Neighbors Helping Neighbors—to Break Into Vacant Houses

[Joanne98]

by Madeleine Baran

Poverty rights activists broke into at least a dozen vacant Minneapolis buildings this week and helped homeless families move in.

"This is the modern underground railroad," said Cheri Honkala, National Organizer for the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, the group organizing the "takeovers."

This week's actions are part of a growing national movement to illegally open up thousands of vacant, foreclosed homes to provide housing for the growing number of homeless people. Over 3,000 Minneapolis homes went into foreclosure in 2008. Advocates estimate that over 7,000 Minnesotans are homeless. Most Twin Cities' homeless shelters have been filled to capacity for months.

On a recent afternoon, organizers planned their next takeover while eating cabbage, rice, sausage, and corn bread prepared by Rosemary, a 59-year-old African American woman facing eviction from her home. Rosemary, who asked that her last name not be used, plans to remain in her house illegally after the March 31 eviction date. In the meantime, she spends her time organizing for tenant's rights.

"Welcome to the revolution," Rosemary said, greeting a homeless couple looking for housing.

Lonnetta and Dwayne took a seat on Rosemary's couch. Dwayne, 52, walking on crutches from a series of recent foot surgeries, explained that he lost his janitorial job in June when he broke his foot. The married couple asked that their last name not be used.

"Welcome to the Revolution!"

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/18-7

[ZombieHorde]

1. I fear that this will not go well.

The fact failing (economically speaking) banks get bailed out while while failing (economically speaking) families do not get bailed out is evidence our government is not cool with poor people.

[dysfunctional press]

2. and i'm sure that once these good people DO get in the vacant houses...

that they don't do anything whatsoever to vandalize or damage the property that belongs to others, that would end up costing real dollars to fix back up to sell later.

right? :shrug:

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. You know as well as I do that the first thing to go is the copper pipes

then the electrical wiring.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Yep--much as I hate to see homeless people suffer, I also don't

want communities full of broken windows, stripped-out copper and fixtures, house fires, meth labs, etc.--recipe for further decay and lowered property values for those that DO pay their mortgages. Sorry, but I'll bet cleaning the toilets and mopping the floors are not on the agenda.

[Two Americas]

14. there ya go

You know how "they" are.

Whaddya think? Tougher law enforcement? More surveillance? Harsher treatment, longer prison sentences? What will it take to protect "us" from "them?"

These people are costing us real dollars. Is there some way to eliminate them permanently? Round them up and put them somewhere or something?

[dysfunctional press]

16. tougher law enforcement will probably be the course of action of choice for many communities...

and at least it gets the indigents three hots and a cot so that maybe they don't feel so much like they have some kind of convoluted "right" to other people's property.

[Two Americas]

24. I wasn't being serious n/t

...

[dysfunctional press]

28. i was.

...

[MineralMan]

3. Similar stuff has been happening in the UK

for a long time. Here, however, in MN, I expect this is not going to end well for the squatters. Unless there is some sort of cooperation with authorities, the legal owners of the properties will probably succeed in evicting them.

In reality, Minneapolis, and Saint Paul, to a lesser extent, has been demolishing empty houses right and left this year. Most are condemned for being uninhabitable, for reasons like stolen copper plumbing, a lack of heating appliances, and water damage due to lack of maintenance.

This process, which I'm not sure is a good one, is putting an end to many of the houses that might have been squatted in. Neighbors of vacant properties are the ones who report them and who insist that they be demolished to protect the neighborhood from squatters who do things like deal drugs or manufacture drugs in vacant properties.

[Royal Sloan 09]

4. k & r, the beginning of ?

:kick: :thumbsup:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

7. How do they get electrical, gas, water services?

They may have a roof, but that doesn't make it habitable.

[TwilightGardener]

8. They probably don't--which is why such activity becomes a public health/safety issue as well.

[here_is_to_hope]

22. Thats actually quite easy.

I squatted in an apartment building for 11 months, I simply called the power company and had the service turned on. Same with the phone and water. They didn't ask for anything special.
The building had 16 units and maybe 10 were 'squats'.
It was finally burned to the ground by the owner so he could build a parking garage.

[crim son]

9. One of our own DUers has had this experience. The house was vacant

and for sale, and squatters moved in. The action isn't a "revolution" it's a "crime."

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Squatters and trespassers also get real testy when you ask them to leave

I've had a few issues and am abut 30 minutes from police assistance.

[crim son]

11. Then you're closer than the woman I mentioned.

It took the police two days; it wasn't a priority. During that time, the squatters somehow were able to afford to have the locks changed!

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. My issue is normally with OHV riders

I live out in the absolute boonies in the CA desert hills. My land is posted and well defined, but it has not always been respected. I put up a gate and they went around it. We would come home and find tailgate parties in progress in my "yard". We had unattended vehicles towed (that got really interesting). Finally I put in a gate at a choke point in the "driveway". Expensive and a maintenance hog, but it seems to have done the job of keep unwelcome visitors out.

[Two Americas]

13. thanks Joanne

It is amazing as the crisis unfolds and conditions worsen to see DU become a bastion of an aggressive and angry faction - authoritarian and conservative, arguing vehemently on behalf of property, power, and privilege. I fear that any attempts by the people to fight back are going to be brutally and violently suppressed, and the "progressives" here will be lustily cheering that on.

There is no longer a subject here that does not attract a chorus of people ready for battle, spouting every right wing talking point.

[Donnachaidh]

23. yup -- class warfare doesn't end, does it.

You'll have one poster say they've lost their job and get long posts about how they *pray for you*, or *think about you*...

But potentially fuck with *their* stuff? Call a cop, *oh those people will pull all the pipes* -- automatically falling into the "Fuck y'all, I've got mine" mindset that is going to ruin this country.

Did it ever occur to any of these people that those folks might just need a place to stay? Did it ever occur that the shelters might be FULL?

This country and the majority of the people are in such denial, and so damned self-involved it's embarrassing.

[southernyankeebelle]

15. Good for them

It ashamed that our government doesn't have enough housing built for people to put them up in low income housing. This is the new silent majority. They are looking out for each other.

[arundhatiroyfan]

17. I agree. Providing poor people with housing...

is the first step to guarantee that they remain or again become productive members of society.

[madmom]

18. I don't see anywhere in the article where it says they are stripping the place.

If anything these people are helping. The difference in an unoccupied home and an occupied one is it does keep out riff-raff as in the graffiti on the walls and that's just the beginning.I don't think these people go in with the intent of vandalizing, they just want a place to sleep. I can't believe there are so many cold, heartless people on this board.

[Carni]

21. You'd think there could be a program set up

An inhabited house is far better than an uninhabited one--why can't the banks set up a system of allowing people without shelter to live in these empty dwellings in exchange for showing and maintaining the property?

These empty homes aren't going to sell and when they do some shark will just let them sit for years.

Contrary to some of the nasty remarks on this string people who lose their homes are not criminals, or scum bags (what is wrong with some of you BTW?)

I know the amswer to my own question...the banks have no desire to make money off the properties (or to make any real efforts to sell them and recoup their money for that matter) they already got theirs with the *TARP*

I think some people should remember the old saying there but for the grace of God go I!

[Hepburn]

19. Here is the kind of stuff that gets to me and leads to feelings like those expressed in the article.

There is a former military housing site in my general area and there are literally HUNDREDS of deserted duplex homes sitting empty. This is in a nice area close to the Palos Verdes Hills, large lots, and wide curving streets.

Why is this just sitting empty? :shrug:

There are thousands of homeless people and this area is fenced and gated with security and hurricane wire at the top of the fencing. So sad to see this literally being laid to waste and not used for the homeless. And...the area has been like this for years. Nice duplex houses with attached garages ~~ just rotting away.

[truedelphi]

26. Seen those types of places myself.

I suppose the excuse is that the government is in charge of it - but why can't the government be a bit mroe efficient?

Especially considering the huge numbers of homeless vets - couldn't a government program come about that will help get them into government abandonned housing?

[Hepburn]

27. I totally agree....

...maybe instead of seeing that the bank CEO's and exec's got their bonuses, the money would have been better spent on cleaning up and repairing this kind of abandonded military housing. Gawd knows the govt has shut down a bunch of bases that have close by family housing. Why the hell let it sit and rot when there and homeless people in need of shelter?

:shrug:

[mike_c]

20. I'm amazed at how many people in this thread support the bankers...

...that created this mess. A man loses his already low-paying job because he's injured, his family is ousted onto the street by a greedy banker, and ya'll call it a CRIME for him to seek a roof over their head, while thousands of houses in his community are simply empty?

That's utterly fucked up.

As for the possibility of vandalism, and public health issues, don't you think those could be averted by simply not foreclosing and evicting families in the first place? Let's put PEOPLE before PROFIT for a change, huh?

[sarcasmo]

25. The poor rising up.