Will Slab City Remain the Last Free Place in America
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- čas přidán 13. 04. 2015
- Slab City is like the Wild West. It’s remote - in the brutal Imperial Valley desert. There’s no mayor, no city council, no stoplights. People have lived there for decades. They are squatters on state-owned land. They call it the last free place in America. KPBS reporter Angela Carone says Slab City’s free spirit is being challenged, and it may change the place forever. KPBS video journalist Katie Schoolov was also in Slab City to produce this story.
Read more: www.kpbs.org/news/2015/apr/14/...
I work for the local transit company, and ive been there at night to take riders back. Its hella dark, but the slab people are very respectful they dont act rude with strangers or outsiders!! Nice people
what is hella is that slang , mexican or what?
"Hella" = Nor.Cal. slang meaning ALOT, OR WAY.
I stayed 3 week's in slab city everyone was just a humble group of people no one bothered me never got robed and i did enjoy hanging out with the people of slab city
Dude do you think it's good.now
For a place with no electricity Thry got allot of lights and things electricity makes work. How are they doing that? Someone contact Johnny Depp. I bet he’d help.
@@gracieg7601 He'd turn it into effing Palm Springs
You never got robed wow maybe you belong in a place where having no education is common go back there you definitely fit in lol
Slab city should be left alone .Those with no where else to go should have a place to go.
bubba2974 leave it alone it's a breeding ground for rats. you can be down and out but you don't have to be a fucking slob. all the garbage in the shit and everything else around there. the name of the place should be slob City.
How does that affect you?
Every free place should pay for its freedom! If we pay for them, they have to go where we tell them to. Homeless shelters!
Then nuke it.
Property ownership means property taxes - and how will that be handled?
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. JJ
Would actually be Kris Kristofferson... J Joplin was only one of many who sang it...
Harold Whitt Very cool. Didn’t know that! I’ve never heard another version. I sang that as a lullaby to my son when he was a baby.
@@Boudica1313 Willie Nelson does a pretty good job of it on the album "Willie sings Kristofferson " that was the first version I heard as a kid.
You should check out Townes Van Zandt one of the greatest song writers ever...
@@Boudica1313 czcams.com/video/eqWr1W8aYAw/video.html
Harold Whitt That was really good! I tell ya though, I like Willie, but I always thought Kris Kristofferson was better. I felt he was really underrated as a singer. I can’t believe I didn’t know Bobby McGee was his song. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Its probably more cost effective to allow those folks to live out there than it would be to provide shelters for them.
...
Penelope Snopes The problem being....no one provides a place for those in need...our inner cities are proof of that!
Penelope Snopes Force them to contribute to society like the rest of us. These people DO find a way to get money from taxpayers. I've seen a dozen documentaries. Some of them have enough food to get obese and get high and even go on vacations.
Lazy, useless people exist and Slab City is where they want to live.
Penelope Snopes exactly,but as usual it's always about politics and control.
It politics and control that prevents human garbage from taking responsibility for their selfs? And i thought it was just them being Shitstains on the crochless panties of society .
Just leave the place alone, those people are happy there, let em live....
ok, but cut off the s.s.and welfare first .
Cvoorhees the people who get stabbed and shot at aren’t having fun
I haven't got stab,if ur not steal are being ass ur good u get down wrong then u get what u get.Most of us just living our lives.I was homeless because I got turned down,i have crohns disease i spent every dime had to get that hearing,living on the streets in phx AZ 83 and thunderbird i was arrested and thrown in jail.never heard of this place,thank God for it.So before u start running ur mouth come do 2 summers,ill give u a bike.my name is charlie I own bills bike shop...this summer was brutal we lose 5 people every summer since I arrived 2018.Im a true slaber I take pride in that,dont listening to people that support nothing.come to bike shop ill show the community thing.peace
Once you come out from under the radar, you are targeted.
Exactly they're not bothering anyone. The only people that have trouble probably have it coming.
this place exists cause of necessity not choice! it's a last stop for these people, just leave them alone and wish them the best or be the one that can help them out, but don't judge them. We are all human beings just trying to make our way in the world.
Dirt Dont Hurt Very well put! My favorite comment so far...
Dirt don't hurt FUCK YOU! YOU'RE ILLEGAL DON'T CROSS SIMPLE
Dirt don't hurt Sorry wrong video
Dirt Dont Hurt necessity ? You would have to prove that to me. And even if you get back to me. I still wouldn’t believe you. Unfortunately people lie. I see people there that may get a pension or social security. I understand the freedom aspect of it. But. I also see people who are young and strong and very capable of working. I also see people who are drinking booze and smoking weed. Not a problem in the world. Sleeping on old rotten couches full of bugs and spiders and roaches.
awesome comment!
Once you own it, you're back in the game.
You'll be paying taxes. Government will start dictating how you maintain it.
You are right back in to the system. The same system you yearned to get away from.
Precisely. Those who wish to take possession of it should be aware of the strings.
I think there are A few there that want to get back in the game, make money off others. There's always going to be greed. Even people with nothing want to take from others with nothing.
That's a strange way of looking at it since it's already government land and it's because of the government they're allowed to live there in the first place. They're already at the mercy of the state of California. There hasn't been any free land in the U.S. for hundreds of years. Land always belongs to someone.
Well they are mostly meth heads so They don’t think they just do!
I can't say I blame any of em for wanting to disconnect from societal expectations. It seems like a place where I'd fit in.
This video makes The Slabs appear to be all 'live and let live' and 'peace, man'.
But having watched numerous videos from vloggers who've been there, common occurrences seem to be getting attacked by the semi-wild packs of dogs that roam around the place, having your belongings stolen in the night, and getting into potentially serious confrontations with unpredictable tweakers.
Oh, and the threat of having your whole camp set alight if you upset the wrong people.
I'd like to go, just to see the place for myself, but it'd have to be with at least one other person I knew I could rely on in a tight spot.
I still have scars from dog attack. 🐕 No it's not free or lawless. Imperial county sheriff patrols regularly and you either have a way to support yourself or you steal, or opt for handouts. Many people there are drug addicted and that's why they stay. They are not cool, free, or any different than the homeless on city streets. I've had some wonderful experiences there and enjoyed many of the people and now I'm having great moments somewhere else. I just got tired of the constant battle to protect my goods from thieves and cons. If you have anything, there really is an attitude of "you need to SHARE or you're not cool." I've never been cool 😎 and do not hold that concept as a personal value.
@@TrishCanyon8 The hell with that place, the government needs to drop the A-bomb on that nightmare, of course after they evacuate everybody out.
Its not actually like that.Don't actually just believe what you see in some shitty vlog.
LET'S GO THEN...I'M 6'6 AND READY FOR ACTION LOL
Nobody wants pussies around
I like the prom idea never went to mine either 😪
I’ve watched a lot of Slab City (it deserves capitals) videos, and I think we need a place like that. I just wish it had good water and sewerage. That’s all. People can do good if they have clean water and good sewer disposal.
The water truck driver is doing okay.
Good water, sewage service, and sanitation costs. That's what taxes can cover, but they don't want to be taxed. So the citizens need to head-up/make their own services available, which takes some research, hard work, and time. And most of those workers and contributors will want compensation via monies or bartering/trade. That's how a more advanced (clean & healthy) society functions. Taxes are only a bad thing, when what you must contribute is excessive to your personal or community needs.
@@leannemo7382 they are next to a military firing range, which means there will never be any permits to build there. The site isn't fit for human habitation. Also, since it's next to a firing range, it's just a glorified toxic waste dump. Those rounds the military are firing are made from depleted uranium. and then there's its proximity to the giant toxic mistake that is the salton sea.
slab city is a hellhole that been lied about so much that people actually believe the bullshit story that it's "the last free place".
Damn greedy government! Leave them alone,always wanting to control.
I just caught it after watching this video over and over. The narrator says "Lynn Brights, Late husband Builder Bill helped name Slab City the last free place on earth" first of all Lynn Brights late husband is not Builder Bill but Mike Bright may he rest in peace. He was my friend!
No she said HER HUSBAND ALONG WITH BILL SAID THAT. LISTEN AGAIN
This particular video on slab city was touching. Revealing people like builder Bill and what he had to say along with other people who lost their jobs or were displaced as well as its description of some of the problems with the sewage and garbage and threats that could occur due to any group that claims the land and lays down rules, laws, fees, fines while you can see that many people their have no place else to go and not much to live on. So God help them, and God bless them cuase its a desert and a jungle out there for them with the other stories I see and hear about the rough crowds, theft, and vandalism. It would be nice to think of a place where there are no laws and rules that conflict or that are made to chase people who either want to or have to live on what they have without driving themselves crazy just trying to pay high rent with nothing else left. But what is most inspiring is that in the midst of all this they have the ability to make the best of it somehow. The part about prom night was also touching.
Some Slab people have talked about Buying Slab City...Problem: Once you buy the property, you are responsible for bringing it all up to code...expensive! many, many years of garbage, human waste, burnt out vehicles, etc. There are also LAWS regarding number of people that can "camp" there and there are requirements for sanitation (running water, electricity, garbage pick up, etc). The soil is toxic with waste. I agree there need to be numerous "homeless" camps for homeless all over the US...something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. I mean, just how much "more" can you take from people that have NOTHING? It is absolutely absurd that the USA has so many homeless yet, no camps for people to at least live in the barest, basic way.
I agree. Every state should be compelled to provide one square mile for all those who want to live this way. It would cost any state almost nothing to do so and would actually SAVE them millions -- see my longer post above for the details.
Let them live in peace just as they are.
No interference.
I lived here from Sept. 2018 to Nov 2018 in front of Spiders place at Bonanza. Good folks that are just trying to live.
Slab city now streches from San Diego to Seattle
That made me laugh... Good job
I am a retired DAV and have lived in Yuma. I would like to move to the Slabs from the Tampa area. Hopefully next year.
It's 2019 now. Did you ever go??
The vibe I'm feeling from looking at slab city and hearing about it reminds me of my childhood. The hot sun, not worrying about anything, just being able to lie there all day.
I like how sweet and innocent her voice is as she speaks of the cesspool of America.. Tweakers woman beaters criminals on the run... You just go there and see how friendly they are... I figure it's like putting fly bait out.. You dont put it on you picnic table, other wise all that shit flies show up. Keep the bait way way out back.... Trust me you have no idea... They lay and eat in their own filth...
I say if they keep it kept up and clean , let freedom ring !
as soon as someones buys this land they will have to pay property taxes and start charging rent.
P.S. Thanks for the video.
I'm glad those that want to be there, have that place.
Check out jade helm 15?any similarity on the time frame!!?
The bureaucracies have ruined the county I live in here in Virginia. I have been traveling down the road where it’s more rural trying to find a place of rest, hoping it doesn’t take dying to get it done.
No bars of soap or push up deodorants were injured in the making of this video.
#savage
One of the most widespread freedoms seems to be freedom fromcombs and hair brushes. LOL
@@ghostofreagan3181 LOL GOOGLE BEA ARTHURS TITS
It occurs to me that Bea Arthuers character "Maude"could have taken down Trump years ago. If only there was more justice in this world.
This reminds me of Mad Max the movie.
The Mesa in New Mexico is similar to Slab City.. Both interesting, both a necessity.
Nine mile hill guey
I could smell that place from here dude!!!!!😀😀😀
2019 they're still out there so I guess they won
Lol but look at the prize
this sounds like home. i really need to move there
Plus they shave everyones head on one side, god knows what that is about.
MrMac5150 or i dont believe in property tax. What a piggy i am
MrMac5150 wow, so what you are telling me is....me driving to a place, park my trailer, and i have nothing to worry about is bad. by the way look up who owns slab city anyways.
aint nobody stoppin you
I'm wi u unkle ace
God bless them all
There is no such thing as true freedom so long as there is more than one person on this earth and what you do affects others.
I wish you guys the best of good luck
Scab city is dirty. It would be nice if they just picked up after one another.
Richard longo you mean crack city..lol
Richard longo. It’s because they are a bunch of drug addicts and drunks who don’t give a damn. It is a dangerous place. Children should not be allowed to go there. Bad things happen when drugs and alcohol is the common denominator
They try but with no garbage truck where do you put it?
@@Rollimggiant I suspect most don't have the ability to reason but it is simple in my reasoning mind. That box of beer that was carried in can be taken out and returned for a deposit refund and the cardboard burned. That rear axle they need for their vehicle can be brought in by itself. No need to drag a whole vehicle there for one or two parts, etc.
These slabbers don't get it. Even if they buy it, whoever buys it then has contracted with a bank and then must pay taxes or guess what? It goes back to the bank who IS THE STATE! No one is allowed to own land in America. The land of the Freemason and the home of the depraved. America is a corporation and every inch of land is owned by the bank. Who are the bankers? Do a search for who owns the federal reserve. Slabbers have been living on borrowed time. The destroyers want the entire country to basically become slab cities ... It's a shame but that is the truth of it.
This is a very good point.
Not true
Yeah people are starting to see it tho. It's really depressing when you figure out what's really going down. Kids today don't have a chance. They'll never know what it's like to be free
@@DrLove911 Kids now are born into bondage
I'm coming to visit
I work in El centrol for 4 years, it's hot like hell!
If you worked there at least spell it correctly Putz
Three years since yhis video...what happened with the application to buy it?
Last I heard, they couldn't raise the $3,000 fee required to submit an offer for state consideration. :( But that was as of last winter ('16/'17) so things may have changed since then.
Walk on the left side after dark, you'll wind up playing the harp.
What do you mean left side
It's free because of the radiation
this makes me sad and depressed.
there is a humanitarian law you know?
+rippsnorting thanks for the info...something to avoid for sure!
Wow!
If it was a military base then what did they use for sewer and water
Just because one is poor does not mean that you have to live like a pig. If you are able to bring trash in then you are also able to haul trash out. Your next stop will be a Fema camp with rules and punishments if you abuse and lose slab city.
***** I have seen how the homeless live and have noticed that it is very common to just leave the trash everywhere as though they have the right to do that to the environment. Every one seems to find the way and means to bring the full bags of booze and food and whatever else they have need of to the camp but never have the way and means to haul the empty containers out. I don't live at slab city and it is not my problem, but if I did live there or anywhere as a homeless person I would do my utmost to keep a trash free area .
+Gary Smedley Ikr! I watched another video on this (I did research on this place because of GMM) and they were just throwing trash around every where! You can be poor but you don't need to leave trash around everywhere!!! Also, they don't need trash pickup, can't they simply go to an area that has it and put the trash on a dumpster or something?
People also live by choice, it's not like slab city is a slum. It's a variety of people.
Gary Smedley
Where are they going to throw it away? If you try to throw garbage away in most trash cans you will be arrrsted since you aren't the people or company that owns the garbage can.
Paper, cardboard, and food can be composted. Glass, aluminum, and plastic can be repurposed in many ways. All that metal I saw can be collected and scrapped for profit. There are ways. Poverty and homelessness is not an excuse for squalor. I truly do hope the state leaves these folks alone.
How can i get there
On the way
Feeding on the edge of the "Grid", and clearly, not OFF it.
You should look into what is legal termed “ Adverse Possession”. It seems that the state is becoming open to the sale of the land. Ownership by any means is going to mean someone is going to be paying TAXES. If you’d get ownership through ADVERSE POSSESSION or you by from the state it will still end up meaning you will get TAXED! The other option is to do absolutely nothing and hope that the State does nothing. If I were you I would at minimum be on top of what is going on so you will have some control of your outcome.
"Who want to hire an ugly old man?" At his age, they don't even hire handsome old men with technical skills and advanced degrees!
You say that now, but when you are older, you'll be fighting to stay in the workforce, because no-one will have enough money to retire.
That's for sure ,I'm unable to get employment
I will be praying for those folks who are living out there I think they should leave them alone if anything they should help more people who have nowhere to go they should do a funding for those people to buy that land
yes prayer is sooooo helpful
Sooo . . . how much have you contributed?
Tru not a bourden on society or tax payers like border jumpers from Mexico & how many $ Billion per year?
I really dig what you guys and gals are doing! I hope everything works out for you.
I wonder how many dead bodies are buried out there....
You will find 200K RVs there and people living in nothing and everything in between.
No. No you will not find 200k rvs.
The residents of slab city should implement some type of order. NOT LAW!! but should vote for a mediator unbious of course. Aswell as a social outreach forum , I believe. In order to plant there roots even deeper Because the world is changing Ina way that is going to urge more people to gravitate towards their way of life. I really respect the Slab life style. I should be rich before I leave this life & time but I would love to sponsor a major trash pick up, once every 4 months. Maybe, donate a convoy of used busses quarterly aswell, Maybe, pay wages to a small was the management team. In the hopes that everyones land would be plotted in a more uniformed manner.. Even a salvage yard. Made possible by leftover materials from construction companies or from slabbers doing the demolition work needed in order to construct something else.
Where was the electricity coming from for their prom with the Xmas lights and band music? I thought maybe they have solar panels but I thought you could only use those during the day when the sun is out. Maybe I'm wrong about that.
If only there was some sort of way to capture electric potential energy in some sort of storage device and use it at a later time...
Hi ya I so would do this. After my son's murder in 2005 I've been lost. I lived in a shed now. I've have fixed of up nice. I've always been one to move a lot. Any place I've ever been I've have made it a home. Would love today comes out there and help.
michele horne : You live in a shed? Why don't you go to the housing department and tell them you are homeless? Jeez lady get a life.
Moon Child I have a life. And taken old sheds and building it in to a appointment is what I do. Thank you for your comment... And yes I work and injoy doing what I want to do..
I'm so sorry about your son
Is this near Nude City Jucumba?
Was there in 2004. What happend to the snow birds......
Bless all there soul's..running from peer evil..
I think that is exactly what they say in order to move everyone off the land.
They are now looking into what could be buried there.
They will say it was a dumping site decades ago for the military or something like that. It is unsafe for people to habit there....
I could be wrong ,but I doubt I'm too far off...
Wow, I never knew this place existed until I saw a video about RV'ers looking for the ultimate form of freedom! I wonder if theres a wifi signal out there in the boondocks?
Yes, they have WiFi!
its like purge everyday
I heard it is oppressively hot in mid summer.
Yup 130F I’ve heard
i wanna go there.
Lindsay R for what ? there is nothing good for you there..lol
Been there a couple of times. Not a safe place. There are definitely some really great people but there is an element that are predators.
Fascinating story. Fascinating place. I can't say just why, can't find the words but this place just simply intrigues me. I've watched numerous videos about this place. I feel for those people. They are in a catch-22 situation now. They went there for all the reasons that the place represents. Complete and total freedom from the rules and regulations of the world. No rent, no mortgage, no taxes, no hassles, etc...but, the reality of the human condition has reared its head. You have a group of peole forming a board of directors and those people are assuming authority and attempting to dictate to the rest. Exactly what those people went to that place to escape from. And, the board attempts to justify themselves by asserting that they are doing what they are doing for the good of the community. Totally oblivious to the fact that it is just that kind of thinking that the majority went there to escape from. The remedy for that is for the majority to evict the board members from the community. Drive them away and once again become the Last Free Place in the World. The woman whose husband came up with that phrase should be ashamed of herself. Obviously the clueless woman is not. She just doesn't get that she is participating in the destruction of the entire concept of Slab City and all it represents. Busy body do-gooders are a real and present threat to freedom everywhere it raises its ugly head.
And of course if they don't engage with the rest of the world ,and get some form of permission to live there, the place will prob be bulldozed and everyone moved on , and that's a human condition too , we admire the free thinkers and lifestyles but society eventually swallows them up, destroying what they believed in and what we maybe aspired too and admired.
How may utopias in history have existed and being destroyed? how many cults or off grid religions , how many islands settled or colony's built , only to be swallowed up by humankind .
Lets face it humans really are not the best animal to be running the planet are they?, if not for a freak of nature this earth should be ruled by tigers and lions and sharks etc, while nature balances itself out with prey and predators , the Forrest and pristine rivers , the mighty oceans etc etc.
The earth was a perfect cycle , with everyone and everything in its place ,................ man we a are a screw up.
Really interesting thoughts in here. At first I thought the lady was doing the right thing by taking some responsibility but you've changed my mind. Slab city should be converted to a middle class luxury desert spa. Then the true slabbers can move further east and settle an even less useful area.
al8603cl LOL Don’t go there....
Oh gawd dont let anyone create an HOA there lol
they cant even organize a single place to put their garbage, not sure they are ready for owning anything except a bottle of vodka
They look pretty well fed. Who is buying all the food. Let me guess taxpayers.
Organize a garbage detail and ask for county disposal , if you could clean critical areas it would show the county your good intentions.
ima buy slab city and start charging everybody rent !!!!! hahaha J.K
said they have no electric i ,m guessing solar they need to figure out some decomp situation for sanitation so far many been lucky no hepatidas or worse i wonder how they maintain a food source out there unless your eating off the land youd have to stock up supplies at some near by town but that cost money
Keep it free no rulesw no ownership,everyone is equal
But there are rules for them just like us. County, State and Federal laws apply. I don't know where you got such nonsense that there are no rules. And they certainly are not equal. The group with the most intimidating tactics rule the day to the point of burning you out if you don't leave as was suggested by them.
if the military was out there conducting their business , especially in those days, then up and abandoned it, there might be some sort of contamination out there you wouldn't wanna come across...
They had mentioned that.
Now thats its up for sale maks me very nervous
Clean it up yourself burn what you can recycle
If you ever need a place to go, you are always welcome in Slab City!
Awe
Well done Angela Carone ...
My grandfather was one of the first people to not only find the place but also live there. He passed away back in 1990 but would be proud of of how they're living together and in harmony at his baby....ive personally never been there. Grandad retired from the marines and just took off out there many years ago. We live on the other end of the country so its just not convenient to just up and go to the place. Oh btw....he HATED the name slab city. They called it Joyful Junction. Now that I think about it, it does sound better than slab city. Haha. Hopefully everything will go well but we all know that eventually the gov WILL rain on their parade unfortunately. I think drawing more and more attn to the place by putting vids online is the very big mistake. It brings you to the attn of government officials & they will ALWAYS win in the end.
the government doesn't give two shits if the homeless want to squat in a toxic waste dump, and that's all slab city is.
If they have been living there in an open manner for more than seven years, they already own it. Get a lawyer.
mark ford It's not that simple, in many states you have to pay property tax on it for a certain number of years (generally 5). That's just one of many hurdles.
In my experience in CA, you cannot achieve an “ easement by adverse possession” against a government agency.
You have to actually claim the land as yours, and pay taxes on it for that to stick......
And they can pay real estate taxes on a huge piece of land. Poor bums don't got much money.
Sounds like Crow Town, per McMurtry.
I would buy this place and make an old west style town for them. Let them live for free.
I remember the days 35 years ago when slab city was mostly inhabited by full time “Snowbird” folks. Mostly retirees who lived in well maintained mobile homes. There was little crime that I can remember, nights were quiet and the place was very peaceful. Everyone left in April and the place was pretty much deserted until October. Of course the military planes were always overhead and the Chocolate Mountains shook from 500 LB bombs left over from Vietnam and the scream of rotary barrel machine guns. I don’t remember any graffiti and everyone kept pretty much to themselves. The current conditions there will almost certainly lead to its closure. Too bad
That's pretty much gone.
Long live the Slabs!
All homeless living in LA are moving towards Suberban areas, giving me no other choice but move out further more. I hope all homeless will find the strength to stop doing drugs and if it’s not drugs then whatever the case maybe. I hope they find the strength to find help and start from there.
If these people want to live this way. Fine.
God bless em.
But why anyone would want to live in a crime infested. Drug infested. Filthy. Lawless society is beyond me.
How do they get electricity and who really pays for it?
You know they're having a blast and I'd be willing to bet that started in the 60s from the hippie days.
Buy the land! It’s the only way and get a specialist (I know it’s the desert) to see if there’s ANY fresh ground water nearby and some piping for running water. It’s in humane to expect people to live without and pay for water
I'm frome Moroccan I like slab city
If the slabs becomes privately owned it will at that time be subject to all the regulations that any other private property owners are subject to...that would be the end of slab city. As it stands being owned by the state development will probably not happen as the cost of cleanup would be prohibited, but let it become privately owned, that is a whole different ballgame...
develop is the problem, develop means codes and rent.
Still fighting for freedom..
certainly not the most brutal. Furnace Creek , Panamint are nice places to park awhile too.
I can suggest that since the land if for sale the resident can get together and pick somebody that everybody thrust and put a station to were people can donate what ever they can and make a bank account since a lot of people visit slab city by doing this in a few years you should have the money to buy it after you guys can contiinue to get donations and rent a dubster and recycle make some showers may a water well and make slab city a for rv and people that having trouble make it in life .I think that this have been thru your mine si am thinking it should get started .
In 20 years full of these places full.
Can I mail something to slab city?