Take Back the Land - Making the Most of Foreclosed Homes
Foreclosed homes have been in the forefront of our economic woes, increasingly scattering the US landscape. But this organization is making sure houses don’t sit unoccupied while families desperately search for a place to live. It’s called illegal squatting by some. By according to Max Rameau, it’s a moral issue, not a legal one.
It’s an act of civil disobedience. Rameau feels that the federal government gave billions of dollars to the banks in exchange for the toxic assets - the homes. But that’s not what happened. The banks remained in possession of these homes and are doing nothing with them. Many of these homes remain unoccupied with little to no chance of selling in this market.
Max Rameau feels that this is a crime. He finds these empty homes, make sure they are safe and signs up for electricity, since electric companies will supply electricity, for the most part, regardless of the ownership.
He calls it the liberation of the home, in response to corruption of the bailout.
This is a video of this man’s work. Take the time to see one person’s response to the foreclosure situation:
http://takebacktheland.blogspot.com/2009/04/take-back-land-on-abc-world-news-04-12.html
New York Times piece:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/us/10squatter.html?_r=2&hp
Here in the UK, these houses could be legally occupied without any payment. The practice if called squatting and it’s completely legal. In fact, if people squat for long enough, I think it’s 12 years, they become the legal owner of the property, again without payment. I don’t know what the situation is in the USA, but it seems like a good system here. Although, maybe the law here needs to be made more favourable to squatters.