Tales of Young Urban Squatters Plus How to Squat

These first-person vignettes by filmmaker and writer Burch (Stranger in the Family; Homeless in the Nineties) offer a glimpse into the diverse experiences of young homeless people who claim abandoned buildings or houses as their own. Some of the squatters Burch profiles have escaped abusive homes, some have political agendas that they want to live out, and some simply have nowhere else to go. Surprisingly, though, many squatters declare that their lifestyle is a result of choice rather than circumstance.""Living in a squat kind of takes people off the economic cycle where it's nine to five, and then consume and go to bed,"" one explains.""It gives you more time to express and think and just do what you need to do."" This desire for a stimulating, risky life is reflected in a conversation between two squatters, Leroy and Leona, who discuss the difficult experiences they've had in their three years together but tenderly remind each other,""I ain't goin' with you cause of money. I'm goin' with you cause I loves you."" Though the vignettes could benefit from a final reflection by Burch to tie them together, they reveal a community that is resourceful and intensely supportive, even as it is often beset by drug problems, legal troubles and emotional trauma. 16 pages of b&w photos.