Nine-tenths of the Law : Property and Resistance in the United States

Millions of foreclosed homes and abandoned buildings on one hand; millions of Americans desperate for decent shelter on the other. Hannah Dobbz makes the necessary addition of resources and needs in a book that is both a brilliant history of squatting in the USA and a template for the next stage of the Occupy movement.-Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums and Buda's Wagon How does property fit into designs for an equitable society? Nine-tenths of the Law examines the history of squatting and property struggles in the United States, from colonialism to twentieth century urban squatting and the foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s, and how such resistance movements shape the law. Stories from our most hard-hit American cities show that property is truly in crisis: One in five homes in Buffalo, NY, are abandoned. Our national housing vacancy rate is 14 percent. If we gave a house to every homeless person in the United States two-thirds of that stock would remain empty. In May of 2011, one in every 103 homes in Nevada was in foreclosure. Nine-tenths of the Law expands our understanding of property law and highlights recent tactics like creative squatting ventures and the use of adverse possession to claim title to vacant homes. Hannah Dobbz unveils the tangled relationship Americans have always had in creating and sustaining healthy communities. Hannah Dobbz is a writer, editor, filmmaker, and former squatter. In 2007 she produced a film about squatters in the Bay Area called Shelter . The film has screened widely at universities, bookstores, and community spaces, including the 2009 Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Millions of foreclosed homes and abandoned buildings on one hand; millions of Americans desperate for decent shelter on the other. Hannah Dobbz makes the necessary addition of resources and needs in a book that is both a brilliant history of squatting in the USA and a template for the next stage of the Occupy movement.--Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums and Buda's Wagon

How does "property" fit into designs for an equitable society? Nine-tenths of the Law examines the history of squatting and property struggles in the United States, from colonialism to twentieth century urban squatting and the foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s, and how such resistance movements shape the law. Stories from our most hard-hit American cities show that property is truly in crisis:

• One in five homes in Buffalo, NY, are abandoned.
• Our national housing vacancy rate is 14 percent. If we gave a house to every homeless person in the United States two-thirds of that stock would remain empty.
In May of 2011, one in every 103 homes in Nevada was in foreclosure.

Nine-tenths of the Law expands our understanding of property law and highlights recent tactics like creative squatting ventures and the use of adverse possession to claim title to vacant homes. Hannah Dobbz unveils the tangled relationship Americans have always had in creating and sustaining healthy communities.

Hannah Dobbz is a writer, editor, filmmaker, and former squatter. In 2007 she produced a film about squatters in the Bay Area called Shelter. The film has screened widely at universities, bookstores, and community spaces, including the 2009 Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Millions of foreclosed homes and abandoned buildings on one hand; millions of Americans desperate for decent shelter on the other. Hannah Dobbz makes the necessary addition of resources and needs in a book that is both a brilliant history of squatting in the USA and a template for the next stage of the Occupy movement.--Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums and Buda's Wagon How does "property" fit into designs for an equitable society? Nine-tenths of the Law examines the history of squatting and property struggles in the United States, from colonialism to twentieth century urban squatting and the foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s, and how such resistance movements shape the law. Stories from our most hard-hit American cities show that property is truly in crisis: One in five homes in Buffalo, NY, are abandoned. Our national housing vacancy rate is 14 percent. If we gave a house to every homeless person in the United States two-thirds of that stock would remain empty. In May of 2011, one in every 103 homes in Nevada was in foreclosure. Nine-tenths of the Law expands our understanding of property law and highlights recent tactics like creative squatting ventures and the use of adverse possession to claim title to vacant homes. Hannah Dobbz unveils the tangled relationship Americans have always had in creating and sustaining healthy communities. Hannah Dobbz is a writer, editor, filmmaker, and former squatter. In 2007 she produced a film about squatters in the Bay Area called Shelter . The film has screened widely at universities, bookstores, and community spaces, including the 2009 Three Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Table of Contents 6 Acknowledgments 7 Timeline of Significant Property-Related Developments in the United States Since European Settlement (as discussed in this book): 8 Introduction 12 1. And Then There Were None: Indigenous Land Struggles and the Problem of Ownership 24 2. "Scattering the Seeds of Discord, Misery, and Insurrection with Both Hands": Land Distribution and Resistance in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 44 3. Junkspace and Its Discontents: A Modern History of Urban Housing 74 4. The Rendering Scarce: Squatters in the Foreclosure Age 124 5. Surreal Estate: Adverse Possession and Other Tales of Squatter's "Rights" 152 6. Outrunning the White Elephant: A Thoughtful Approach to Homeownership 174 7. Equitable Living without Equity: Housing Cooperatives and Land Trusts 188 8. The Stories of Spaces: Urban Planning and the Wonder of Used Places 208 Conclusion 222 APPENDICES 242 Appendix A: Property Research 242 Appendix B: Property Laws for Defending an Occupation 249 Appendix C: Organizing for Occupation's Tips 4 Squatting 256 Appendix D: Glossary 266 Appendix E: Adverse Possession Code, State by State 268 Notes 272 Index 296 How does 'property' fit into designs for an equitable society? This book examines the history of squatting and property struggles in the United States from colonialism to 20th century urban squatting and the foreclosure crisis of the late 2000s, and how such resistance movements shape the law. The book highlights recent tactics like creative squatting ventures and the use of adverse possession to claim title to vacant homes. Hannah Dobbz unveils the tangled relationship Americans have always had in creating and sustaining healthy communities. A toolbox for housing justice, a guide to American property law, and the squatter-rebels that dot our landscape