So my apartment building is collapsing with everything I own inside

Originally posted by: notfred
If you want to pursue legal methods to get your stuff back, fine. Hopefully they don't bulldoze the building while you wait for your court date. Hopefully your lawyer doesn't end up costing more than your stuff is worth.

Even if he broke in and did get caught, how would that make his own stuff any less his? Maybe he could get a breaking and entering conviction, which would suck, but that wouldn't cause him to give up any other legal rights to pursue getting his stuff back.

Look at it this way: if you're caught breaking into the building, you'll be too busy fighting your B&E charges to figure out how to get your stuff back.

If you take a legal route to get your stuff, you can likely get a TRO from the court which would prevent the building from being demolished until posessions can be obtained from it.

I'd rather take the legal route.

 

[JohnCU]

I'd break in, in the middle of the night.

 

[obeseotron]

The locks on the doors have been changed and the building is barricaded, so it would require me to break and enter and it has been made very clear that we would be arrested if we tried to get back in.

This is the local news story from the day it happened from ABC. Cameras, digital pictures and their backups are all in the apt so I can't really help out with pics.

 

[Qwest]

the beauty of renter's insurance is that while you have no place to live, it pays for temporary residence (hotel, short term lease).

by the way, what are the other residents doing about their stuff? what area of ny do you live in?

 

[Eli]

I think it depends on whats in there that you want back.

If it's irreplacable stuff, I'd definitely think about retrieving it.

But I mean.. they wouldn't really bulldoze the building with all the stuff in it, would they? ... If it's still standing, someone should be able to go in and get all the stuff out....

 

[MX2]

Well, at least your safe. Just think if you guys would have been there and it DID collaspe

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: notfred
If you want to pursue legal methods to get your stuff back, fine. Hopefully they don't bulldoze the building while you wait for your court date. Hopefully your lawyer doesn't end up costing more than your stuff is worth.

Even if he broke in and did get caught, how would that make his own stuff any less his? Maybe he could get a breaking and entering conviction, which would suck, but that wouldn't cause him to give up any other legal rights to pursue getting his stuff back.

Look at it this way: if you're caught breaking into the building, you'll be too busy fighting your B&E charges to figure out how to get your stuff back.

If you take a legal route to get your stuff, you can likely get a TRO from the court which would prevent the building from being demolished until posessions can be obtained from it.

I'd rather take the legal route.

That's realyl a perfectly good idea. However, depending on how much my stuff was worth, how easy it seemed to get into the place, etc, I'd consider the illegal route too, if I had to.

If there's a simple legal solution, I'd try that first, but the OP is making it sound like they're going to bulldoze the place with his stuff in it. If I had no other choice, and there weren't any guards at the building, I'd probably go look for a way in.

 

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: jumpr

Originally posted by: notfred
If you want to pursue legal methods to get your stuff back, fine. Hopefully they don't bulldoze the building while you wait for your court date. Hopefully your lawyer doesn't end up costing more than your stuff is worth.

Even if he broke in and did get caught, how would that make his own stuff any less his? Maybe he could get a breaking and entering conviction, which would suck, but that wouldn't cause him to give up any other legal rights to pursue getting his stuff back.

Look at it this way: if you're caught breaking into the building, you'll be too busy fighting your B&E charges to figure out how to get your stuff back.

If you take a legal route to get your stuff, you can likely get a TRO from the court which would prevent the building from being demolished until posessions can be obtained from it.

I'd rather take the legal route.

That's realyl a perfectly good idea. However, depending on how much my stuff was worth, how easy it seemed to get into the place, etc, I'd consider the illegal route too, if I had to.

If there's a simple legal solution, I'd try that first, but the OP is making it sound like they're going to bulldoze the place with his stuff in it. If I had no other choice, and there weren't any guards at the building, I'd probably go look for a way in.

It's pretty damn easy to get a TRO as courts generally value private property rights over the duties of the city.

 

[montanafan]

"The outside wall on the four-floor building's first floor buckled out about five inches, and the building department evacuated the structure as inspectors and the FDNY came in to try and shore up the building. Due to the scene, 13th Street was shut down from 1st Avenue all the way to 7th Avenue as officials setup plywood braces and try to keep the building from falling down."


Geez, five!!! inches, I don't think I'd go anywhere near that building. What are the other renters doing? Couldn't you get together on this? How about the ACLU, property rights are all over the news right now. They might take your case even though it's not controversial.

 

[Adul]

man that really sucks

 

[Saulbadguy]

Originally posted by: obeseotron
Nope. no insurance on anything. It's just three college students trying to afford to live in NYC, we never even thought about it. We have been speaking to lawyers, and making lists.

Edit: I'm 6'0" and 200lbs, hardly slim, but not quite up to my username. It's just an old inside joke from junior high.

Ha ha ha.

 

[ViciouS]

Pic's of your building please.

Run in and take out as much sh1t as possible. Have your buddy bring a video camera

 

[ViciouS]

Bump for a pic

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Eli
I think it depends on whats in there that you want back.

If it's irreplacable stuff, I'd definitely think about retrieving it.

But I mean.. they wouldn't really bulldoze the building with all the stuff in it, would they? ... If it's still standing, someone should be able to go in and get all the stuff out....

Demolition companies don't like knocking over buildings with stuff - unless collapse is EMINENT, they'll gut the building first. ESPECIALLY in Manhattan. If the building falls uncontrolled, it's going to fsck up other buildings. Having stuff in a building is a damn good way to insure that it's not going to be as controlled as you'd like. They won't completely gut it like they usually do, but they'll certainly send a few guys with boatloads of life insurance in to break some walls and remove some stuff, and of course, wire explosives.

 

[Heisenberg]

I'd find a way in one way or the other and get my stuff, especially if you don't have renter's insurance.