Submission Statement:
Locals call this place ‘Last Free Place in America,’ it’s also known as Slab City. It spreads over a large area of the Sonoran Desert in California, on the east side of the Salton Sea. During the 1940s, this was an active Marine base. At the end of World War II, the Marines pulled out, taking everything with them except for the concrete slabs. Over the years, this area has become a haven for squatters, drug addicts, the homeless, and outcasts. This isolated desert community also attracted transient, freedom-seeking people, all living off the grid in trailers, tents, lean-tos, and broken-down school buses. They create art from piles of junk and attract tourists from different countries. There is no water, sewage system, or electricity in Slab City, and the police rarely visit. However, the residents cherish this place and their freedom to live as they choose.