About 140 miles east of San Diego, in the desert of the Imperial Valley, lies a place known as the last free place in America. It`s called Slab City. There is no mayor, no zoning laws, no sewers. Conditions in the desert where Slab City is located can be challenging. Why do its occupants stay nearby? Roadblock is a series in which we explore what it means to be free in a democracy like India and how we adapt to the obstacles we face. Here is another accidental discovery in the city. I think that really sums up how you can do almost anything you want here. It`s an amazing place for artists to make art for art`s sake. Like any city, it has its problems, but for the most part, slabbers live and let live. That night, I spoke to so many different souls: a bisexual woman suffering from severe depression and in the midst of an identity crisis who came to Slab City and found herself. She wasn`t completely healed, but she said she felt so much better, surrounded by people who don`t judge you because you`re different. Next to her sat was the Texas ex-convict who couldn`t get back on his feet in his conservative hometown, so he came to the Slabs to start a new life without being judged for what he had done in the past. Under the unforgiving sun of the Colorado desert in Southern California lies Slab City, a community of squatters, artists, snowbirds, migrants, survivalists and homeless people.

Described by some as the “last free place” and by others as an “enclave of anarchy,” Slab City is also the end of the street for many. Without electricity, running water, sewage or garbage collection, the people of Slab City live without law enforcement, taxes or administration. Built on the concrete slabs of Camp Dunlap, an abandoned naval training base, the colony maintains its off-grid aspirations within the remaining military boundaries and the site`s gridded layout. The off-grid is really in the network. In this book, architect Charlie Hailey and photographer Donovan Wylie explore the contradictions of Slab City. The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there are no parking fees. The site has no official electricity, running water, sewage, toilets or garbage collection. Many residents use generators or solar panels to generate electricity. The closest body to civilization with proper law enforcement is located about four miles southwest of Slab City in Niland, where residents often shop.

On the outskirts of the city, there are many more military remains. These bottles were once used as water tanks and for waste management. Artists Christina Angelina and Ease One sprayed the murals, and the community protects them very well from vandalism. According to a January 2020 report, Slab City consists of “more than a dozen individual neighborhoods.” small camps of people with their own rules and cultures.” Facilities include The Range, a makeshift library, campervan rentals, an internet café and facilities selling groceries. although most shopping is done in the town of Niland. One resident reportedly led a weekly self-help group for women in the community. [38] Residents spoke about the use of BC radio as a bulletin board and the introduction of radio handles when they spoke to the Chicago Tribune in 1990. [16] In 2005, a resident told the Los Angeles Times correspondent for the documentary On The Streets how he can simply live as he wishes. [39] Some people had very strong opinions like, “Don`t go, it`s full of criminals!” These people also told us that Mexico as a whole is dangerous – I`m happy to report that we`re still alive. Nevertheless, it became clear that Slab City in the summer is not what Into the Wild had imagined. The place is primarily a winter destination and the population varies widely: only a few hundred “hardcore” slabbers live in the city in the summer, while in the winter the place attracts thousands of people who come here to celebrate off-grid alternative life for a few months. But still, I wanted to go and that`s what we did.

On a hot afternoon in late May, we crossed the California desert and plunged into the wilderness. Since we had nowhere to go and didn`t know where to park, we went to a place called the library, not knowing if it had anything to do with this thing we commonly know as such. But that`s what happened. The library is actually what it says: a place full of books, games, magazines, DVDs, and other curiosities, run by one of Slab City`s community leaders. To live a good life in Slab City, people join communities. There are many, and depending on who you are, what you believe, there is probably one in which you fit perfectly. Or if not, you`ve just created your own community. Slab City country is basically free, at least for now (it`s obviously part of California, but hey. This is just a formality). If there is a free field, you can simply take a few stones and glass bottles or anything else you could find and mark your land.

But as you can imagine, much of Slab City`s “prime lands” are already taken. When someone who “owns” land leaves, they give it to someone else – it`s not much different from normal society, except you don`t have to pay for it. However, there are a number of permanent residents, about 150 of them, who are often referred to as “slabbers”. While many have been forced into poverty, some have chosen to live off-grid, far from society where there is no government support. It is a disused and uncontrolled area of California, with no electricity, running water, garbage collection or sewage systems. Many residents generate their own electricity using solar panels and generators, and the nearest civilization body is about 4 miles southwest of Niland. Here residents can buy/collect basic resources. ** My friend Fabian, for example, who is more of the rational type, didn`t like him as much as I did. The next day, one of the people from the library offered to show us around. So we jumped into Fritz (you really don`t want to walk around in the heat) and took a tour of the grounds. We looked at the art in East Jesus, the animal cemetery, the hostel, the bar and many other places. He told us how the community works, where to find food and water, and who to know if you live there.

We talked to long-time slobbers and learned all the pros and cons of living in a place like this. One of the most fascinating people for me was Jack, the leader of West Satan. Jack has been living in the slabs for years, he has built himself a beautiful little creative house next to a lot of art. He has solar panels, a huge refrigerator, sells goods, lets people stay with him and visits Slab City. He`s an interesting person with great stories and we learned a lot from him about life in records. Hailey: Since Slab City was a relatively large military installation, I`m impressed with the scale of the infrastructure. Although it no longer functions as a base, the infrastructure of a functional city is still there – or at least some of the remnants – and yet it is completely off-grid in almost every aspect of services, but [the layout] is a grid. Ultimately, the plates themselves are the autonomous infrastructure that gave it its name.

We were fascinated by the idea of concrete on sand. Concrete is architecturally durable, and yet [the slabs] float on the sand. These are really invitations to the Rules of Procedure. They provide a floor and add some stability to an incredibly ephemeral place. Slab City also has more infrastructure than you might think at first glance: there`s a river shower where you can swim, there`s a library, a hostel with internet, there are tours, they have their own Facebook community page, and Amazon actually delivers to Slabs! Solar energy has definitely changed the game in slabs. A few years ago, electricity was a rare thing out there and worked exclusively from generators, but now many people have very beautiful and large solar systems that make off-grid life so much easier.