https://nypost.com/2024/04/27/opinion/nyc-squatter-scourge-is-so-bad-even-
lefty-lawmakers-are-moving-to-crack-down/

New York�s squatter nightmare has gotten so far out of control that even
liberal lawmakers are finally moving to plug the loopholes that have
facilitated the crisis.

Democratic as well as Republican lawmakers in Albany are pushing measures
to crack down on the outrageous scourge, including one bill introduced by
lefty Sen. John Liu (D-Queens) that was included in the just-completed
state-budget agreement.

Liu credited coverage by The Post and others for bringing �to our
attention a problem that needed to be addressed.�

You bet it needs addressing.

Until now, anyone who stayed in a home beyond for a certain length of time
(just 30 days in the city!) could claim legal occupancy and force
landlords into drawn-out legal proceedings that could take years to get
them evicted.
Moreover, among the disastrous changes to housing law under Gov. Andrew
Cuomo in 2019 was one that required �a special proceeding� to kick out
squatters.

The flawed statutes, the onslaught of migrants seeking places to live, the
state�s soft approach to crime generally and a backlog of housing-court
cases (thanks to COVID court closures) have combined to send squatting
soaring � up as much as 20% over the past two years, per one real-estate
expert.

Gov. Hochul, who signed off on the budget deal that included the
legislation, also praised media efforts: �No one else stood up,� she said.

Some of the cases The Post has reported are, indeed, compelling:

Two teenage squatters allegedly murdered the owner of a Manhattan
apartment when she showed up.
A crew of gun-toting illegal immigrants took over a unit in The Bronx.
In Queens, cops actually arrested a homeowner for trying to get rid of
squatters.
Another scammer tried to steal a $2 million home from an elderly couple
with a disabled son.
A migrant TikToker with 500,000-plus followers encouraged squatting in
recent video, announcing that under US law, �if a house in not inhabited,
we can seize it.�
No civilized community can survive with such lawlessness.

Liu promises that the new legislation makes �crystal clear� squatters are
not tenants; that change will �get the ball rolling� to address the issue
while lawmakers take up further measures, he says.

�We�ve addressed this crisis so squatters do not have the same rights as
tenants,� added Hochul. �That is firm. They can be prosecuted, and there
will be consequences for them,�

State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-LI), meanwhile, has a refom package that would
let cops boot squatters on the spot, based merely on a sworn complaint
from an owner.

Of course, that may go too far for the crime-friendly progressives who
dominate the Legislature.

On the other hand, that crew normally includes Liu, so perhaps Mattera�s
ideas won�t get quashed in committee; at least, lawmakers are talking
about more steps to get tough.

One small step toward sanity won�t be enough to end New York�s squatting
scourge: The Post will keep on �standing up� to bring �the problem� to
Albany�s �attention.�

--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.

No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.

Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.