Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Squatters still survive in Hudson, NY!
Eighteen riverside squatter shanties remain in Hudson, NY. The occupants have fended off the government for decades--and public officials concede they've achieved a stalemate. "They're clearly squatters on city land and don't pay taxes, but they're not bothering anybody," Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera says. "There's no potential development plan for the land anyway. They're tucked away next to a sewer treatment plant and an abandoned sewing factory. I consider it a case of out of sight, out of mind." Here's an Albany Times Union profile of these two throwback communities, one in the lagoon at North Bay, the other on Middle Ground Flats, an island in the Hudson River. Great historical detail: back in the 1930s and 40s, when Hudson had a hard core working waterfront, bar owners posted an illuminated sign in the river to lure passing boaters to the town's 68 taverns.
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5 comments:
Reading your post on riverside squatter shanties reminded me of a photo i posted in my blog of a squatter community set against the metro manila skyline. this particular colony is located in a river-sized, man-made floodway. it is government property and that means they cannot be evicted unless the govt has housing given to those who qualify (something like having to prove you have been squatting for 20-30 years or so). so this colony continues to thrive and grow. this photo is what it looks like from the other side. i drive thru this place everyday on the way to work.
the pc term used in manila for squatters is "informal settlers"
Good photos, monster. Thanks.
You say you drive through the community.....so there are roads inside, and car access? Wonderful. What's the name of this squatter community (oh, I mean "informal settlement)? And do you know anyone who lives there?
yes, actually, allan, an employee of a friend lives in that neighborhood which they simply call "floodway". he actually rents so its kinda ironic cos his landlord is a squatter, so i guess that doesnt make him one? the photos are in the Pasig City side, the next city, Marikina, is squatter free, the local government having been able to resettle all legitimate squatters and prohibiting new colonies from moving in. heres more info fyi.
its an alternate route to metro manila if youre coming from the east. it has roads, water electricity, govt health centers, etc. most important of all to the local politicians, they can vote.
Does Allen have internet access? Does he speak English? Might he be interesting in posting something about the floodway neighborhood?
By the way, renters predominate in many of the world's squatter neighborhoods.
he doesnt have internet access, he has a landline phone and a cellphone... he understands english and can speak it if necessary. ill see if he's open to talking about where he lives... as far as i know, he lives there with his wife and kids, an older brother (who is an ex marine) and his family (he works for my other friend). a friend of allan also used to work for my family, his other friend works for my sister. they all work as family drivers and earn an average of about 8,000 pesos/month (about US$140).
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