They take squatting seriously here, apparently. I was walking home last night, around 11PM and noticed a noisy protest going on down the street, which was hampering traffic. I turned down my street and then noticed police tape. Dammit. Right in front of my building. I crossed to the other side of the streetand asked a police officer if I could get to my apartment building. “Go around”. “No, no, I live right-” Pointing to the building “- there. Can I go home?” I got an affirmative reply, but of course I couldn’t just go now. So I asked what was going on. He said there were squatters in the apartment building across from mine. They, as far as I could discern, broke in and squatted. A female officer joined us to talk about this. I thought it funny (I HAD been drinking) that they were all about my age. Probably even younger. It just seemed bizarre to me that instead of feeling intimidated and pissed off at these guys, I almost wanted to ask them to hang out with me. I didn’t.

This morning I awoke around 7AM to banging outside. I got up and looked out the window. They were still there!! Dozens of them! I saw them climb, one by one, in a street level window. They had taken off the metal window shutters (which I saw them later trying to stamp the kinks out of… no, guys… that won’t make it better) and were crawling in. I have no idea why… had they given the baddies the entire night in which to barracade themselve sin - oh AND everyone else in their building?! Hell, if that was my building the police would have come in to find some guys in major pain if they were preventing me from getting into or out of my apartment building. Oh, I can’t even IMAGINE if I had come home to find that I couldn’t get into my building. I’d be freaking out. I have pets! And I just want to sleep! Oh, someone would get it from me. Speaking of which, I must start looking for my Krav Maga class here.

So they brought out 6 guys - the 6 guys I had noticed hanging out of the second (third, American) story windows chanting and singing the night before. They continued their musical number in what I like to call “The Party Van” before they were driven off to their lovely new accomodations. What was odd though… if you get arrested in the States… they don’t let you take your knapsack along with you, do they? I didn’t think so. So not only can you not get kicked out of your apartment in the winter months, but if you get taken away by the police they’ll let you take your purse.

I took my dog out for a walk and got a slightly creepy grin from one officer who said “bonjour”… I looked back to find him still staring out the door of the van he was sitting in. Saw him once again as I left for the morning. Creeping me out, dude. Creeping me out.

It’s 7:30PM and they’re still out there. They’ve installed the ugliest metal door I’ve ever seen on the outside of the building… I can’t wait to get a closer look. I’ll try to post a photo. I don’t know what they’re doing now. Getting paid to stand on the sidewalk all day. Your tax euros at work, ladies and gentlemen of France.

I’ll let you know when they’ve left. For now… I’m feeling pretty darn safe as long as I’m on this block. :-D

Oh, by the way - No, we can’t. The apartment got given to a couple. They must have been pretty darn cute or something. I did my best. On to the next.