Police Evict NYC Squatters in Heavily Armored Raid
http://Mediafilter.org/guest/Pages/June.30.1995.19.49.31
http://Mediafilter.org/guest/Pages/June.30.1995.19.49.31
5:30 a.m., police helicopters hovered above, overseeing a massive formation of riot cops who moved in with armored personnel carriers and heavy equipment to mass evict about 150 homesteaders from 3 buildings on east 13th street in New York City's East Village. The residents barricaded the street with an overturned car and dumpsters, etc. to slow down the impending assault. An armored personnel carrier cleared a path for the SWAT teams, armed with automatic weapons, who broke through the many layers of obsticals and barriers to forcibly evict the squatters from their homes. The residents used non-violent resistance and civil disobedience tactics to hold their ground, but the police violently pried them from their strongholds while keeping cameras and the media far from view. Around 30 people were arrested, some hurt by the heavy handed tactics used by police to carry out their mission. The residents have lived in the buildings for over 10 years, and include families and young children. They have been engaged in a court battle over ownership of the once abandoned city-owned buildings which the homesteaders had recovered and renovated over the years. The once drug-infested buildings were transformed from urban blight into a thriving part of the local community. The city declared the buildings unsafe as a pretext for the raid, in order to circumvent legal proceedings pending in court as to wheather or not the squatters have a right to continue living in the buildings which were abandoned in the mid 70's, and were owned by New York City. There is a plan to develop "low income housing" on the site of the existing structures. About a year ago the city decided they wanted these five buildings that squatters had worked to save from decay, transforming them into a thriving community. Judge Elliot Wilk of State Supreme Court ruled the city should not evict and ordered detailed hearings into the city's years of neglect of low income housing. To prevent the hearings from continuing the city used an unfair and unconstitutional law that allows them to ignore the rulings of a judge. The police showed up in force to enforce a vacate order issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to clear the buildings because of dubious reports of hazardous conditions. This was NOT a court order--only a declaration by someone in the HPD who wanted the squatters out to clear the way for a questionable plan to develop "low income housing" which would revert back to market rate housing in 10 years. The judge is very upset with the city's desperate and provocative attempts to circumvent the law. Squatters say they only want the legal hearing that all citizens are guaranteed. The city's actions are a result of desperation because they were losing in court. Please show your outrage over this unnecessary use of force, violation of human rights, and waste of money by calling the offices ofMayor Rudolf Giuliani
at: (212) 788 1400
788 9600Department of Housing Preservation and Development (the agency directly involved in the evictions) at (212) 978 5600
Corporation Counsel (NYC's attorneys) (212) 788 0800
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The law equally prohibits a rich man and poor man from sleeping in an abandoned building but somehow I don't think many rich men are arrested for it.
Instead of simply harranging our police, why don't you do something intelligent and propose a solution?
I think it was a great thing that the police did. If god forbid the building collapsed or caught fire, the citywould be swamped with lawsuits by the illeagal squaters, and the city would settle with my tax dollars. I would love to live rent free. This is lunacy... zx9r@ix.netcom.com Louis J. Stitzer
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER ACTION BY THE PIGS TO SUPPORT THOSE WHO HAVE THE MONEY I'M SURE THAT SOMEBODY IS GONNA MAKE A MINT OFF OF THIS BUILDING GOD BLESS AMERICA! LAND OF THE FREE (IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH $$$$) THE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!
Please do not refer to the United States Citizens that are employed as Police Officers as pigs.. they have a right (yes,Police Officers also have rights) to do their jobs to the best of there abilitys with out being bullyed by someone who can hide behind a press badge or credentals. since you feel so strongly about sending these people in the city with out shelter,might i suggest that you provide your home address for folks like this so that they might come and stay with you..also do not call the Police if you have problems..
Fuck the cops! It's time to revolt. You'll see me in the first line, holding a baseball-bat in my fist!
I support the police department and you should too. Everyone always critizes the police when then are not helping their cause, but the day you call them and need them to come save you I'll bet they'll be your best friend
If you read carefully, and beyond the headline, the above article is not about bashing police. The main point of the article is about people struggling for thier right to their homes, and the city's corrupt housing policies and how they (the city)*use* the police to carry out their agenda.
This country was settled by "squatters", especially as the "pioneers" moved West. In fact, that's how the word "squatter" originated. Before anyone "owned" the land in the Western territories of N. America, settlers claimed a piece of land by "squatting" down on it and proclaiming rights to it, then erecting homes, etc. Therefore, squatting is an American Tradition.
If the police, who are directed by their superiors, the Mayor, the Police Commissioner etc. were deployed for more productive and positive missions, such as combating violent crime and drugs, where they often are conspicuously absent, or in some cases involved, they wouldn't be cast in such a negative light.
Of course it is to be noted that many police officers do commendable and even heroic work on a daily basis, and their role in society is demonstrated to be a good and necessary one. It's only when their forces are used in an opressive manner, in such instances where nonviolent citizens are deprived of their rights under the pretext of enforcing corrupt policies, that the abuse of power must be spotlighted and the proper criticism and outrage be voiced. The well known freedom of speech is an American Tradition to be upheld and defended as well as the lesser known American Tradition of squatting.
p.s.
For those who have positive stories about police--perhaps
you should make a web site.
Peace
Eventhough I don't live in your communities, I would like to point out that it's not the Police you should worry about, it's the people who RUN THE POLICE. I have to point out that the Police did their job here, at the request of the CITY. The use of Force was needed in this extreme by Police because the stupid politician wanted them to do something ridiculous. I feel for the Policeman that is used here like some puppet; the Police are changing more frequently to fit the needs of the community moreover than the politicians that run them. Perhaps the real focus should lie ONLY on the CITY. Don't fight two fronts here, fight the CITY, not the Police because Police are the CITY's decoy to all the MEDIA hipe. Get my point?
what ever happen to being free /?
Again and again, we hear of the system failing and that the police relished in yet another bashing of our civil rights. Well I put it to you, the authors of this, WHERE on earth did these people get the idea that they could just move in and take over???? And as for the little children issue, well you fail to mention that they were living in less than ideal living conditions--- like NO HEAT during the winter, No PLUMBING you know, TOILETS, BATHTUBS, or a better word, FILTH!!!! And thry were put there by the people that LOVED them. PLease, you liberal jerks make me puke!!! It's time for people to start taking rsponsibilty for thier actions. STOP blaming POLICE or society for this.
While it's true that this story was not about bashing the pigs, perhaps those of you who love them so much should try walking in the shoes of the ones who have been abused by them.I'm not stereotyping all cops, but rather making(what we call in the world of psychology) a generalization. You see, all I've ever known of any police department,and I've seen quite a few, is harrasment, racism, brutality, and vulgarity! So before you go defending them so adamantly, try following them when they don't know you're there! p.s. do not suppose I have broken the law because I've seen so many p.d.'s, I could be a page, clerk, or even an attorney.
To the person who wrote: No PLUMBING you know, TOILETS, BATHTUBS, or a better word, FILTH!!!! I'm curious how you can claim to know so much about the interior conditions of the squatted buildings--or are you just assuming that people lived for over 10 years in those buildings without plumbing or electricity. Sorry to bust your "Gush Lamebag" bubble, my friend, but as a local resident and one who had been inside the buildings during the inspection by Judge Wilk and MANY police and city officials, I can attest that you are indeed wrong. Those buildings were complete with full facilities--lights, running water, toilets, bath tubs and showers-- all functioning. They were installed by the occupants of the buildings which were abandonded and otherwise left to decay....not to mention that they were a haven for drug dealers....until the people who "squatted" them drove out the drug dealers (with no help from the police, who in many cases turned a blind eye or were paid to look the other way) and created a viable housing cluster and a positive contribution to the local community. I am certainly not a liberal, and I'm sure that you would be hard pressed to find a liberal squatter. If you do puke, please contain it within your own boundaries and dont spew it upon others.
How about a photo or two of the inside of these decaying and dangerous "renovated" buildings. Paranoia strikes deep, into your life it will creep!
The jelly fish imagery is still fresh in my head.
Several weeks ago the New York Times Magazine ran a photo spread on the inside of the squats. They showed how poor folks, who would probably be living in a homeless shelter if it weren't for the squats, have made a life and beautiful, comfortable homes for themeselves. Those people who always claim the answer to poverty is personal responsibility are really just ass licking white supremacists because of course when people are responsible for themselves then the riot cops with the machine guns show up. But its one year later and the squatters are still in their homes. They won, the cops and their guns were crushed. Get used to it.
I find the us of Police to evict individuals that have transformed condemn buildings into viable, attractive, useful living quarters outrageous to say the least. This action by Police convinces me that this government is not interested in working people taking charge of their communities and making them into attractive living places. This city wants rich people to live here are driving everyone else out.
What do you want the police to do? If I had to evict 150 people, I would be heavily armed. So what is the point of this story?
If you are living on someone elses property they have the right to evict you!!!!!! These squatters got what was coming to them!!! They should not live were they are not allowed to!!! N.Y.P.D. responded in the way that they should to remove these unwanted people from property that they did not legally own!!! If somebody moved into your backyard without your permission, would you allow them to stay??? I thought so!
I'm not shocked. Living in LA for 8 years I've seen a lot of shit the pigs have gotten away with. I'm not going to drop dimes or point fingers but it seems that with the realization that population to living space ratio is growing critical the gov will do what they will need to maintain order and the status quo.
we have to be prepared to understand the other's reasons is justice more important then wisdom ? hystory was made by the poor not the rich and forgetting this we are not creating a healthy society. name is not important words (in this case) are
we have to be prepared to understand the other's reasons is justice more important then wisdom ? hystory was made by the poor not the rich and by forgetting this we are not creating a healthy society. name is not important words (in this case) are
why does everybody hate the cops? The way I see it if it wern't for them we'd have a heck of a lot moer rape robberies and murder . hey they are just doing their jobs. these people had no right to be there in the first palce so they had to be evicted HURRAY for the police!!!
I'm a police officer and I would like to know how many of these people were known drug addicts and thiefs.
Way to go Giuliani..............
Sounds like the police did a good job!!! I wonder where the "squatters" got the idea they could take over buildings that they neither owned nor rented. Also, I would encourage the police to use whatever means necessary to protect themselves from that caliber of individual. It would be very naive to assume that a group of that type did not possess firearms or other weapons. Too bad the any violence the photographers was able to catch was the photo of the woman being carried away by the officers - I wonder why that is?
Fuck the cops. Leave the city it sucks and squat some land in the country. you want to be self sufficient and live without the Man on your back. You want to keep the home youve worked so hard to build without the threat of eviction and police brutallity? buy land leave new york. Pagon will win. He has more financial backing. The article in new york mag did not help your case. why all the media Too many inteligent people are carrying the load for the other free loading squatters. I wish you all luck but remember the ideals your fighting for could become realities if you had your own land.
8/16/96 One week ago we got word that the courts had decided to evict the remaining houses on the north side of 13th street. since then a whole community has spent a week without sleep as we came together,first to hold off the evictions and then to express our outrage.I wonder if any of the COPS who contribute to this letters page can justify the arrest of twent people at a completely nonviolent protest. In spite of the tragedy these evictions represent,the spirit of rebelion of many people ,black,white and latino, was a beutiful thing.WE NEVER SLEEP! WE GO THROUGH BRICK WALLS! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
These heavy handed tactics are similar to the tactics employed by the RUC here in Northern Ireland. The only difference is that these "police" officers forcibly remove the 'suspect' from his own house on some bogus charge. Authority has a lot to answer for. Lets all band together and revolt. NOW
Hasta el finito, Adios 13st squatters, For all the impassioned posting and chest beating, how come none of you over pierced weasels came to help the real squatters move their stuff? "sorry dude - had to smoke my weed and write perl scripts, besides it was raining" 1.Stop whining 2.Take a bath 3.Get over it
RUC in Northern Ireland = NYPD in NYC RUC - Protestants harassing the resident catholic minority NYPD - Cops ending junkies occupation of city buildings My God! the similarities are astounding
KEEP ON FIGHTING !
vERY BLOODY INTERESTING, GOOD PICS, WELL PRESENTED well written.10 out of 10.
Other feedback said "The law equally prohibits a rich man and poor man from sleeping in an abandoned building but somehow I don't think many rich men are arrested for it." Well how many rich people would move into someone elses building without permission? If you came home from work and people were living in your backyard (not hurting a thing) would you want them to be removed? Instead of just bashing cops why don't you try to find a solution?
I just wanted to let you know that I pulled this up because I have to write a paper on corrupt police officers. You are correct, this is an outrage! I am upset that my major is law enforcement and disappointed that all New York City is concerned about is money. This could be deeper than it actually looks! It pretty much sounds like a direct insult to our Constitution. I hope you hve had many postitve responses to this because you have mine. Sincerely, John Krass
If NYC really wants to build low-income housing, theyr'e either stupid or blind. What the squatters have created is low income housing! At no cost to the government and spares them the shame of neglect. My taxes paid those people who were supposed to take care of these buildings. If citizens can do a better job, by God, let them!
Hello everybody, I'm doing a research project on the subject of police brutality. I wanted to get a general understanding of those opposed that the notion does not exist and those who believe it does. I ask for you feelings on the subject, why it happens, and who is really behind it. Thanks for your comments. please post it on this page. P.S. Police Officer's comments are appreciated
After reading your "police brutality" stories, I've got to say that you (whoever created and perpetuates this web page) appear to be a genuine, dyed-in-the-wool cop-basher, probably wanted by the police for any number of things (or you wouldn't be so rabidly anti-cop). What is it you hope to accomplish with this venom you spew so aggressively? Do you think that by bitching and complaining you will solve some problem? Do you really believe that violent actions and words will make what you perceive to be "police brutality" go away? How about some positive suggestions? How about bringing people together instead of driving wedges and building walls between them? Are you a moron? Apparently.
Proverbs 31:9 Speak out judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. America with all her wealth has no excuse for letting her people die on the street
I am trying to contact the individual who maintains the Student Protest mirror was established at MediaFilter.org. With the encouragement of Srdjan Markovic, a member of the team at Univ. of Beograd who maintain the Official Student Protest WWW site, and as a fellow mirror site, I am helping establish updated mirrors at those US sites referenced by their pages. Please go to the home site which has been totally reconstructed, click 'mirrors' and download 'mirror.zip' to obtain a current image of the new site. You can also obtain this file at my mirror: http://www.teleport.com/~syslabs/protest/ Thank you, Robin Shaylor syslabs@teleport.com
I live on 6th street between ave a & b, I saw the 13th st raid from my roof. Right now I can see a nbuilding on fifth street being torn down. The building recently had a fire, the city used that as an excuse to evict the squatters and tear down the building. If you are interested I might be ablt to get some pics. tzannes@earthlink.net My email
13th st.-down, 5th st.-down, Two K.O's and ABC no Rio is on the ropes NYPD=2 Squatters=0 RUDY UBER ALLES
Unfortunately this is S.O.P. in amerika. Withdraw your support (financial) from violent organizations like these. When enough people refuse to cooperate in this type of action it will collapse of its own dead weight. For alternatives to this system try: http://users.aol.com/vlntryst/ peace - just dave
From the "feedback" below it is obvious that there are disperate opinions of the above story. I personally think squatting should be legalized, merely for the fact that those who live in abandoned buildings often leave it in better condition that they received, or took, it. These buildings are held by the government anyway; and they are only going to stick others in them. So, why not let the squatters have them? It is absurd to FORCE the ("illegal") squatters out and put ("legal") squatters in. Either way, there residence is subsidized by the government.
I found this selection on armored raids very unintreging and a waste of my time . Concerned Male
The fact that these people needed a HOME, and were ousted, just shows that laws are not moral, they're just laws. I find it appauling that the the city obviously does'nt care about the homeless. And for those of you who support their eviction, you are really supporting the "HAVES" making money on the backs of the "HAVE NOTS". Fight the war, the war with yourself. Quit buying into this game, We don't need money, those who have it tell us we do. Successful societies have never needed it and it only serves to harm us. If there was'nt money I don't think people would be so quick to feed on each other. NO WONDER OTHER CULTURES CALL US CANIBALS!!!...IT FITS.
I am a police officer,and some of the views expressed concern me for several reasons. First, none of you have walked in my shoes. For myself and the officers that i know, it would be great if we could just tell people "leave" and they would;or say "you are under arrest for X" and the person just sat down in my patrol car. The reality (that obviously you do not know)is that society is a mess. Police act as social workers, care givers, and law enforcers. We can be the least desired or the most desired person in just a flash of a second.
it is interesting that so many people (who have never squatted) have such violent opinions on how "filthy" squatting is. Do you really think people would live somewhere for 10 years with no plumbing, no heat (in NEW YORK!). Squatter's rights are given in Europe, why not here?! If you take over an abandoned building for 7+ years and can show proof of residence, you get to keep that building. All you commentators ASSUMED that these people were living in squalor RENT FREE for 10 years. I'm PRETTY SURE they had the water turned on and the electricity (I've squatted in places that had both still on) All you have to do is pay the bill. Some of you have (mis)conceptions in your head of the poor and the homeless that are based on ignorance and an assumption that everything you hear or read is the truth (without personal life experience). From what I've seen, a small percentage of this culture has (by nature of a hierarchy) power over a larger percentage, and recognizing that those-who-have-not would like some, even just a little, they would like to keep what they have BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. And this may mean employing brute force (i.e. the police) to do their dirty work for them to harass the poor and the destitute. And don't sit there and bitch to yourself and think that I don't know what I'm talking about. I CHOSE to be homeless IN ORDER TO witness what the police do to our citizens. When I found out that homeless people are more kind, generous, honest, loyal, and grateful than anyone in 'civilization' I decided to stay with this lifestyle, and have been travelling and squatting for the past 2 years now. The police are not the problem, it is the system. But the system influences all things in this culture, and when the system is corrupt, the society is corrupt. ~~story~~
Fuck the squatters
POLICE ALWAYS WILL HAVE PEOPLE TO BACK THEM UP ,THE STATE EVEN THE PUBLIC WILL JUSTIFY WHAT THEY DO .THE NATIONAL GAURD WOULD COME IN IF IT CAME TO A MAJOR UPRISING . ITS QUITE SAD THAT WE LIVE INAN OFF SOCIETY. OFF THE PIGS
Horay for the police.
i feel for you man
This incident is only one of a growing number of alarming incidents where the government(state, federal, etc.) is using excessive force to impose its will. Eugene, Los Angeles, Chicago, NYC. This is a trend that will not stop, it will only become more frequent. Every day Federal and State "authorities" entrench themselvse and expand their power, why does the FOREST Service need special para-military operatives to enforce laws that violate the very Constitution this country is founded on. They forsee the coming revolution, the war, and are preparing accordingly. It is time for the citizens, the rightful authorities, to come to their senses. If the Man is willing to use this kind of force on things that do not call for it, what do you think will happen when their comfort, security and wealth are threatened? Open your eyes fellow Americans, World Citizens, it is time to prepare for the inevitable! -GypsyCat