land grabs

[wrangler]

Do people not send in their own thugs some times to dislodge the squaters? I can't see some resigning to the fact the police won't act and there is nothing they can do.

I'd hardly call them thugs, however, I am sure unpleasant confrontations occur.

 

[sts7049]

The reality is that land grabs do happen. Laws vary from providence to providence, for example, in Missiones, it is a very serious problem. Yes, it's the indigenous people mostly doing it. If you go on vacation, you have the real threat, of someone being in your home when you come back and the police won't help you. You'll have to handle it with a judge and he may rule against you.

i guess this is the part i don't understand. how can it be that the police are powerless against this? the burden shouldn't be on the property owner to prove his ownership.

 

[sts7049]

It was pretty common during a time period near where we lived (20 minutes from downtown CABA). It was a group of families, they would move onto any vacant lot and make sure they put up temp housing with a roof (the roof gave them rights). Then they would wait for the owner to pay them to leave (which was the quickest/easiest way to deal with the problem) and then go and do it a few blocks away. In a year period, I think there was 4 occasions near us.

the fact that putting up a roof gives you some sort of rights is absurd to me.

 

[jblaze5779]

the fact that putting up a roof gives you some sort of rights is absurd to me.

How about if you're assaulted and while defending yourself the assaulter is injured you are punished? That's pretty absurd.

 

[on the brink]

Local police are into the land grab game- they get paid to look the other way. They set up what's the papers call a "zona liberada" - a zone where whey will not intervene, for a certain time period.

 

[on the brink]

A few years ago some squatters occupied land near Puerto Madryn. The owner hired a bulldozer, and flattened the huts into the ground. They tried again, and once again were driven out. Finally the local authorities bought a small parcel of that land, where the settlers were allowed to stay.

Thing is, you cannot fight squatters forever - they are just too many of them, and often come from neighboring countries. The ones in Madryn were Chileans, and in BA 60% of the infamous Villa 31 are foreigners: Paraguayans, Peruvians, and Bolivians.

 

[Dougie]

I'd hardly call them thugs, however, I am sure unpleasant confrontations occur.

I call them "thugs" because who would hire some nice guys to go dislodge their land. You'd probably want to hire some barra brava or other strongmen type.

Seems like this could spiral out of control quickly. Auto defensas are going to emerge and then create a whole new set of problems.

 

[mc kenna]

Hiring thugs or however are called these days is a very dangerous move, what makes you believe the same thugs won't turn on you if they get a better offer from the squatters?
I believe this is a matter of land owners defending their land, hiring mercenaries don't ever work out like in the movies, the only way out of this , is getting together with other land owners and creating a neighborhood watch, now, with that said, there might come a time where you as a land owner will have to get your hands dirty doing it, so the question is, how far are you willing to go to protect your land?
Squatters know they have nothing to lose and you have everything on the line, including your freedom. Tough decision to make, but if you do nothing, the fate of your land is sealed.

 

[Dougie]

Hiring thugs or however are called these days is a very dangerous move, what makes you believe the same thugs won't turn on you if they get a better offer from the squatters?
I believe this is a matter of land owners defending their land, hiring mercenaries don't ever work out like in the movies, the only way out of this , is getting together with other land owners and creating a neighborhood watch, now, with that said, there might come a time where you as a land owner will have to get your hands dirty doing it, so the question is, how far are you willing to go to protect your land?
Squatters know they have nothing to lose and you have everything on the line, including your freedom. Tough decision to make, but if you do nothing, the fate of your land is sealed.

I wouldn't do it personally, but I have a hard time believing that some Argentines wouldn't hire mercenaries to do dirty work especially when there is a lot of money on the line.

The owners banning together to protect themselves through a neighborhood watch type organization often doesn't work out so well either. These "neighborhood watches" or auto defensas usually morph into criminal organizations themselves.

 

[mc kenna]

Very true, that's why i said is a very tough decision to make, unless you decide to go straight to the source and have a talk with Mr Grabois and ask him politely to stop pushing that particular agenda every time he has a chance on tv. Of course he will deny any direct involvement , which might be true, but as unfair it is for someone to come and take your land will be the same caliber of unfair for him when you decide to make his life a living hell where he won't be able to sleep . So you might suggest him to go and have these people leave or he won't be safe anywhere from now on