May 21, 2009
Squatter group takes on vacant properties
The apparently Richmond-based Squat 2 Own has been putting signs on vacant houses around the area encouraging people to move in and claim the house. The group also has a website that maps foreclosed homes in the Richmond area and invites folks to “go ahead and move in”. You can even become an agent for the group.
28 Responses to “Squatter group takes on vacant properties”
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Great…this group should be arrested. Because it is encouraging people to break the law, even facilitating it.
There are numerous cases nation wide where squatters get injured on a property then sue the landlord.
What?!
I was outraged until I read the disclaimer: “This is a satirical site intended for entertainment purposes only. If you are a poor or homeless person and were considering breaking the law to house yourself and/or your family, please immediately resume sleeping on the street or working three jobs just to make the rent.”
we’ve got more vacant houses than we know what to do with in this city…it’s getting out of control! if someone wants to move in and take care of a place, i’m all for it. responsible squatters are way better than abandoned crime-ridden eyesores.
Which is more ethical: to obey an unjust law or to break it?
There was a “mission statement” of sorts for this group posted somewhere today (RTD?). The group seems ticked off at banks and the city for allowing homes to sit vacant.
I actually agree that the city should be MUCH more agressive in going after properties are are neglected / abandoned and seizing / selling them as necessary to folks who will actually move in and take care of the proerties.
However, encouraging SQUATTERS to move in is a whole lot of bogus. I wonder if any of the group members live in the neighborhoods where they are encouraging squatting.
There was a self appointed “realtor for the homeless” in miami that garnered national news attention. He would actually connect homeless people with empty houses to squat in. And his houses were not the derelict hood homes we see all around us, they were nice but vacant properties in forclosure and such.
This is the same group that squatted in Oliver Lawerence on 2900 Montrose Ave a few months ago.
If I see any of their signs over here in Battery Park I will take them. I they are setting it up as a joke but they are telling people how to squat.
This group needs to clean up their own house. They have junk piled up on their front porch. This nieghborhood has no use for them.
What happened to the concept of *property rights*?
These stinking commies should move to North Korea or the PRC. Get the hell out of the US, please.
What are our (more legitimate) options when folks don’t take care of their houses. Is there someone with the city that we can file complaints with until the problems are corrected?
The house in the pic actually looks relatively nice. Aren’t those new energy efficient windows upstairs?
Their website is down.
A thorough read of their website clearly shows that they encourage responsible squatting, giving detailed descriptions of many required maintenance issues common to derelict houses.
Most of the new homeless are previous homeowners and professionals who simply happened to be less lucky than the rest of us when the recession hit. Gaining tenants like these -who will improve and maintain foreclosed properties- is clearly a better option than the alternative: dereliction, condemnation, and the vagrants, vandals, and gangs that trash vacant properties and/or turn them into drug dens.
Civil disobedience is one of the oldest and most basic fundaments of social reform, in the U.S. especially. In a city with so many empty homes and so many people in real need of shelter, the logical answer can only win out with an empowered and informed populace.
It seems some don’t get it. There are plenty of property owners who are doing nothing with their properties which is their right but they have to maintain them which they are not doing. The Squatting site is to make a point not to encourage squatting. One of these Abandoned places could make someone a nice home with some work but that will not happen with neglectful property owners.
One possibility that would help deal with neglectful landlords and other problems is landlord licenses. Landlords are forced to pay for licenses for their property and if there are problems they get demerits. Too many demerits and they get licenses pulled and may lose property. The City could even make a few bucks off a licensing program and put the proceeds to work for affordable housing.
anonymous, I have read their website. They the bank is hold houses and not making them available to sell. But everyone of your houses have a for sale sign in the front yard and realtor lock box.
It health and safey issue. Many times when vacant house catch fire it is cause of squatters. Sometimes those fire spread to the nieghbors house.
This is not civil disobedience this is theft. In our area we will be watching those vacant houses for any squatters.
Okay, I read their website and it was definately sarcastic. They had a picture of bandana-clad young people carrying marijuana plants!! Come on!
Hey, most of us have to pay rent or a mortgage. If those young folks are serious, which I doubt, they need to just go live with their parents if they think they don’t need to pay rent.
Tiny, this is the same group that squatted one of Oliver Lawerence house.
One of the houses that they have on their list as being foreclosed on, is not, and he is just trying to sell the house.
So if you know anyone that is on their list. They can go down to police percient and fill out a No Trespressing form. And if the police see anyone proptery at anytime that not suppose to be there. The police can arrest them.
Paul Bearer of Sheer Terror once said “Squatter’s rights! I’ll give ‘em a right , a left and a kick to the fuckin’ head!” Pay your rent like every other decent American.
If you would look a little closer they write VERY CLEARLY at the bottom that they are making a JOKE. see the FINE PRINT… as for what they are doing in response to Oliver Lawrence, well he deserves what he gets, for the man is a scum bag.
Squatting takes a couple of years to do I had a former employer own his house but he squatted it as well so if someone put a lean on the place he could not be kicked out. He was a tad crazy but last I heard of him he was smart because the IRS tried to take his place and could not being a squatted owned house.
Wait until one of these stupid signs turns up on YOUR block, then we will see how funny you think these losers are.
Better signs than the real thing because they have a new scam where someone finds an abandoned home and tears down all the signs.Change the locks then rent or sell it to some unsuspecting mark who is caught trespassing after a few days.
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Though I think this site is a joke, there were people doing this up here. As long as these people are going for houses like Lawrence’s and other slack home owners more power to them, but to trespass on a property that is just foreclosed on or lock-box vacant is just taking advantage of someone else. Besides, no matter what they do to improve the house, they will never own it. I’m checking the books, but I’m pretty sure I’ve stumbled across squatter laws and it would take 20 years of squatting in the state to own it — city laws could be totally different.
#5:
Which is more ethical: to obey an unjust law or to break it?
Specifically, which law is unjust in this scenario?
I don’t think it’s funny, but I bet the creators of the web site think so. It is NOT connect with Mo Kairns and the other people who squatted in Northside. That group, by the way, was kicked out charged with trespassing.
Houses for Free? (Style Weekly 5/26/2009)