Dos Blockos
Encyclopedia
Dos Blockos was a squat
situated on East 9th Street in Manhattan
, New York City
. In active use as a squat from 1992–1999, the six-story building housed as many as 60 people at its peak. The building was evicted in 1999 and converted into a commercial apartment building.
. One former resident cites the production's $500 a day rental fee as underwriting the cost of putting plumbing in the building.
Among the building's former residents was the now deceased documentary filmmaker and Indymedia New York City journalist Brad Will
. Will spoke about the struggles of Lower East Side
squatters in "ABC
Survives, Fifth Street Buried Alive," a 1997 program produced by Paper Tiger Television
:
"We were making a home out of a crumbling building [Fifth Street Squat]. The interior of the building needed help, and we brought that building back to life. It was standing strong. And the only reason it was standing was because people were living in it. If we had let it go the way the city wanted it to go—they tore out the stairwell, they punched holes in the roof. The water—the rain was rotting that building from the inside out. We replaced the joists. We rebuilt the floors. We sheetrocked the walls and made the building alive. What did they do? They killed it. That building is over a hundred years old. It was standing strong."
, was purchased in 1997 by private developer East Nine L.L.C., for $285,000. The developers quickly began eviction proceedings against the Dos Blockos squatters, who had by then occupied the building for five years.
After years of legal struggles, the Dos Blockos squatters were alerted in early March 1999 by East Nine L.L.C. that they would have to vacate the building by April 1 of that year. Colleen McGuire, the lawyer who represented members of Dos Blockos from 1994–98, fought the action and told the New York Times, "They [Dos Blockos] made viable housing for homeless
people and they should be rewarded."
of Dos Blockos took place on April 27, 1999, the squatters' nonviolent
resistance clashing against more than one hundred New York City police
officers in riot gear as a police helicopter circled overhead. Thirteen of the building's 22 residents were arrested and charged with obstruction of government administration.
City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez criticized the city for the eviction, noting the hard work of the squatters to restore the building, and for the excessive legal costs and police force employed by the city for a private interest at taxpayer expense. "The only reason people took over this building is because it was abandoned 20 years ago... Now the neighborhood is a place to make millions of dollars, so landlords come." "Where was the landlord 20 years ago?" Lopez asked. "Now... they're suddenly interested. The fact that the city is doing the dirty work of a private landlord is an outrage. Who's paying for all these cops?"
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
situated on East 9th Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In active use as a squat from 1992–1999, the six-story building housed as many as 60 people at its peak. The building was evicted in 1999 and converted into a commercial apartment building.
History
In 1992 when the building was first occupied by the Dos Blockos squatters, it had been vacant for twelve years and was stripped of wires and pipes. The squatters renovated the derelict building themselves, installing their own plumbing, electrical wiring, and roof. The venture was funded in part by making the space available at intervals for concerts and short-term commercial ventures, such as its use as a photo shoot location for the 1996 film TrainspottingTrainspotting (film)
Trainspotting is a 1996 British satirical/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The movie follows a group of heroin addicts in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life...
. One former resident cites the production's $500 a day rental fee as underwriting the cost of putting plumbing in the building.
Among the building's former residents was the now deceased documentary filmmaker and Indymedia New York City journalist Brad Will
Brad Will
Bradley Roland Will was an American activist, videographer and amateur journalist affiliated with Indymedia. On October 27, 2006 during a labor dispute in the Mexican city of Oaxaca, Will suffered two gunshot wounds that resulted in his death....
. Will spoke about the struggles of Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
squatters in "ABC
ABC No Rio
ABC No Rio is a social center located at 156 Rivington Street on New York City's Lower East Side that was founded in 1980. It features a gallery space, a zine library, a darkroom, a silkscreening studio, and public computer lab...
Survives, Fifth Street Buried Alive," a 1997 program produced by Paper Tiger Television
Paper Tiger Television
Paper Tiger Television is an open media collective dedicated to raising media literacy and challenging corporate control over broadcast medium. Based in New York City, Paper Tiger was founded in 1981....
:
"We were making a home out of a crumbling building [Fifth Street Squat]. The interior of the building needed help, and we brought that building back to life. It was standing strong. And the only reason it was standing was because people were living in it. If we had let it go the way the city wanted it to go—they tore out the stairwell, they punched holes in the roof. The water—the rain was rotting that building from the inside out. We replaced the joists. We rebuilt the floors. We sheetrocked the walls and made the building alive. What did they do? They killed it. That building is over a hundred years old. It was standing strong."
Legal Struggle
The property on East 9th Street, which had long been in foreclosureForeclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
, was purchased in 1997 by private developer East Nine L.L.C., for $285,000. The developers quickly began eviction proceedings against the Dos Blockos squatters, who had by then occupied the building for five years.
After years of legal struggles, the Dos Blockos squatters were alerted in early March 1999 by East Nine L.L.C. that they would have to vacate the building by April 1 of that year. Colleen McGuire, the lawyer who represented members of Dos Blockos from 1994–98, fought the action and told the New York Times, "They [Dos Blockos] made viable housing for homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
people and they should be rewarded."
Eviction
The evictionEviction
How you doing???? Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
of Dos Blockos took place on April 27, 1999, the squatters' nonviolent
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
resistance clashing against more than one hundred New York City police
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
officers in riot gear as a police helicopter circled overhead. Thirteen of the building's 22 residents were arrested and charged with obstruction of government administration.
City Councilwoman Margarita Lopez criticized the city for the eviction, noting the hard work of the squatters to restore the building, and for the excessive legal costs and police force employed by the city for a private interest at taxpayer expense. "The only reason people took over this building is because it was abandoned 20 years ago... Now the neighborhood is a place to make millions of dollars, so landlords come." "Where was the landlord 20 years ago?" Lopez asked. "Now... they're suddenly interested. The fact that the city is doing the dirty work of a private landlord is an outrage. Who's paying for all these cops?"