Squatting

[DK]

What your view on squatting/squatters?

Are they wrong by living in a buliding that is owned by someone, but un inhabited?

Does squatting cut down on urban decay because they are fixing up old, decaying buldings, by doing things like fixing the roofs and trying to bring them up to code?

Is squatting a good way for the poor to move forward, because they don't have to pay rent?

In the US at least, squatting has decreased a lot in the 10 or so years.
It seems like almost all old abandoned buildings, or at least in my area have been turned into expensive trendy aparments...

[andrew_carter]

I don't know what it's like over there, but in Australia I don't think squatting is quite as common as there aren't as many abandoned buildings. Although generalising is always a risky thing I think that most homelessness (at least here) can be traced back to failure, on the government's part, to prevent its causes. So rather than complaining about squatters, goverments should take a look at why they're there in the first place. I'm not just talking about poor employment and housing as the causes either...

I have a feeling we're going to hear of a lot of people saying that they should simply stop squatting and get a job! :(

Andrew

[ThisGuyIKnow]

I think Amsterdam has the best rules on Squatting, if a building is vacant more than a year, it becomes the property of whoever moves in.

This mostly just keeps people from leaving their buildings vacant

[Borges]

This was made by squatters. (http://christiania.org/folderus/)

[musketman]

i think they should stop squatting and get a job

[s7ev0]

I can't squat any more because I have fluid on my knee.


Serious answer: squatting is fine in principle.

Idealistic answer: property is theft.

[DK]

i think they should stop squatting and get a job
most squatters have jobs, fool

[boo radley]

how could they have jobs? surely squatting takes up all their time

[BillyTheMountain]

Many NYC squatters were ultimately given the building, or had to pay $1.00 for it.

These were buildings that had ultimately become city property through the original owners failure to pay taxes, etc.

I wish I had been so industrious and adventurous.

Billy

[leo]

how could they have jobs? surely squatting takes up all their timeSound like you're experienced. Guarding your squat takes for sure 24/h a day!




I think Amsterdam has the best rules on Squatting, if a building is vacant more than a year, it becomes the property of whoever moves in.

This mostly just keeps people from leaving their buildings vacantI don't know who told you that. But it's not that easy. Once you can proof the building was empty for over a year, the squat was legal. At that point you are living there with full rights, and you can not be kicked out (if no other complications urgent reasons are arising). Still the owner is the owner, but you can ask the city counsel to buy or conviscate the house from the owner, and meanwhile only hope that after all the legal battle's you are getting the final rent-contract to live there. The succes-rate for above scenario is on all squating in The Netherlands I aim at less than 1%. Still there is a couple of houses, buildings and sites on top locations squated for over 25 years.

The squat-law was made right after WW-II, as there was a big demand for houses, and the middle and upperclass was taking benefit of it.

In the 80'ies some streets were almost entirely squatted.
It all escalted in 1983. I remember being in Amsterdam when it started.
It ended like in heavy and very strong protests, or better said a war, with the army shooting at civilians (http://www.studiokoning.nl/Foto_15/Overtoom_2.htm) (I say a civilian war).

In todays lack of space (very small country) the problem is again rising fast. And like I predicted squating is getting more and more popular again.



To get back to the poll. There is squatters and there is squatters. In Amsterdam I'm not happy with most (druggies from Spain/Italy, just looking for a couple of months free space). The serious squatters I appreciate very much. Have you aver seen a canal-house that was birdhouse for 30 years? (I did. Many piguin shit!). Most neightbours rather live next to squatters than to a spooky house with rats and bats.

[BillyTheMountain]

Sound like you're experienced. Guarding your squat takes for sure 24/h a day!.

You just lock the door, like everybody else.

[James_Potter]

I feel kinda dumb now, but...whats squatting?

[Gilby]

I feel kinda dumb now, but...whats squatting?
Occupying abandoned or unoccupied space you do not own or rent.

[James_Potter]

Occupying abandoned or unoccupied space you do not own or rent.
ohhh, gotcha.
I think it should be okay...as long as the building doesn't really belong to anyone, its not like the squatters are vandalizing the place, they're just using it to sleep in. and I think thats a perfectly fine use.

[BillyTheMountain]

ohhh, gotcha.
I think it should be okay...as long as the building doesn't really belong to anyone, its not like the squatters are vandalizing the place, they're just using it to sleep in. and I think thats a perfectly fine use.

Usually they are fixing it up, adding yards of PVC pipe for plumbing, stealing electricity from the light pole out front, painting, bringing in drywall, and working hard to make a nice home.

[leo]

stealing electricity from the light pole out frontOnly dumb squatters do, the smarter just connect to the net, and nobody will look after the meter (or often put the meter upside down -if there is any-).
In NL you can have an anonymous contract for water/gas/electricity. Or just pay the estimated amount to the owner -wether he likes or not-. As [a] stealing is a crime, and [b] as long the end-user pais, you may not be disconnected. When legalizing your squat, any not-stealing method helps better than the stealing options.

So when you find out a squat is using the stealing method you directly also know they are the kind of squatters that is squatting just because they don't like to pay for anything at all.

[GUI]

It's fine if the squatter cannot afford housing and/or have already tried to rent.

[Naomi]

I think Amsterdam has the best rules on Squatting, if a building is vacant more than a year, it becomes the property of whoever moves in.




I am gonna go around all your garages, and look for a dusty unused giraffe or coker.

[andrew_carter]

Here in Australia we have a magazine called "The Big Issue" (http://www.bigissue.org.au/) which is sold on the streets by homeless or unemployed people. There's a piece on squatting in the issue I bought today. Thought some of you might be interested. It's a fantastic magazine.

Andrew

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[podzol]

I have been a squatter!

Long story, but suffice it to say I found my self in a new town, no money, no roof over my head and a truckload full of my belongings!

My options:
1. sell my stuff (musical instruments, art books, and art)
2. dancing
3. squatting


I chose option three. An old abandoned warehouse at the end of a road. I drove my truck in, set up camp. I slept in a tent in the warehouse. Showered at the Y, ate very frugally. I did this until I landed a job, and therefore had a phone and address, and soon thereafter things picked up and I was able to rent a studio with heat and running water.

I'm all for it.

My new studio was, however, in a bad neighborhood and one night my car was vandalized, all the windows knocked out. Same neighborhood where those kids punched me. I didn't have the money to fix it right away, so it sat there with bags duct taped to it for a couple of weeks.

One morning people kept coming by my studio saying "someone is in you car someone is in your car!!"

I went down to the lot and there was a homeless man snoozing in there. He woke up and was terrified!! I calmed him down. We made a deal that if he kinda look out for the car and scared off any more punks that wanted to beat it again, he could stay there when I wasn't using it. It worked out quite well.

That's my slant on squatting. It saved me from losing all my stuff and resorting to less virtuous ways of life. No harm was done to anyone.

[BillyTheMountain]

I have been a squatter!

Long story, but suffice it to say I found my self in a new town, no money, no roof over my head and a truckload full of my belongings!

My options:
1. sell my stuff (musical instruments, art books, and art)
2. dancing
3. squatting

A Dancing Girl!!? EEK!

Option #4: You could have been a clown!

Looks like the guy was squatting in your car, too.....

Happy Holidays!

Billy

[Seager]

I am gonna go around all your garages, and look for a dusty unused giraffe or coker.

The difference is that these building are out in the public eye, often getting run down. A better analogy would be if I left my coker on a bike rack for 6 months, using up the space and letting it get destroyed by the weather It'd be fine if you "stole" it. Obviously I don't care about it.

[andycookuk]

All people that voted "no" should go to any post industrial city (nearly any city in Yorkshire, Sheffield, England) and then vote. I have not doubt that there are hundreds of places just the same.

[MrBoogiejuice]

I've stayed in squats in Barcelona. Good squats can be really positive places. In Barcelona there's a sort of skill sharing network throughout the city with different workshops in different squats and people are encouraged to run their own in return for use of the squat. The one I was in had a vegetable garden that everyone helped run and fruit and veg were left at the gates for other people in the neighbourhood to help themselves to.

I revived this thread as my mate sent me a picture from a squat near him in Paris which I thought you may like.