CHARLOTTE — More than a month after families in a south Charlotte neighborhood learned they were being forced out of their homes, renters were told they had just weeks to pack up their belongings and move because the property had been bought.
Some have until Thursday to move, but Channel 9 learned Wednesday that many have already left and that some houses have already been torn down.
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The construction zone, after the affordable housing is torn down, will be the site for pricey townhomes.
Debbie Briscoe alerted Channel 9 in May that River Investment Properties informed the entire neighborhood that residents had to leave their homes by June.
[ WSOC SPECIAL SECTION: Affordable Housing Crisis ]
“This week they tore down three houses Monday,” Briscoe said.
She is one of the last remaining residents in the almost-deserted neighborhood.
“This is somebody else’s property,” Briscoe said. “I understand that. It wasn’t that I was fighting to stay. I was fighting to be treated like a decent person.”
She did fight back, and Legal Aid of North Carolina took the company to court.
Her eviction was thrown out, but she still plans to leave by Friday.
To add insult to injury, Briscoe said the company stopped taking care of the property and cutting the grass.
“Grass services was included in our leases, so the city started putting tickets on our doors,” Briscoe said.
She is grateful the community helped some residents plead their cases.
“Legal Aid reached out to me because of your story, and that was a blessing to me,” Briscoe said.
(WATCH BELOW: Residents forced out of south Charlotte homes say pressure continues to move out now)
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