Help Me Fight an Unlawful Eviction, Save My Home, and Recover My Livelihood

My name is Jesse Strickland, and I’ve lived in Livermore almost my whole life. I’m 50 years old, and for the past eleven years I’ve lived in my mobile home at Sunrise Mobile Home Park. I own my home outright—I only rent the space beneath it. In all that time, I have never missed a single rent payment.

I am a luthier—I build and restore guitars for a living. I work entirely from home. My workshop, my tools, my supplies, my projects, and the equipment I use to make my income are all inside my home.

And right now, everything is locked behind a boarded-up door I’m not allowed to open, because Sunrise Mobile Home Park wrongfully evicted me over an error they created.

I have no family to lean on. If nothing changes, I will be locked out on Thanksgiving Day, completely alone, with no access to my home, my belongings, my mother’s ashes, or even my court papers and clothing.

I’m asking for help because I cannot fight this alone anymore.

How This Began — A $20 Difference

This entire nightmare started with a simple accounting mistake that wasn’t mine.

In February 2025, rent was listed as $1,280. Before any notice was issued, I had already paid $1,260 using three money orders dated February 4, 4, and 7. The difference was $20.

On February 10, I was served a 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit.

On February 13—within the deadline—I delivered a $300 money order, far more than what was owed, to fully cure the notice and avoid any dispute.

I believed it was resolved.

They Began Refusing My Rent on Purpose

Instead of accepting the cure payment, management returned it—then returned March, April, and May. They refused four months of rent and then charged me late fees for the same months they blocked me from paying.

I asked for statements. I asked for an explanation. I asked why my payments were being returned and why invoices stopped. I got silence—or more returned envelopes.

Later, I discovered they had mis-credited the LGS discount, which caused the incorrect rent amount in the first place. Their error triggered the notice that triggered the eviction.

I Was Treated Differently Because I Look Different

I’m a punk rocker at heart. I’ve got bright blue hair, band shirts, guitars everywhere, posters on my walls. I’ve been told directly that my “kind wasn’t wanted here.”.

Months before this eviction, someone filed a false police report against me. I was detained for four days, never saw a judge, never spoke to a lawyer, and then released with all charges dropped because nothing was true.

But the stigma was used as fuel against me.

They Boarded Up My Home and Took Everything From Me

When things escalated in court, under pressure and without a lawyer, I signed a stipulation I believed would give me a path forward. Instead, they added nearly $1,000 in late fees—fees created entirely because they refused my rent.

Then they locked me out.

They boarded up my doors and windows. They made my home look abandoned, which now puts it at risk of being broken into or vandalized.

Inside that boarded-up home are:

My luthier tools and workshop equipment

All my guitars and materials for customer projects

My clothes

My notes, evidence, and court documents

Every personal item I own

My mother’s ashes

I am standing outside the place I paid off with my own hands, forbidden from entering or retrieving anything—not even the urn containing my mom.

I cannot earn money because my entire business is locked inside behind plywood and screws.

Thanksgiving Will Come, and I’ll Be Locked Out With No Family

I have no relatives to stay with. No one to take me in. I will be without a home, without income, without my belongings, and without even the ability to prepare for court.

This is happening because of a $20 difference on a month where I had already paid most of the rent—and because these mistakes were ignored and repeated.

I Have the Proof, but I Need Legal Representation

I have:

Every money order

Proof of payments

Proof of submitted rent

Documentation of the mis-applied LGS discount

Copies of my appeals

Evidence of procedural errors

A pending case in the California First District Court of Appeal

The facts are on my side. But without a lawyer, the system does not listen.

The property owners have an attorney. I do not. And while they have full access to documents, records, and resources, I cannot even get inside my home to get my own evidence.

What the Funds Will Be Used For

Every dollar will go toward:

Attorney fees for eviction defense and appellate representation

Filing fees, court costs, and transcript fees

Emergency access and storage if I can recover my belongings

Temporary housing during the lockout

Replacing essential tools if the property is damaged while boarded up

Basic survival expenses while I am unable to work

I am not asking for extras. I’m asking for the ability to survive and fight a battle I should never have been forced into.

Why I Need Help Now

This eviction has taken my home, my belongings, my income, and my security.

I don’t want pity. I want fairness.

I want a chance to fight back.

I want the truth to matter.

Your help—whether a donation or simply sharing this page—could be the difference between losing everything and having a fighting chance.

Thank you for reading my story.

Thank you for standing with me.

Thank you for helping me fight to get my home, my livelihood, and my dignity back.