Squatters In Nyc Essay Research Paper The

Squatters In Nyc Essay, Research Paper

The Hidden Homeless

Have you ever dreamed of living in a house for free? You wouldn t have to pay the rent, and have yourself a roof over your head, and have more money to spend on things you would otherwise have to spend for a tiny piece of apartment. Think of it this way: isn t housing a right for everyone? As prices soar, the chances of finding affordable housing and low rents in NYC is nearly impossible and housing projects are rapidly getting filled up. In conditions like these, having nowhere else to go, people decide to occupy run down dilapidated houses owned by the government or long lost owners. These are our squatters, or the people that illegally reside in NYC s abandoned houses. NYC is full of empty buildings ranging from totally destroyed shells all the way to OK shape. In our city alone, there are at least forty squatted homesteads. Ten squats in the Brooklyn, 12 in the Bronx, and the remaining 18 in Manhattan.

Many squatters choose to be silent and not talk about squatting to interviewers and the news media for fear of providing over-sensationalized accounts that would get them into trouble or show them in the worst image. Also, people, especially squatters, don t like to be treated as animals in a zoo for show and tell only. Though most of them choose to maintain an existence hidden from strangers and mainstream society, squatters are becoming a large and growing class of residents settling the land without a title. Unfortunately, squatters hold very little legal recognition and the only way they can keep their houses, or squats, is by helping each other to be organized and seeking support which is essential in order to organize crucial repairs and to resist harassment and evictions from landowners and other legal occupants.

Squatting, or acquiring illegal property itself is a type of movement. People choose to become squatters for many reasons. Even though people mainly choose to be squatters because of economic hardships, some decide to be squatters due to their anger against the system of unjust laws. Other reasons include teenage rebellion, or simply activists believing that that people should have a right to land or abandoned run down houses if they live in them and maintain them properly. Squatters believe that the ownership of a building is established by use, and shouldn t only be controlled by a bunch of property and possession laws written on mere sheets of paper.

Squatter activist Seth Tobocman told me that he chose to be a squatter since it was one of the most dynamic movements to change society in the 1980 s. People who were squatting were redistributing property to the needy instead of waiting forever for the government to place them in a housing system meanwhile they went homeless.

By living in a squat with other people, he learned of the ability of power people hold within themselves when occupying a space or territory. For example, if you are shopping in a store and the store decides to close yet you don t want to leave, think of the power you hold just by occupying that amount of space with your being in the store while refusing to leave. They cannot shoot you and drag you out. They have to go through all the legal business of calling cops and attorneys and what not.

It is the same situation with squatters. If well organized and strong, squatters will choose to stay in the building when forced to evict and fight for their right to live in the squat. Unfortunately, not always do they win either when faced with a stronger body than they. A victory for squatters, for example an adverse possession law on a building is a loss of the title of squat, but rather a resident legal building. However, loss at court can also mean a political victory for squatters through the eyes of the public. A perfect example of resistance is the 13th street eviction. The tension is so thick it can be cut with a knife on East 13th street in NYC s Lower East Side Paul DeRienzo stated. On August 13, 1996, on the breaks of early dawn, squatters knew they would be facing eviction in building # 535, 537, and 537 on east 13th street even though they were given no warning. As riot cops poured onto the scene, some squatters barricaded themselves so well in their squats that the cops had to break the floor from underneath in order to get in. Others tried to fight the almighty cops, but that was to no avail. Despite the resistance by the squatters, activists, and neighborhood supporters against eviction, they lost their war and were evicted as powerful riot cops moved into the scene like beasts trying to destroy squatters belongings and demolish the buildings on which the squatters worked on and upheld for the past decade. This case was taken to court as squatters sought adverse possession (A law giving title to squatters who live in abandoned property while making significant improvements on that property for a period of 10 or more years). However, due to the lack of factual evidence of living in the building for 10 or more years, squatters lost the battle and the homes were demolished to make room for a low- income housing project.

Even today, as I am writing this report, squatters are defending their homesteads and properties. Squatters don t only protect houses. There is also a Garden Coalition which protects some of the Lower East Sides most colorful gardens that once used t