We lived in the ‘happiest place in America’ for 16 years. Then our new frat house neighbors terrorized us

The quaint California town Oprah once dubbed ‘the happiest place in America’ has been plagued by a deluge of feral frat boys hellbent on causing neighborhood carnage. 

Located on the coast roughly halfway between the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles, scenic San Luis Obispo is known in part for being the home to the California Polytechnic State University. 

But the peaceful coexistence between students and residents has degenerated into disputes over noise complaints, vandalism and shocking harassment caught on camera. 

Kathie and Steve Walker, who have lived in the picturesque Alta Vista neighborhood of the city with their children for 16 years, said their lives have been ruined by rowdy college students who have occupied dozens of homes on their once-peaceful street. 

‘It’s been an absolute nightmare,’ stay-at-home-mom Kathie, 61, told the DailyMail.com. ‘I love our city, but it has been ruined by the fraternities that have overtaken the neighborhood.

‘They have these things called “dayges” – a daytime rager. Hundreds of people fill the backyards, and they bring in waterslides and DJs and porta-potties. These things last for several hours into the night, for around four days each week.’ 

The longtime resident compared her situation to Neighbors, a 2014 comedy featuring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron centering on a married couple’s battle against a fraternity after they move in next door. 

‘It’s like that, but on steroids,’ she said. 

Kathie said Cal Poly students pack Alta Vista’s tiny streets, carrying boomboxes blasting loud music across the valley often until around 4 am. 

She said the worst-offending frat boys come from Delta Epsilon, Kappa Sigma and Phi Sigma Kappa. 

Alarming videos posted by frat members online illustrate her point – showing thousands of students swarming multiple backyards while stomping on rooftops and drinking beer.

Other clips show students rampaging through corridors where the walls have been badly damaged, with large shards of drywall littered across the floors. 

All the while, beautiful green rolling hills and sandy beaches punctuated by towering peaks like the Cerro San Luis Obispo mountain frame the carnage. 

Kathie is a fourth-generation resident in the city, and a Cal Poly graduate herself. She said that while she respects the students’ prerogative to party, the low-density zoning in her neighborhood does not permit fraternity houses.

On top of this, Kathie said she has endured cyber stalking and shocking targeted harassment by some frat boys, as caught on camera. 

Security footage captured from the front of their home in June 2024 shows two partygoers screaming obscenities at Kathie after she walked out of her home to check what was causing noise in the middle of the night. 

After a brief pause, one frat boy could be heard screaming toward the house: ‘Hey, Kathie Walker, get f—ed’. 

‘F–k you, Kathie Walker,’ another said. ‘Hey, if your name’s Kathie Walker. You’re a b—h. Suck my d—, b—h… Big-t—ied, gray-haired s–t. Kill yourself.’

The couple said they frequently endure this kind of harassment, and have been told several times that they ‘don’t belong’ in the neighborhood they have called home for the last 16 years. 

‘I’m tired a lot, and it’s stressful. It gives me anxiety when they post my name on social media and tell people to come to my house. That has been scary,’ Kathie told the DailyMail.com.

The carnage is also threatening the Walkers’ livelihood. ‘My husband is an EMS helicopter pilot. He has to fly around a medical crew and patients,’ Kathie said. 

‘When he doesn’t get to rest because of the parties he has to call in sick, and this impacts our income,’ Kathie added. 

The San Luis Obispo resident said the frat boy activities have worsened in recent years, partly due to inaction by officials including Police Chief Rick Scott, who started his tenure in 2021.  

‘He embraces the zero-harm policing method. They don’t really enforce the ordinances as much,’ Kathie said, adding that Scott even told a resident that ‘someone would have to die’ for him to take action against the fraternities. 

‘The police just dismiss them (the frat parties) like they’re not happening,’ she added. 

‘My husband is also an Army veteran who trained in Sandhurst and Zimbabwe. He compares the lack of action by police to the authorities in Zimbabwe.’ 

DailyMail.com has contacted the Chief’s office for comment. 

Meanwhile, city and college authorities seem to be passing the buck. ‘The city council has ignored me,’ Kathie said. ‘They are blaming Cal Poly, but Cal Poly is telling me it’s the city’s responsibility.’

Kathie said the fraternity chaos began as far back as a decade ago, and it has gotten so bad that many longtime residents have felt forced out of their homes. 

‘In 2015, the frats took over the neighborhood,’ she told DailyMail.com. ‘On “St. Fratty’s Day” in March, so many people piled onto a roof that it collapsed. 

‘There were three frats in the city at that time – now there are 60 factions.

‘People have been moving out. One of the city council members who used to be the mayor of the city moved away because of the frats. 

‘She’s a 40-year resident. Her tenants were terrified last year because there were 100 people on the roof and they were afraid it was going to cave in. 

‘The owner went to the police chief last month, and said I’m very worried about St. Fratty’s Day. 

‘He told her that either someone’s going to have to die or there’s going to have to be major property damage for something to happen. The 40-year resident is now selling up.’

Kathie said 2,000 people packed out their town of around 47,000 people for “St. Fratty’s Day” in March 2022. 

This number swelled to 7,000 last year, when the parties got so out of control that students downed power lines and collapsed a sewer on a family home. 

The Walkers are bracing for a deluge of around 10,000 frat boys and sorority girls this year. ‘It’s giving me anxiety,’ Kathie said. 

SLO Code Enforcement recently investigated 17 locations where fraternities are operating in quiet zones designated for single-family homes and two were found to be in violation, city officials told the San Luis Obispo Tribune.  

‘To my knowledge, we have issued one citation related to unpermitted fraternities in the last year,’ Interim Deputy Building Official John Mezzapesa told The Tribune. 

The San Luis Obispo Police Department told The Tribune they receive an average of around two complaints per weekend about the fraternities.