A federal judge said he will rule next Friday in the case of a trailer park on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Reservation in southern California.

Judge Stephen G. Larson began the trial into the Desert Mobile Home Park on April 7. Testimony will conclude today and final arguments will be made next Thursday.

The park is owned by Harvey Duro, a tribal member. The Bureau of Indian Affairs says he has failed to maintain a safe and healthy environment at the 40-acre site.

Anywhere between 4,000 to 6,000 people live at the facility. Most are Indian or Hispanic migrants from Mexico and Central America, with the Indian residents coming from the Purépecha of central Mexico.

Purépecha residents formed a council inside the park to take care of each other, one of two Purépecha witnesses testified. Both said they have felt cheated over rent payments to Duro.

Get the Story:
Decision on Duroville expected next week (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 4/24)
Duroville owner testifies (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 4/23)
Duroville manager: Park conditions 'Third World,' but can be improved (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 4/23)

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