A World for the Taking: Squatting In the USA

My name is Julio and I'm 28. I grew up in the Bay Area but moved to Southern California in my late teens. Since I came back to the Bay Area seven years ago, I've been homeless off and on. Originally it was due to the cost of living not being very easy to keep up with. For a while I lived in hostels and crack hotels, but soon gave that up and started squatting, which was an easy way for me to live rent-free. A few years later I began hopping trains and have since traveled across the country, squatting in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Austin, New Orleans, Seattle and countless other places.

Many people have a difficult time comprehending the squatter’s lifestyle. They ask questions like, "Why? How? That's all you do? Isn't it dangerous? How do girls do it? What do you do for money? What do your parents think of this? How do you have sex? Don't you want a house, car, and 2.3 kids?" I usually don’t answer.

I believe in squatters' rights, or the idea that anybody should be able to occupy and make use of what others have abandoned. Squatting was once a legitimate way to claim land but is now a crime. Some towns still have laws permitting legal dwelling in abandoned building, usually under the conditions that it had been vacated a certain length of time or brought up to code. For the most part though, it is illegal. The squats I usually stay in are abandoned commercial or industrial buildings broken into through a loose door or window in an inconspicuous area on the property. The interiors are usually pretty dusty and run-down from the passage of time and some may even be condemned. Often there are items from the previous tenants lying around; antique, rusted machinery in an old factory or an entire family's possessions undisturbed in a house they just up and left one day.

My favorite squat ever was a burnt up multiplex in an alleyway in the SOMA we called the Norfolk house. Late one Saturday night, after nearby bars and clubs closed and the crowds cleared, some friends and I easily pried the front gate open and gained entry. Half of the building was gutted and uninhabitable, while the other half was actually very nice. There was carpeting, some furniture, running water, a whole lot of somebody's personal possessions left behind. Best of all there was a key in one door that ended up being a skeleton key to every door in the building, including the front gate.

Why would you rent when so many vacant buildings are sitting empty for the taking?

New York City was home to many of my most memorable squatted buildings, including some made legal through old, obscure squatters' rights laws. Regardless, many more illegal ones continued to thrive. One of the most notorious in recent years is Abandoned City, an ancient industrial complex spread out over three blocks and right on the water. Occupants of this fortress have lived comfortable while making a living selling scrap metals found in the buildings and piles of clothes left in several rooms. There have been BBQ's and even live punk rock shows held there. Some neighbors’ visit the open area with a picnic bench by the water in the back of the complex as if it were a regular park, and taggers are regular visitors to the walls and roofs. It is a great example of a forgotten space given new life by the occupants.

Depending on the location and people involved, squatting falls into the gray area between homelessness and normal living. But to me, there's ultimately a world of difference between sleeping in a boarded-up house and sleeping on a sidewalk. Squatting allows me to reclaim a home for myself.



Surviving the Streets

1.) Carry just essentials: You don’t need much when to survive in a squat. Besides the clothes on your back, get your hands on a flashlight, an all-in-one silverware tool, a can opener, some candles, water, a nice pair of boots and a crowbar. A Leatherman knife, needle and thread, and lock and chain could also come in handy.

2.) Scope the situation: Watch your site for a while before “cracking” or breaking into the squat. Check postmarks to see how long mail has been piling up; observe for signs of renovation, nosy neighbors and other squatters. If it all seems safe, discrete make your move.

3.) Fix it Up: If you want to stay long-term, change the locks, send yourself the mail, and consider getting utilities set up in your name. It all makes you seem like a legally legitimate tenant when the cops come knocking.

4.) Make it yours. You could gain total legal possession of your squatted house- aka "Adverse Possession"- by living there for 5 years and successfully paying taxes on the place. To start the process, find out who ‘owns’ your squat by checking the records at City Hall. Make sure you also research the squatter’s rights laws in your area for more details.

5.) Network with other squatters on-line: Great resources, handy tips and personal testimonies are available at www.Squat.net. Homes Not Jails in San Francisco is wealth of information and organizes actions SFTU.ORG. To read more by Julio: http://www.livejournal.com/users/shootpplnotdope