WAUKESHA, Wis. — Residents of the Horizon West Condominiums wanted to commemorate the one-year anniversary of their forced evacuation by gathering together in front of the Waukesha City Hall.

Kathy and Daniel Gonzalez wore pins with pictures of the place they called home for decades. They said the past year has been challenging.

“It’s forever changed our lives,” said Kathy Gonzalez.

“It’s a lot of emotions for us. We thought we would retire in our own home and they kicked us out,” added Daniel Gonzalez.

For Kathy Gonzalez, the moment of finding out they lost their home of 30-plus years is still fresh in her mind.

“We were told that we had 15 minutes to get our stuff out and our kids had gone ahead of us and since they couldn’t reach us, they filled up two laundry baskets with whatever they thought we would need immediately and then we were homeless,” recalled Kathy Gonzalez.

The Horizon West Condominiums Association President Ben Chudy said Friday was the first time they had gotten together as a group since they were forced to go their separate ways.
 
“They were your neighbors. They were your friends,” he said. “You saw each other on a daily basis so to go from friendship, that kind of friendly neighbor kind of feel to nothing and to see each other again, even if it’s under these circumstances means the world.”

Mary and Fran O’Herron also owned their condos at Horizon West.

Fran O’Herron believes it was important to have this gathering at city hall rather than the condominiums to send a message.

“We’re still here and we need some help, getting through, navigating the waters ahead of us,” Fran O’Herron said. “We have a building that the city wants us to take down and we don’t have the money to take it down.”

As the Gonzalezes and other residents continue to try to get back on their feet, Kathy Gonzalez hopes the city can have mercy in their hearts.

“They should try to put themselves in our position,” she said. “How would they feel? How would they handle it?”

In the meantime, the condominium association will continue its appeal with the legal system to relieve some of the financial burden of tearing down the building for the place they used to call home.

They are still fighting an entire calendar year later.