housing, politics, squattng

Squat The World

And on this day finds itself as Occupy Wall Street Day 160. And Occupy Wall Street and those global revolutions of a movement Occupy Together are still moving fast. And so here’s one of those emails that found itself in my email inbox the other day that I thought to repost on this blagh in an attempt to maintain content for this blog and my other blog whenever web 2.0 social media user generated content blaghers block possible.

Squatting Europe Kollective (SQEK) comes to CUNY Monday, Feb. 27

A collective of activist researchers from the European squatting movement are gathering in New York City. They will be at CUNY to meet with students and faculty and speak about the decades-old movements of squatting and building occupations in their respective countries. Generations of activists have participated in occupations of vacant buildings in Europe, beginning in the 1970s. With the worldwide rise of the Occupy movement, the deep reservoir of experience within the movements of political squatting have become suddenly significant. In two events at CUNY, these scholars and activists will share their methods for collective, participatory, interdisciplinary research and their knowledge of the history and present practices of squatting in Europe.

New York City, February 23-27, 2012
Squatting Europe Collective, New York City, February 23-27, 2012
1. Press release
2. Reception, Thursday 2/23 at ABC No Rio, 7-10pm
3. AAG sessions, Friday 2/24 at Hilton Hotel, 2nd floor Nassau Room
4. Saturday, February 25th, afternoon/evening – Public presentation: “Squatting in Europe: Prospects and Perspectives” at Living Theatre, 5-7pm; ends sharp; drinks afterwards at The Suffolk, Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center
5. Sunday, February 26th – brunch meeting at 16 Beaver Group 12-4pm // meet with O4O group at 7pm
6. Monday, February 27th – Public meeting with students and activists CUNY-GC 2-5 PM // Presentation at CUNY-GC 6:30-8:30pm
7. SQEK and House Magic library at Interference Archive, Brooklyn8. AAG session description (theoretical questions around militant research)Squatting Europe Kollective Convenes in New York City for the first time ever, a group of activist researchers from the European squatting movement are gathering in New York City. They will make public appearances to speak about the decades-old movement of squatting and building occupations in their respective countries.The tradition of political squatting is moving from the shadows into the light. With the world-wide rise of the Occupy movement, the deep reservoir of experience within the movements of political squatting have become suddenly significant.Generations of activists have participated in occupations of vacant buildings in Europe, beginning in the 1970s. The best known early success was the famous “free city” of Christiania in Copenhagen. But every major city in Europe has experienced some version of politicized squatting, most recently in the form of social centers.The members of SQEK – Squatting Europe Collective – have gathered for special sessions at the Association of American Geographers’ annual convention February 24. A public discussion, meetings, film and graphic arts exhibition are among the other activities planned for the meeting, Scheduled activities for SQEK 2012 New York City:2. Reception, Thursday 2/23 at ABC No Rio, 7-10pmThursday, February 23rd 7-10 pm – Reception for visiting researchers and activists
poster show of “House Magic” zine about squats and social centers
ABC No Rio cultural center
156 Rivington Street
Loisaida, NYC // abcnorio.org3. AAG sessions, Friday 2/24 at Hilton Hotel Squatting and Social Centers: Resistance and Production of Critical Spaces I
(5 sessions, 8am-6:20pm) in Nassau A, Second Floor, Hilton NY
Note: Single session costs a lot of money, but you can probably sneak into this room which we have all day. Look like you belong there; it will be a radical egghead party…
8:00 AM – 9:40 AM – Participants: Miguel A. Martinez (University Complutense of Madrid/CSOA Casablanca) and Lucy Finchett-Maddock (University of Exeter), Pierpaolo Mudu (University of Rome/Forte Prenestino), Hans Pruijt (Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam), Loredana Guerrieri (Osservatorio Di Genere, Istituto Storico Della Resistenza, Macerata, Italy), Matthias Bernt (Leibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning, Leipzig)10:00 AM – 11:40 AM – Participants: Linus Owens (Middlebury College, Vermont), Nathan Eisenstadt (Bristol University), Giovanni Piazza with Valentina Genovese (University of Catania), Alessia Marini (University of Rome, La Sapienza), Matthias Bernt2:40 PM – 2:20 PM – Participants:Elisabeth Lorenzi (UNED Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia), Amy Starecheski (CUNY City University of New York, Graduate Center, New York), Thomas Aguilera (Sciences Po, Paris), Andrea Aureli (St. John’s University, Rome), Matthias Bernt2:40 PM – 4:20 PM Panel session; Participants: Justus Uitermark (Erasmus University, Rotterdam); Maria Rodó de Zárate (UAB Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona); Giovanni Piazza; Miguel A. Martinez; Thomas Aguilera; Amy Starecheski; Hans Pruijt; Andrea Aureli; Eliot Tretter (University of Texas, Austin)4:40 PM – 6:20 – Mark Purcell (University of Washington, Seattle); Eli Meyerhoff (University of Minnesota); Pierpaolo Mudu; Lucy Finchett-Maddock; Nathan Eisenstadt; Alessia Marini; Loredana Guerrieri; Elisabeth Lorenzi; Salvatore Engel-DiMauro (SUNY State University of New York, New Paltz)4. Saturday, February 25th – SQEK internal meeting 9am-12pm LOCATION TBD5. Saturday, February 25th, afternoon/evening – Public presentation: “Squatting in Europe: Prospects and Perspectives” (Living Theatre, 21 Clinton St half a block below Houston Street, 5-7pm; ends on the dot of 7pm); drinks afterwards at The Suffolk, Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, southwest corner Suffolk and Rivington
Public presentation by members of the Squatting Europe Collective (SQEK)
“Squatting in Europe: Prospects and Perspectives”
A roundtable with the members of SQEK

Confirmed participants in a roundtable public presentation are: Miguel Martinez, Elisabeth Lorenzi (Madrid, Spain), Hans Pruijt (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Gianni Piazza (Sicily), Eliseo Fucolti (Rome, Italy), Thomas Aguilera (Paris, France), Lucy Finchett-Maddock (United Kingdom), Lynn Owens, Tina Steiger (Copenhagen/USA), Alan W. Moore (Madrid/USA)6. Sunday, February 26th – Public meetings with activists
noon-4pm – brunch and afternoon session at 16 Beaver Group, 16 Beaver St., Wall St. area (tentatively confirmed)
7pm – Catholic Worker auditorium (55 East Third St.) – a round table, “talking turkey” with activists of O4O (Organizing for Occupation)7. Monday, February 27th –2-5 PM, in Room 5409, SQEK members will have an open meeting to discuss their research projects and approaches with interested students and the public.6:30-8:30 PM, in Room C201, SQEK researchers will discuss European squatting movements.8. SQEK “Living Library” at Interference Archive, Brooklyn, continuing throughout the weekend
131 8th St. #4. Brooklyn, NY 11215 (Gowanus) 2 blocks from the F/G/R trains (4th ave. and 9th st.)3. AAG session Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting 2012 // Friday, 24 February, 2012

Squat the world. Housing is a human right. Have a great squatter day and more.

events, housing

Squat Or Rot

Squat or rot. The squatters are your neighbors. Housing is a human right. Squat the world. Free the land. If you need a home, take one. Whose right is it to say the land is for sale anyway. No one is free when others are oppressed. And so goes a host of other sayings and philosophies when it comes to that word squatting and living rent and tax free, or something like that. And so I found this email that arrived in my email inbox the other day that I thought to repost on my blog for those squatter, housing and beyond events, because hey, it’s less writing sometimes, I think. And what if anything, does this have to do with a No Police State?

Three upcoming events on squatting in NYC‏

Hello all –

I wanted to let you know about three quite different events coming up, all about squatting in NYC. Full details below

1. Panel on squats, social centers, and autonomous spaces at the NYC Anarchist Book Fair, Saturday April 9, 11-12:30

2. I am giving a paper on adverse possession and historical documentation, based on the 13th st case, at a conference at CUNY on Monday, April 11, from 1:30-3:00

3. Matt Metzgar and Peter Spagnuolo are giving a talk about The LES Squatter Homesteader Archives Project at Pete’s Candy Store on Monday, April 11, at 7:30

1. Squats, Social Centers and Autonomous Spaces.

Saturday, April 9, 2011 @ the Anarchist Book Fair. 11 am – 12:30 pm

55 Washington Sq. New York, NY 10012

Squatting is a key activist tactic to address the needs for housing and space for political action. Together with occupation, this kind of organized trespass is becoming increasingly important in our repertoire of direct action tactics today. What is the present-day experience of squatting as a political act? In other countries, occupied social centers organize political activity in the cities. Is U.S. squatting hopelessly disorganized and decentralized? What have been the challenges of opening new spaces? What have been the challenges and rewards of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next?

These are some of the questions we will address and this is the people who will respond to them

Alan Moore: Co-founder of both ABC NoRio and Colab. *Live from Paris @ La Generale.

Howard Brandstein: Homesteading organizer and Director of Sixth Street Community Center.

Frank Morales: Episcopal priest, squatter and housing organizer.

Marta Rosario: A long time resident at Umbrella House Squat and an exceptional vocalist.

Ryan Acuff: Housing organizer and member of Take Back the Land.

Moderators:

Amy Starecheski: Oral historian, doctoral student in Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center, and former squatter.

Sebastian Gutierrez: Teaches in the Film & Media department in CUNY’s Hunter College and documents testimonial video events in NYC squats.

2. Mini-conference: “Producing History: Place, Memory, and Documentation”

Monday, April 11, 2011
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The Graduate Center, CUNY 
365 Fifth Avenue, Room 9205

11:00 – 12:30 PANEL: Producing History at Sites of Memory
“Sites & Reflexivity: Narratives at the Manzanar WWII Camp NHS”
— Rachel Daniell
“Exhibiting Atrocity: Memorial Museums & the Production of the Past”
— Amy Sodaro
Commentator—Dr. Vincent Crapanzano

12:30 – 1:30 BROWN BAG LUNCH

1:30 – 3:00 PANEL: Archives, Property, & the Production of Heritage
“Futures Entombed: Properly Historical Subjects, Living Human Treasure, & the Incorporation of History in Salvador, Brazil’s World Heritage Center”
— Dr. John Collins
“Squatting History: The Documentary Practices of Adverse Possession”
— Amy Starecheski
“The Affect & Effect of UNESCO World Heritage”
— Andrew Hernann
Commentator—Dr. Katherine Verdery

3:00 – 4:00 NETWORKING & DISCUSSION
Coffee, Cookies, and Conversation

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
sponsored by the CUNY Graduate Ctr Anthropology Dept and the Doctoral Students Council

www.productionofhistory.commons.gc.cuny.edu

3. THE ONCE AND FUTURE SQUATTER:
with Matt Metzgar of the Lower East Side Squatter Homesteader Archive Project and Peter Spagnuolo, co-founder of the Lower East Side Squatter Homesteader Archive Project.

FREE LECTURE!!!
Monday, April 11 7:30pm
Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer St. Brooklyn)

In the 1980’s and ’90’s the squatter-homesteaders of New York City’s Lower East Side created an urban movement attempting to answer directly the housing needs of low-income and homeless persons by seizing abandoned tenement buildings and improvising their own homes and culture. The evening will address current efforts by squatters and homesteaders to create a research archive “from the ground up”-collecting, preserving and organizing the evidence of underground, insurgent movement-as well as the significance such a collection may have for scholars and the public. With reference to other American cities, the pro’s and con’s of strategies of direct methods of housing, the predominance of squatting as a global phenomena, and the specific cases of “Social Center” squatting in Europe, and its lack in the USA–the evening hopes to make palpable an overlooked, yet palpable legacy that boldly proclaims: Homeless/Artist/Activist: House Thyself, Socialize the Community!
Have a great squatting and more day.
And in other blogger thoughts….
Looking for a degree where you can make a difference and help people in your community? Check out social work online degree.

housing

Real Estate

Real Estate and housing. That seems to be a well used phrase here on planet earth, especially if you find yourself in need of that basic necessity of human life, shelter. And housing is a human right, isn’t it. As if seems as if everyone, or a least a lot of people are always talking about where they live, what kind of place they live in or where they are moving to, and what that place is like where they have lived and where they have moved to. And so this posting happens to be about Wilmington NC real estate and Wilmington NC homes , as in housing one can find in that city of Wilmington to be found in that state of North Carolina. And I have always thought of North Carolina as one of those states to be found in the southern part of that country of North America. And so if you happen to be looking for that Wilmington NC real estate for some reason or another, you can find it on the internet without ever having to leave home, or at least without ever having to leave a computer, as now with the invention of all things internet and the world wide web, finding that North Carolina real estate can be just a website visit away.

housing, money

The Rent Is Too Damn High.org

The rent is too damn high. And if you live in that city of New York, your rent may be to damn high, The Rent Is Too Damn High, and your rent is too damn high. And how do I know the rent is too damn high in that city of New York, and probably just about everywhere in the world right about now, because Jimmy McMillan when he was standing on the corner of 14th Street and 1st Ave a while ago with that rent is too damn high party van with all of those the rent is too damn high party posters all over it with those the rent is too damn high horns on that rent is to damn high car blaring that the rent is too damn high message next to that rent is too damn high table with that rent is too damn high literature on it says so. And I have read of this rent is too damn high guy in the papers before when he ran as the rent is too damn high party campaigner for mayor right along with that Naked Cowboy who finds himself half naked playing guitar in Times Square in that city of New York all the time, every so often. And it does seem to be a gentrification to the point of genocide kill off the poor who can afford to live anywhere day and times to where even the yuppies, those young urban professionals, can’t even afford to pay the rent without ten full time jobs and twenty roomates these days and times, as those same two hundred dollar apartments from long lore ago, now seem to be two thousand dollar apartments in the game of monopoly. And what about those utopian ideas? Housing is a human right. If you need a home, take one. And you don’t even have to pay taxes. I have thought developers or individuals should work with the market place on how to formalize squatters rights, that the world housing crisis and mortgage meltdown will give rise to the squatters struggle as a vision of a world freed from bankers, bosses, and landlords who currently claim ownership and by freeing the land from the oppressors and creating zones of resistance and saying no to concentrated landlord and government ownership; to create a viable alternative for people of neighborhoods to restore homes through their own efforts. It is my utopian vision of seeing the earth as a liberated zone one day. Whose right is it to own the land that was supposed to be given to us free anyway? That the basic necessity of life, shelter is not free. Free the land. Squat The World. No one is free when others are oppressed. Is another world possible. And what if anything, does this have to do with a No Police State?

art, events, housing, politics

Squat

Hey again bloggers, or whoever could be reading this blog. And so here on this day I find myself encountering that blaghers blah blog block again in search of something to post on this blog in an attempt to maintain content for it whenever possible in my blogaholicness. And so here’s an event and a video that I found interesting to post, as they seem as if they can be interesting adventures.

Roundtable On Political Squatting with Alan W. Moore and company

Matt Metzgar of the Lower East Side Squatter-Homesteader Archive Project, and New York artist Carla Cubit will speak about the Lower East Side squatting movement. Alan W. Moore will speak about “House Magic,” his research project on Occupied Social Centers in Europe, which is presently on display at Basekamp, at 723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Saturday May 29th 7PM
ROUNDTABLE ON POLITICAL SQUATTING
with Alan W. Moore, Matt Metzgar, and Carla Cubit
@
Wooden Shoe Books
704 South Street
Philadelphia PA 19147

And this Video, Trudy Benson at FREIGHT+VOLUME, Who’s Afraid of Ornament at NURTURE ART that seems to be about art, art and more art.

Have a great blogging day.

housing

The Condo

And I have heard of those condos before. As I believe those are usually those dwellings, buildings and apartment houses to be found here on planet earth for human beings. And usually if one finds themselves as one of those human beings dwelling here on planet earth they may find themselves in search of some kind of shelter from the elements of the earth. And then there are Miami Beach condos. And also from what I can recall, Miami beach rocks. At least in all of those advertising images of people walking down the beach having fun in the sun. And I have always thought of Miami Beach having the most beautiful style of architect to look at and behold. And the way those beautiful homes in Miami Beach, South Beach, Ocean Drive and others can be practically across the street from the beach, one does not have far to go to the beach in they live there. And now with the invention of all things internet, if you happen to be looking for one of these Miami Beach condos, you can search for them from the nearest computer you can find. You can find those Miami condos for sale without ever having to leave home, or at least without ever having to leave a computer. And with Miami Beach condo shopping, that Miami Beach condo can be just a website visit away.

housing, life

Moving?

Moving? That seems to be one of those things one may find themselves doing every so often as one of those human beings dwelling here on planet earth in need of some sort of shelter. And if you happen to be looking for a moving company for that move, you can compare movers at MoveBuilder. They are a website where you can find moving resources for all your moving needs. You can get moving estimates, find moving boxes and more at their website. You can also search for the state you are moving from and the state you are moving to at their website as well. With MoveBuilder, moving from place to place is just a website visit away.

gun violence, housing, money

Here On Earth

And so I find myself blogging again on this blog, wondering what to blog about simply because I started this blog to blah blog every so often. And if seems as if this world is spinning out of control, and was it ever in control I am not sure, when the Yahoo Headlines read “Mom admits to helping son build weapons cache, and gunman kills many at a school, then self”. And it is enough to have one leery of going to school for fear of gun violence these days and times. Is it 2012 and Kali Yuga on track, this world we live in these days. And what would that National Rifle Association have to say about this. And in other thoughts, most of the news seems to be all about the national economy being in debt, debt and more debt and tanking and going downhill these days, all during the elections and the changing of those White House office workers. And for what reason is that place called the white house anyway. That could be a whole another blog posting. And there is becoming so much of a national debt that even the Federal Reserve and Treasury are starting to have difficulty printing up enough money to cover it all. And is this the beginning of one of those depression recessions. Maybe one can squat the world and dumpster dive for free food durint these times. Maybe if everyone needs a home, they could take one now, maybe. Maybe alternative ways of living free from oppression can be considered now, maybe. Maybe another world is possible, where people can be free to live off the land. Whose idea is it that the land is for sale anyway. Housing and shelter, a basic necessity of human life. And for some reason that bible verse comes to mind, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”. And what, if anything, does this have to do with a No Police State? Peace on earth and goodwill to all mankind.

housing, politics

Tompkins Square Park

And there seems to be a new book of photography from Powerhouse Books called “Tompkins Square”, with photographs in black and white by Q. Sakamaki and essay by Bill Weinberg that has appeared this week in memoriam of the 20th Anniversary of the Tompkins Square Park Riots in that Park, that park everywhere in that former New York City neighborhood of the Lower East Side, that is now called the East Village for real estate marketing purposes maybe. I know this book has been written because a friend, The Village Voice, The New York Times, The New York Press, The Villager and other newspapers this week say so. And that book seems to be about documenting the history of that park then and now, its symbol of resistance, its bandshell long torn down, lost and forgotten, it’s homeless encampments, its home for the homeless, its abandoned buildings,its tents, its affordable housing, its squatters squats, its riots, its protests, its arrests, its evictions, its police confrontations, its Squatter May Day Concerts, its festivals, its AIDS souls, its punk rockers, its hippies, its Dinkinsville, its Avenue A,B,C and D Alphabet City scene, Its La Plaza Cultural, its neighborhood, its 80’s, 90’s and pre gentry gentrification, genocide era, its destruction and its resurrection. And it is a book of photos and there seems to be lots of historical and archival photos of that neighborhood and times indeed in that book. And there was a book launch and 20th Anniversary Commemoration at the Powerhouse Arena just yesterday I believe, to commemorate that park and era I guess. And this book seems to be a book to read. Squatters Rights… The Squatters Are Your Neighbors…No Housing No Peace…Squat The World…No one is free when others are oppressed…Is another world possible…Long Live CBGB’s. Long Live The Lower East Side. And what does this have to do with a No Police State?

events, housing

A Squatting Forum

And maybe it could be possible to free the world and squat the land. I know because when I just signed into my MySpace there was one of those inbox messages with a title that read “Tomorrow, 8/7: Squatting Forum @ 123”. And I gather by that title, that there is a forum and discussion about Squatting, an ideal that’s been long gone, lost and forgotten as the last remaining Squats of New York’s Lower East Side, that is now called the East Village for real estate marketing purposes have been bought off or sold off. And it is an era on gentrification and genocide, so much that even the yuppies, or young urban professionals can no longer afford the rent without ten roomates or twenty full time jobs. And that internet bible dictionary Wikipedia seems to have an entry for this alternative type of housing. And whose idea is it that the land is for sale anyway. And New York seems to be an ever changing era and landscape in its real estate. And the text of that event invite read:

“Join Freegan.info for a forum on squatting and reappropriation of the conditions of homelessness. The dispossessed are denied their rights to food and shelter by a system that recycles suffering and servitude. It is time to take advantage of the conditions of neglect by resettling abandoned buildings to forge the consensual space of extra-political collectives. The talk will be about squatting, and the formation of networked collectives to engage in the nuts and bolds of every-day class struggle. The spaces of every-day life need to be revolutionized for autonomy, self-determination, and freedom! Admission and Food Free.
Sponsored by Freegan.info and 123 Community Space

And the squatters are, were your neighbors. Long Live The Lower East Side. And what does this have to do with a No Police State?

No Police State Girl

No Police State Girl's blog is about everything No Police State and other random thoughts; music, art, fashion, lifestyle, technology, politics, the environment, saving the world and whatever else comes to mind.

Category Archives: housing