VICE - 2021-03-29
Faced with soaring real estate prices and an increasingly desperate housing crisis in Paris, a squatting collective has been formed to find spaces of residence in buildings that have remained unoccupied for years. We followed them as they searched for a new place, occupied it, and used their knowledge of French law to negotiate with the owner and the city's local administration. Watch more like this: The London Anarchist Group Squatting Mansions to Fight Homelessness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0OVvi29Pm0 Squatters Are Taking Over Las Vegas’ Abandoned Houses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUFbwzJulEY Inside the The Drug Flats of Barcelona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6IQYHEbdjc Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE About VICE: The Definitive Guide To Enlightening Information. From every corner of the planet, our immersive, caustic, ground-breaking and often bizarre stories have changed the way people think about culture, crime, art, parties, fashion, protest, the internet and other subjects that don't even have names yet. Browse the growing library and discover corners of the world you never knew existed. Welcome to VICE. Connect with VICE: Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice The VICE YouTube Network: VICE: https://www.youtube.com/VICE MUNCHIES: https://www.youtube.com/MUNCHIES VICE News: https://www.youtube.com/VICENews VICELAND: https://www.youtube.com/VICELANDTV Broadly: https://www.youtube.com/Broadly Noisey: https://www.youtube.com/Noisey Motherboard: https://www.youtube.com/MotherboardTV VICE Sports: https://www.youtube.com/NOC i-D: http://www.youtube.com/iDmagazine Waypoint: https://www.youtube.com/WaypointVICE
I appreciate how respectful they are of the property. heck, they leave it better than they entered it- If it was my abandoned property, I wouldn't have an issue.
@David Z emphasis on the "them", as in this specific group and any like them
@Mario honestly other than coming out of prison.
If you have the skills and education than being someone who has a more hands on trade can easily be more profitable than other traditional skills that demand you sit in a classroom.
This is simply because in France less people are going to what are called « Bac pro » schools due to either stigma surrounding them or shame as it’s seen as the option for « dumb people ».
Because of this there lies a serious lack in trades such as electricians.
Meaning that with the few electricians left get paid jumped up prices due to them being so few.
This is why you see electricians driving around in Mercedes in France.
@William Stamper With Paris prices? You'd be surprised how hard it might be even for "brainy" people.
Not all squatters are junkies u know, several like myself just live there like in a normal home.
Keeping it clean even repaint the outer wall and fixing the broken things inside the house
@Leander Herman when did i ever say otherwise
I once stayed with a friend who lived in a squat in Amsterdam. It was an old factory that had been empty for years. They fixed it up, refused to allow anyone on hard drugs to stay there and even had the support of the mayor. They also had an art collective and would hold free workshops for the local community. Not all squaters are bad people, some are just at difficult times in their lives.
They didn't have a toilet though so that was pretty rough.
ADM? Villa frikens? TramStop?
One thing that stood out to me here is that these guys are working to make the building they stay in presentable. They fix things. They clean things. They repair holes in the walls, floors and ceilings. They make furniture (like the tables they used, the new window fixtures and the bench by the streetside).
They're productive with what they have.
@James 4:8 there's about 5 of them...maybe more that didn't want to be recorded, if they were employed they can definitely afford that space -If not something a bit no smaller to house all. They have no order/structure in their lives and this is the blatant result.
@20 years ago ok boomer
@Zade Keys It's a pretty inherent human right not to be displaced, especially over something as petty as property.
They’re not necessarily renovating out of kindness. France’s laws give weight to squatters who’ve occupied a property long enough (not sure time frame). So much so that if you go on vacation, and someone squats in your house, you can’t call the cops to evict them when you get back (long court battle). So these guys fix the place up to “prove” how long they’ve lived there.
@King Kea Bullshit ....They got welfare and council housing in France ..one of the best welfare and council housing cites ......
They have good welfare state so that there no excuse for this .....
It bullshit excuse that rents to high ....They can go sign up on housing list and get free council house ...Aint no where near Christchurch issue
Squatters can be awful people but these guys are wonderful. They're occupying land that hasn't be touched in years and instead of ruining the place they're actually fixing it up. It's clear they still respect that it is someone's property, even though it's been unused for quite some time.
This had SUCH a nice ending, I wish more stuff like this happened
Such a hypocrisy, I was born and bread on the east side of Paris, the people showed in the documentary are all from upper class, they just want to play the rebel artist card, all of them went to art school, they have the bourgeois accent, they speak like bourgeois and act like it, the only reason they are able to do that is because they have protection, they don’t care about the poor shmuck that’s dying under their windows. I guess it makes for a better YouTube video than the actual squats that exist near the gates of Paris where people are dying in heaps of garbage.
@theoriginalpeace No it’s because these are entitled people that all went to business/art school, not vulnerable people, they have connections and teams of lawyers ready to help them.
Ya until you got strangers stealing your property......it’s always cool when it’s not happening to you...
@JEAN pierre Is your actual name Jean Pierre?
You just killed it for everyone
They had a whole ass team planning this operation out like oceans eleven but for homelessness.
Liqoh no the were not homeless they were journalist. Thanks for the dumbest things I’ve read all shes
@Creative guy Are you joking I didn’t say homeless didn’t exist. But this is a film crew. Which means they have an income and on-site living quarters. This isn’t some rebel journalism. Are you fucking kidding me? Every shot is perfectly lit and framed. That means there’s an entire crew playing part in it.
@Zade Keys According to u. Only.
I know right danmmm lol
Why don't they just work? This seems exausting. Like with that much man power they could do constrution lol.
This place is really near where I live. Just passed by it today because I was curious and it looks great from the outside! It's now painted pink, it's well maintained and looks "lived in" from what I saw through the windows
@ShortbreadDrawings Do you not have laying around? such a shame.
Cap
@Sat3 he’s lying lmao
Tiens nous au courant mec !
Can you give me the adress?
Glad it worked out between these guys and the owner of the building. They weren’t looking for trouble, they were looking for stability.
@Ryan 🔨 nailed it!
@Ryan that or those who cant afford paris are forced out
@GLCMRANGER absolutely did not nail it and completely missed the mark with an incredibly dumb, ignorant and arrogant point of view.
@wood house 😩😭💩
@Ryan how is saving lives not good?
Seriously, if anyone is neglectful enough to abandon a building and let it degrade to such a state, they should just let someone else who needs and respects the property live in it. What kind of psycho would not let another person make a good use of their trash? I'm glad that in this case the owner of this building is reasonable.
you make a good point. but there are psychos out there you and me don't even know about...
Crack Heads and Smack Heads ....Never been to squat in my life that dont have them .....Dont underestimate the amount drugs that taken and sold by squatters ...in fact i dont think ever met a squatter who not either taking and selling drugs ....i knew a lot them
not everyone is well mannered in someone else's property. these people are really good.
There's people living on the streets, and there are empty houses. So we open the door. Beautifully said.
These men are doing amazing work... what you would think is common sense and obvious
But the people who own these vacant buildings often times are so far removed from reality.. I’m glad these men are able to bring these things to their attention and hopefully persuade them to do the right thing
What’s better.... an empty disgusting building that is falling apart? Or allowing someone to
Live there who will fix it up and maintain it for the time being???
Doesn’t make any sense!!! Stop making the rich richer and the poor poorer!
That would’ve ended so completely different here in NYC; a building owner would never even fathom the thought of working something out; they’re barely hospitable towards lease holding tenants. And most would rather have a building sit unoccupied with no rent coming in for years than to simply lessen the rent to reasonable levels.
The economics and reality of New York City housing makes me want to scream and cry.
The absolute hostility towards people who work minimum and attempt to live there is astounding.
In France owners do it ONLY because the law oblige them too, you cant expulse someone from a house if theyve been there for more than a certain amount of time (thats why they all get theirs story straight saying its been a week when in reality its only been 1 days)
Fully support this guys on their mission. They're finding and rescued uninhabited and unloved spaces and allowing awesome people to live in the city. They were born there. Paris is their home.
Its not about being born there. France is their ancestral home land. Its theirs.
Having a place to live is something that I definitely take for granted. I'm glad that it worked out for them in the end, but it is also crazy how expensive Paris is. At some point, only the rich will make up Paris, and diversity in any sense will plummet. Their housing structure needs to be reviewed big time.
These people really made that building look nice in a short ass time.
@chaoticfirearm lmao no capitalism is not the root of all this. There are many differing factors that lead to things like this. I can see why you would say that but it is far from what’s causing this issue
@Jack Young What are the others
@chaoticfirearm I wanna make it clear, I’m not saying capitalism isn’t part of the problem. But it’s not at all the the root of all this. The root of it all comes down to the governments, for they are the ones who make all the regulations, taxes, etc.
@Alpha T like a tax lien
@Jack Young They sign the precarious occupation agreement to eliminate the risk to the landlord.
I really hope they go far in life, they are young, so skilled and resourceful and so respectful of the places they inhabit. In-between it all they managed to cook a nutritious meal of rice too! No matter what they look after themselves, that's amazing!
The leader guy is so charismatic, the type of guy who would make anyone feel at ease and always seems like he knows what he's doing
yea he said he's not living in the 93rd ..lol could have easily solved his problem
You bums really find comfort in each other
That’s the definition of a psychopath
a cult leader u just described sick
@Jim Cornette The video I just watched pretty clearly showed him having a place of residence.
They represent the true meaning of community. I wish them well and hopefully the owner is willing to extend their stay until someone is interested in renting out or buying the building. Vous envoyer tant d'amour de Californie ❤️
thank you!
finally a proper depiction of what squatters are truly like! they are not the lazy bums and junkies who invade other peoples properties, just because they don't feel like paying rent and who will trash the places they get into. they are decent people who don't have the means to provide themselves with standard living conditions, and who will move into a property and keep the building alive by keeping vermin and vandals out. it's nice to see that there is a way to come to an agreement with the owners, in France. I hope they get to stay there for a long time and can develop the space!
I really loved that they set up the building so well this fast and that they aim for public long unoccupied buildings, ethics and pragmatism !!
Amazing story. Thanks for capturing this VICE. Everyone was so sensible and considerate. Can't imagine how fast people would get tazed and/or shot trying this in USA.
I applaud the people who are struggling but still do their best to overcome their difficulties as these fine people do! Honest and upfront, they even took the time to fix and repaint walls... These people would make better renters then alot that i've seen! We are all people...
Hands down the most reasonable squatters I've ever seen. The ones down my road insist on playing gabba 24/7 and dgaf :(
what is gabba?
@lukkyluciano A type of hardcore drum and bass. It's rancid.
@Joe Budd Gabbers are to hardcore what Junglist are to jungle/dnb
this comment 😂😂
Gabba is a really grotty type of hardstyle, never heard people referred to as gabbers.
It's a truly awful experience. I wouldn't wish a night at a gabba club on my worst enemy. It attracts the worst pit dwelling goblins imaginable.
I like these guys. Respectful and responsible. Any property owner would be happy to help people like these.
These folks have the RIGHT approach. They fix up the place, practice hygiene, a zero drugs policy and exhibit a sincere sense of community with artistic flair. I wish them all the best. 🙏🏼😇👌🏻
Really interesting video, I feel as if squatting will become more popular in the future due to the consequences of neoliberal policies that aren't bragged about such as pushing the poor out of being able to afford their own place to live in a city they grew up in, which is quite tragic in a way
@Bonka it’s socialist ideals that make people drop down/ struggle. In Canada no matter who you are(unless indigenous decent) you pay your 26.5-66,5% income tax your whole life, and then when you die they take 1/3 of your possessions. When you die if you are financially unstable and don’t have 1/3 of your worth in cash, the government will take your house/farm and sell it
@Pure Protein none of what you mentionned has anything to do with socialism though. I know americans are brainwashed to fear socialism and associate it with things that aren't even remotely socialist so don't hesitate to ask questions or use the internet to learn more about it, you more than likely already agree with the (real) principles of socialism.
Anyway I hope you are having a good day :)
@Pure Protein dying is expensive in Canada. My elders passed on, and the feds took 50% of everything right away. And that was on the already taxed income and properties saved over the last 50 years. Unreal.
I had people do this while I was renovating my house in San Francisco. Now, if they had been artists and people who treated it respectfully, I would have been fine with it. Instead, they were generally dirtbags who trashed the place and pissed off the neighbors.
Amazing to see them actually clean and improve the building interior! Can’t imagine that happening in many other countries.
Thanks Vice for sharing other realities with people.
brilliant, such a shame people have to resort to these extremes but empty housing / buildings should NOT be allowed to legally sit empty. more of this! power to the people
it’s a disgrace that landlords and investors should be allowed to have empty properties in a city like Paris, tax them for remaining empty and you’ll see the enthusiasm for renting out space increase and prices decrease
Loved this. Wonderful work Vice!
Wow....the passion and the struggle is real, we live in such a world.
If you make 30k a year you're in the top 1%
Like, can't they just do precarious agreements until the owners want to do something with it? Not only is the house getting use, but they've also managed to fix it up. They have done work alone that would have cost the owners tens of thousands. Seems like a game where everyone wins
Salut, après 10 ans de squat sur Genève (Suisse), tout est mort au moment où les politiques ont fait un gros coup de force, nous avions 200 squat en 1990, et en 2021 2 ou 3, mais même, si je ne squat plus depuis quelques années, moi et beaucoup de mes connaissances somment parti dans une spiral très précaire ,et nous n'avons malheureusement que trop perdu dans ce combat. ma dernière phrase est ... ( is over ), en tout cas pour ma génération, très bon reportage vice, mais il faut le vivre pour le comprendre, comme un pirate la dit un jour : Car sans rire, c'est plus facile de rêver à ce qu'on ne pourra jamais plus toucher, sur ce bon combat au jeunes. toute mes excuses, je ne suis pas un érudit en Français, et je ne souhaite pas le devenir, juste exposer notre dure vie de pirate du logement.
The idea of buying and owning space is really trippy. It becomes disgusting when some are suffocating because they have no space and the super privileged have all the space.
This ish is happening in every big city in the world and especially in the west. Gentrification is killing.
This was so good. Minimal editorializing. Just showing us the people and their story, interviewing them a bit, and then wrapping it up.
I can respect that... breaking into a place, then making it better than when you first found and occupied it. They don't do crazy drugs, they just need a place to live in a spot that is can't be occupied anyway because of expensive building codes. I think it's a win-win for all parties involved.
Yes! Hell yes! A series! These squatters are methodical and genius
Damn they're lucky! I wish we had more squatters rights in the states. I live in a relatively well off area and it is rediculous how many houses just aren't used and just sit there.
I'm glad this worked out.
Maybe others will see this and it will inspire them. And maybe change for the better will happen. I hope so. There are so many that are homeless and in many places rent is so high that it's impossible to reach.
Those who own buildings that stand empty need to rethink things. Lower rent, rent in exchange for work on the building. Thoes are a few ideas. In the end I think it will have to be a partnership. That would help so many.
The problem is even worse here in London. Rich and mostly criminal property "developers" hanging on to unused, years empty old commercial buildings until they are worth so much it's worth having them demolished to put expensive flat on them. They give huge back handers to the politicians via donations to political parties, so the law is never changed. Both political parties are equally corrupt. Post COVID we have to vote in change.
They seem to be respectful and have good standards and leave it in better shape and they find it, I have sympathy and respect for them
This was really interesting. Please could you follow these people and give an update. I'd totally watch that
The other side of the problem is that landlords are allowed to let their buildings fall into disrepair, which doesn't make any sense. The dilapidation can also be intentional and weaponized when their goal is to bring down the property value of neighboring buildings in order to buy them up cheaply later. In the meanwhile abandoned buildings are eyesores, accumulate trash, become magnets for the drug-addicts and homeless.
If you own property, you must keep it up to code. Is it too expensive to repair? Sell it. Is the market bad and you won't get a good price? Tough. Why is it people only care about how unfair capitalism is when it affects the upper class?
You wanted to own property and real estate? okay. You weren't conservative and over extended yourself by buying more property than you should've because you felt the economy was working in your favor? That was your call. Now pay the price. And if its a loss, then it's a loss. suck it up, buttercup
I'd love to see more of their stuff, they seem like really charismatic and interesting people
I wish this was more widely done on cities in the U.S. My city is really small but if there's an abandoned house it sells so cheaply that a collective could really help polish it back up. Right now it's done by small families or one guy flipping it for fun but the idea that groups of young people putting eclectic touches around the whole place would be really moving. It's good to know that they would be safe as well. Good job Parisians! Absolutely brilliant.
Honestly a collective effort to fix and repair houses is brilliant. Ims surprised I haven't heard of it happening anywhere , I believe it would be a funding issue since the people who live in those areas are busy paying their own mortgages.
That being said , what city are you in ?
He made such a good point about the homeless sleeping outside of buildings they could be sleeping inside. There should be some sort of system for abandoned buildings to be acquired by charities
Let’s talk about why living costs are unbearable in Paris in the first place!
capitalism?
@q9c9p Il randagio no because in Paris there are those that we French call bobos, they are rich with a lucrative job and they do not want to mix with others
At 1:46 he doesn't really say "just over a question of property ownership", he says "just because some people do real estate speculation"
Imo that's a big part of the problem
Katya Mete - 2021-03-29
This was mad interesting. If they're up for it, Vice should make this a series. It would be cool to see their progression.
Katya Mete - 2021-03-30
@matt miller Philly area!
dexikid - 2021-03-31
@matt miller dude i was thinking same. From mass also.
Jordan Kopp - 2021-04-04
I agree, it should be a series! I live in Vancouver BC Canada, and it's so expensive, people that've lived here our whole lives can no longer afford it.There are also 10-15% of homes/apartments empty.
David Z - 2021-04-08
Why are the large majority of homeless people single men? Loads of people repeatedly claim that all men have male privilege, so I'm confused as to how privileged people could be homeless.
selma Vincent - 2021-04-20
AGREED