On the evening of Thanksgiving 2020, Angelenos watched as formerly unhoused families occupying CalTrans-owned houses in El Sereno were forcibly evicted by California Highway Patrol officers during a tense, hours-long standoff. The activists, part of the group "Reclaim and Rebuild Our Communities," didn't remain in the properties for long, but their protest made their demand loud and clear—they wanted the long-vacant homes to be turned over to community ownership, by way of a community land trust. COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP Community land trusts, or CLTs, are non-profit organizations that scoop up affordable housing stock before it gets into the hands of speculators, in order to keep it permanently affordable.