Spontaneous Intervention #1
For Squat/Reuben Kincaid Realty
http://www.publicmediainstitute.com/
www.reubenkincaidrealty.com
This first project I looked at I thought was just incredible. With foreclosures and evictions happening all over the nation, people look to find suitable housing. This project attempts to deal with that problem. The Public Media Institute, PMI, started Reuben Kincaid Realty, in order to fight for the basic human right to shelter. A simple sign, much like the average “For Sale” sign, but instead with “For Squat” on it, is posted up on an abandoned house. You then take a picture of the sign on the house and email the photo to a Reuben Kincaid Realtor. They put it in their database, find out how long it’s been vacant, whether or not a bank owns it, and attempts to much it up with someone they determine needs it. Visiting the website, www.reubenkincaidrealty.com, you can download a sign to print and put up on an abandoned house, search for properties that are “for squat” and even learn more about their How to Squat Handbook, and the first time Just Squatted Home Welcoming Kit. The site also references data about the overwhelming forclosure and homeless problem the nation faces today. This uses many New Media strategies, such as crowd-sourcing to find the abandoned buildings, sharing what was inaccessible (a home for a homeless person), and DIY.