NOW is a great show, it always gets me excited. Squatters rights go back centuries: the law puts the responsibility of maintaining property on the property owners. I would have liked a discussion of why this is illegal in Miami -is Miami different? Is it legal elsewhere? Also the point needs to be made that many of these mortgages were bundled and sold as securities, in many cases it is difficult to find out exactly who holds the paper for these properties. That is a problem I have heard about when municipalities try to serve the owners with code violations: if the paper is owned by an investment bank that is run by a board of directors that answers to shareholders, the responsibility to maintain the property gets tossed from them to the property managers and then back and forth and nothing gets done.
Very interesting show. I agree wholeheartedly that it's the role of private citizen groups to deal with issues like this, not just the government. I'm not sure that Rameau's group is taking responsibility for the groups they place, or that they are formally organized to the point where they can be accountable for damages to privately owned property. Certainly derelict houses and homeless people are not helping society or the collective economy, and I think Rameau is doing something beneficial by ensuring that the banks don't create a stalemate of foreclosures, homelessness and lack of financial activity. I wonder if a more organized group that could compensate the homeowners at least some small amount, ensure that the placed families are good citizens and a net asset to the receiving neighborhoods, and still provide valuable placement services, would be of even greater benefit to society and do far more for economic recovery than the government bailouts.
As a statement on the robbery of the American people, encouragement of unsustainable business practices and utter economic unsoundness of the bank bailout, Rameau is doing something profound and inspiring. I think the concept can be taken a step beyond civil disobedience and can create real and tangible value (in terms of quality of life and economic benefit) for society as a whole.
Also, how could community design help mitigate this cycle of foreclosure-dereliction-neighborhood decline?
If street homelessness has been reduced by 90%, I'd hate to have seen it previously. I visited Miami in the summer of 2008 and the number of homeless was astonishing!
This is absurd. No matter how you look at it, its trespassing, its illegal. Rameau even admits it he is promoting an illegal activity. Maybe Rameau is the one who needs prosecuting. I'm not against providing shelter to a needy family but a city shelter is a much more legal option. Overall, this is bad publicity for Rameau and Take Back the Land. If I were a bank, I'd take preventive measures on my homes after seeing this video. Who pays Rameau's salary anyways? Is his work voluntary? Any idea?
NOW is a great show, it always gets me excited. Squatters rights go back centuries: the law puts the responsibility of maintaining property on the property owners. I would have liked a discussion of why this is illegal in Miami -is Miami different? Is it legal elsewhere? Also the point needs to be made that many of these mortgages were bundled and sold as securities, in many cases it is difficult to find out exactly who holds the paper for these properties. That is a problem I have heard about when municipalities try to serve the owners with code violations: if the paper is owned by an investment bank that is run by a board of directors that answers to shareholders, the responsibility to maintain the property gets tossed from them to the property managers and then back and forth and nothing gets done.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting show. I agree wholeheartedly that it's the role of private citizen groups to deal with issues like this, not just the government. I'm not sure that Rameau's group is taking responsibility for the groups they place, or that they are formally organized to the point where they can be accountable for damages to privately owned property. Certainly derelict houses and homeless people are not helping society or the collective economy, and I think Rameau is doing something beneficial by ensuring that the banks don't create a stalemate of foreclosures, homelessness and lack of financial activity. I wonder if a more organized group that could compensate the homeowners at least some small amount, ensure that the placed families are good citizens and a net asset to the receiving neighborhoods, and still provide valuable placement services, would be of even greater benefit to society and do far more for economic recovery than the government bailouts.
ReplyDeleteAs a statement on the robbery of the American people, encouragement of unsustainable business practices and utter economic unsoundness of the bank bailout, Rameau is doing something profound and inspiring. I think the concept can be taken a step beyond civil disobedience and can create real and tangible value (in terms of quality of life and economic benefit) for society as a whole.
Also, how could community design help mitigate this cycle of foreclosure-dereliction-neighborhood decline?
If street homelessness has been reduced by 90%, I'd hate to have seen it previously. I visited Miami in the summer of 2008 and the number of homeless was astonishing!
ReplyDeleteThis is absurd. No matter how you look at it, its trespassing, its illegal. Rameau even admits it he is promoting an illegal activity. Maybe Rameau is the one who needs prosecuting. I'm not against providing shelter to a needy family but a city shelter is a much more legal option. Overall, this is bad publicity for Rameau and Take Back the Land. If I were a bank, I'd take preventive measures on my homes after seeing this video. Who pays Rameau's salary anyways? Is his work voluntary? Any idea?