Occupy Atriums

You've heard of squatters in detached single family homes, but have you heard of squatters in secure multi-unit buildings?  Its happened in Kansas City.

Front view of condo with original Fannie May sign. 

A residual Fannie May sign can be seen in the 4th story corner window.

From January 25th to February 14th, The Atriums at Soho was occupied by squatters. A group, ranging from 1-12 people, unlawfully took up residency of unit #1408, despite efforts from the police, property managers, board of directors and residents.  The previous owner, Michael Mikkelsen, owned the unit until it went into foreclosure mid-December. Yes, THAT Michael Mikkelsen...

From mid-December to January 25th, Mikkelsen and fiancé lived in the unit and invited others, presumably from the Occupy KC camp, to live with them.  His theory was that there was solidarity in numbers and the more who lived there, the harder they could fight eviction. A promising moment came when Mikkelsen tweeted on the 25th that "I moved to Colorado today...".  His fiancé nor friends moved with him.  That's when it got fun for the residents of the Atriums.

Residents noticed a large increase in minor damages to the common areas and excessive littering. The evening of January 26th, the police were called by a woman living in the unit who had been beaten by a male friend. A sweep of the Atriums' common areas was conducted to find this man. He was found smoking inside in the common area and was removed.  He attempted re-entry for the next hour. Police guarded the building, and he gave up and never returned.

That was not the end.  At least one person maintained residency of the unit at all times since their access to the entire complex was remotely deactivated. This meant that anyone wanting to gain access had to wait in the lobby for a chance to follow a resident inside or wait for someone to come down and let them inside.  Immediate notice was given to all current residents to not let anyone into the building and to call the police if they felt threatened.  Everyday for the next 2.5 weeks the police, property managers and members of the board were called each time a squatter was seen in the lobby. Each time a little more information was gathered about the squatters, including names, images, license plate numbers.

With tips from the police department, alleged illegal drug activity was submitted to local drug agencies, signs were posted with surveillance images of each squatter in all common areas.  Along with the reoccurring police visits, the squatters got the hint.  They left! Their move was very quiet and residents were unsure if the vacancy had actually taken place.  After the cigarette smells receded and the "MY HOME STOLEN" anti-Fannie May signs were no longer seen in the windows, it was evident that all the efforts of the residents had paid off.

The eviction case is still pending in court and an expected out come to be reached March 16th.  The hopes of the new owners is that no one shows from the Mikkelsen camp to ask for an extension. 

A local news station was set to air this story, but decided to pull it once the squatters vanished.

Eviction case took place on March 16, 2012.  No one from the Mikkelsen camp showed up to fight the eviction and the bank won the ability to take back the unit.  Mikkelsen has since contacted the HOA to get his mattress, which is all that's left in the unit.  Access was denied.