I lived in secret apartment inside shopping centre unnoticed for four years after greedy developers bulldozed my home
A MAN has claimed that he lived in a secret apartment inside a shopping centre for four years as a means of protest against property development.
Michael Townsend, and seven other artists, occupied the 750-square-foot underground space in Providence Place, Rhode Island from 2003 to 2007 thanks to a chance discovery.
Beginning in 1999, the keen jogger was on his daily run when he noticed the unused area underneath the recently erected Providence Shopping Mall.
Despite wondering what could be hidden inside the space, he didn't initially think anything further of it.
Four years later, Townsend’s own condo home in the historic mill district was under threat from the same developers.
And amid a slew protests that lasted two years, the artist and several others were eventually forced out to make way for a supermarket car park.
But Townsend and his displaced friends decided the fight was still far from over and hatched a plan to covertly live in the mall as form of retribution.
“Over Christmas 2003, radio ads for the Providence Place Mall featured an enthusiastic female voice talking about how great it would be if you could live at the mall,” explained Townsend on his website.
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“The central theme of the ads was that the mall not only provided a rich shopping experience but also had all the things that one would need to survive and lead a healthy life.”
Townsend then remembered the secret space he had passed some four years earlier and decided it was perfect place “to develop the developer.”
He explained: “The new plan wasn’t just to live in the mall for just a week, it was now simply to live in the mall."
It quickly became apparent that the area had not been touched since the building was completed in 1999, and appeared to be hidden away from a security team.
Filled with debris and leftover cables, the group of friends set about removing the leftover materials from the disused space, sneaking most things in and out of complex in their backpacks.
The entire endeavour was done out of a compassion to understand the mall more and life as a shopper,”
Michael Townsend
reported that the group later built a cinderblock wall and utility door to keep the loft hidden.
Inside, it was fully furnished and even equipped with a PlayStation 2 as the residents utilised the mall’s bathrooms for running water.
It was reported that at some points they lived in the secret apartment for more than three weeks at a time.
Townsend had grand plans to finish up a kitchen, install wood flooring, and add a second bedroom, but plans were cut short when mall security guards busted in after the arrival of a visiting artist from Hong Kong.
Townsend insisted that “the entire endeavour was done out of a compassion to understand the mall more and life as a shopper,” but his art project ultimately landed him a misdemeanour charge for trespassing.
In 2007, the artist avoided jail and was handed a probation deal.
"I was surprised at what he was able to accomplish," Providence Police Maj. Stephen Campbell said at the time.
"But what he did was clearly criminal. The mall is private property."
In the US, the rules around squatting vary from state to state and you could be evicted or arrested.
However, the punishment will depend on which state you're in, how long you've been at the property, and whether the rightful owner wants you removed.
In some states, you may have a right to remain on the site if you have been there for a certain period of time or have paid property taxes, for example.
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In the UK, squatting in residential properties is illegal and could get you six months in prison, a £5,000 fine, or both.
You may be able to claim squatters' rights in some circumstances, such as if you, or a succession of squatters, have occupied the property continuously for at least 10 years.
