment—a haven for gangs, drugs, and prostitutes—has vaporized property values and caused millions in damage, scaring away the banks needed to finance repairs.
Now, residents say they are about to become homeless thanks to a homelessness crisis that the county tolerated.
“It’s sad that the county wants to protect the homeless and support them but at the same time make law-abiding people homeless,” said Scott Barber, whose mother, Linda, has owned her unit at the Marylander for more than 40 years. He added that his family can’t sell the unit given the squalid condition of the complex.
“We feel trapped,” Barber said.
Beverly Habada, a member of the condominium’s board, said as many as 77 children could become homeless as a result of the judge’s order.
“I counted them coming home from school on county school buses on Wednesday afternoon,” she said. “They were getting off the buses and walking home into the condo complex.”
Habada said she was later asked by a school board member whether the county should start making plans for an influx of homeless students.
Prince George’s County could receive several inches of snow on Sunday if current forecasts hold. It is not clear how that weather will affect the timeline for the evictions.