fortified makes it seem like they've dug in and are waiting in defensive positions to rain hot lead down on their attackers. at least thats what i think about

Would you put it past Sic from what he says

No, not hot lead. Tomatoes and eggs though.

'Fortified' was the only word I could think of aside from 'barricaded', which would be more accurate but to my mind doesn't sound as nice.

Basically, they're creating obstructions to hinder the entry of the police when they storm the house without resorting to force or violence.

Don't want to see him punched in the face, no.

Do want to see him kicked out, though.

There are those of us who legitimately pay for our own damn houses.

In response to all the debates on the last page: krellin +1. My dad's from Detroit originally and whenever he talks about it he gets visibly upset, and my dad is anything but an emotional man. Also, DEFINITELY want to see a hippie squatter get punched in the face. Tear gas too if the police feel like putting on their gas masks. Nothing like an act of civil disobedience ending with a nightstick to the head to get me fired up.

yeah durden, fuck civil disobedience, then jack off to kittens in a blender yeah!

hey all. still in the house. still getting lots of media coverage, on democracy now tommorrow and I think michael moore is coming out. been on dylan ratigan a few times, newspapers/radio and all local news. plus super internet coverage.
I would really like to respond to all your comments but I dont have time, I will mention the power though. the way it was cut was illegal, because it was on the house side of the meter (which also means it's our responsibility to fix it not the power companys). since the bank owns the house, it could have been legal, they could have gotten a warrant and then the power comp wouldve come and shut it down (or done it remotely). the power company didnt know anything about it, cuz we called to report a broken connection due to vandalism. more importantly the power company couldve done it in a SAFE way. the way it was done couldbr turned this into waco by setting the house on fire, not to mention killed the person who cut it (with boltcutters). our lawyer seen the guy, who then got into a deputies car. the sheriff admitted he had prior knowledge of the power being cut on camera (13 abc I think). I also have to mention that the bills are paid. here is a pic of the cut power
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=43067&op=1&o=user&view=user&subj=119939818025613&aid=-1&oid=119939818025613&id=100001065264984

oh and we dont have any weapons. and dont plan on any violence.
I'm not a pacifist but you have to use the right tactics for the right action.

Keep it up as long as you can my friend. I live in Windsor, Ontario right across the border from Detroit and I have seen firsthand the effect that all these foreclosures have had on your people and it's horrendous. The US government should be doing more to help the people in their homes and less to help big Wall Street firms. The US Senate voted against the SAFE Banking Act which would have ended "too big to fail," and put a cap on how big a bank can get. Chalk one more for Wall Street.

Not quite Sicarus, there is some civil disobedience that can be quite useful (e.g. Ghandi, King, etc.) but chilling in a house is not useful. Also, I love kittens, hate hippies.

Sicarius is having a grand old time - why the hell shouldn't he be? He FEELS good about what he is doing, he has no personal risk - it isn't his house - other than the possibility of some minor civil infraction on his record if he gets arrested (which he will wear as a badge of honor). I'm sure there's lots of card playing or role playing or maybe even a bong toke or tow. Who knows....but I know this - in the end, what a freaking waste of time it will be. Owner will lose his home, and all this "feel good" sit-in crap will amount to nothing.

Hey - sic - wanna help this person out? Help them fine-tune their resume so they can get a job/better job and PAY their mortgage - you know, that LEGAL document they SIGNED their name to. Maybe put the peeps up in your place while they get back on their feet. Maybe have a bake sale and help raise some cash. But your good-times hippie sit-in...Please. give me a break if you actually think you are accomplishing anything. Just admit you are having a good time, but have ZERO expectations and I'll have a little bit of respect for you.

One good round of tear gas grenades through the windows will have Sic and crew out in no time.

LOL, that always bothered me when watching, say, WTO protests. You got the feeling that the protesters were there not because they believed in an issue, but because they thought it would be fun.

Owners rights +1

Mortgage - Zero dollars
Mortgage Insurance - Zero dollars
Property Insurance - Zero dollars
Getting to watch the cops handcuff Sicarius live on the internet - Priceless

Yes, become a wage slave in a soul-grinding day job so you can pay off your protection debts to the banksters. Makes perfect sense. A much better idea would be to EBAY EVERYTHING, then pour the money into building an internet radio station and broadcasting radical anarchist podcasts. Myself, I'm a bit lazy for such an undertaking; I would just spend the money on consumables such as microwave burritos and cocaine, gas masks, guns & ammo, then wait for the breaching action. Let's see, defender gets tactical advantage, +X for cocaine-enhanced initiative....

I posted a link to this story on facebook, where I so eloquently stated that the banks would be better working with the homeowners to get SOMETHING (anything above $0 being essentially profit to the bank) instead of letting the house sit and go to pot (or get squatted again).

Also, I mentioned that the police should not be involved in such cases; instead, the banks should field their OWN field officers to serve eviction papers and them forcibly evict those unable or unwilling to pay. Seriously, didn't the banks just get a larger bailout than the combined law enforcement budget of all 50 states?

Gnome, are you serious? You now want the banks to enforce the law? Seriously?

"anything above $0 being essentially profit to the bank"

If they can sell the home for more than 'anything above $0', then 'anything above $0' isn't a good price.

Gnome - without the banks, you would be borrowing your neighbors saw to go cut down trees to build your own house...of course, since you always refused to get a day job, you have no skills, and thus even your lean-to can't stand up to a brisk wind. the next thing you know...here comes Gnome, demanding his right to housing....

At which point we turn to cannibalism and eat the Gnome so that he is no longer a burden to those that choose self-improvement over hand-outs.

On the other hand, Gnome would bring the microwave burritos and cocaine....so now I have to ponder the situation.

OK, revised plan. We gladly welcome Gnome with his drugs and munchies until such time that he runs out of said treats. THEN we resume the previously plan.

Sic is so hot!!

@Gnome de Guerre - banks lose money on most of the foreclosed houses that they sell.

@KaptinKool, banks which choose to allow a delayed payment may be able to re-coup much of the loss if the house-holder stays and can afford to pay later, but then the 'if they can afford' is the important bit - the bank made a bussiness deal and took a risk, bad risks coming back to bite them in the ass; i have little sympathy for these banks.

@KK - true, but its often more than they'd get if they gave up completely

@orathaic -- I agree with you completely. I have no sympathy for banks that made stupid loans...but lack of sympathy for banks does not equate to sympathy for the (soon-to-not-be) homeowner. I equate it to a drug dealer. The dealer is pushing something he shouldn't push, and in the case of a lot of homeowners who purchased homes with little or no or negative financial cushion for the realities of life, they are buying a drug because they WANTED it, not because they needed it.

Wait, I missed Sicarius getting handcuffed?! LIVE?! ON THE INTERNET?!

There is no forgiveness for my mistake. :'(

Sic is (apparently) now in jail:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/stony-ridge-standoff-ended-peacefully

And the home? Now reoccupied by the owner??? Hmmmm....nope. The incredibly wealthy Michael Moore - you know, the guy who wants you to think he fights for the little guy - went ahead and used the incident on his web site....but, NO payment for the bank, am I right? Ahhhh...doesn't every body FEEL good that SOMEBODY did SOMETHING? Liberal Activism at its best!

yeah, Krellin, it would do a lot of good for all the other people if Michael Moore paid up, because then every other broke house owner with repayments could phone him up and ask to borrow some cash...

Instead they are actually trying to change the system so all can be 'saved' which is actually in keeping with their mandate...

So....Instead of the rich, caring Michael Moore helping those he is taking advantage of for his own personal benefit....you would rather see MY taxes raised so I can take care of the guy who is not taking care of his LEGAL obligation? So my kid's college fund should be put on hold so that I can bail out some dude that most likely 1. Took out a loan for more house than he needed that was at the limits of his budget, or 2. Tokk some adjustable-rate mortgage with 0% down and now that the rate has ADJUSTED he can't pay...and they all whine "but I didn't know my ADJUSTABLE rate mortgage would go up..."

The majority of the people losing homes fall into this category. Yes, some are losing homes because they lost their job - but that's part of life, part of reality. I really don't think my family should suffer financial loss in terms of higher taxes because somebody else is losing their house. You know what...once upon a time this guy did NOT own a house. He rented...he lived with friends, whatever. Now he get's to go back and start over. I sincerely doubt the guy is now homeless on the streets. Most people have friends, family, church to help them. Their is no crime in someone having to take a step back and start over. In fact, most people with a good head on their shoulders LEARN from a loss, and when they come back, they do it smarter. giving someone a handout, blaming the bank teaches people it's OK to be irresponsible, or to expect a handout.

But again...Michael Moore MAKES MONEY off his web site...so if this story about this house is on his website (that he is making money from) and he claims to care about these people....then shouldn't he help them? He's being EXACTLY like the cold-hearted bastard banks that all of you claim to hate...