The space underneath balconies of the house Rigaerstr. 91-92a used to be a popular spot to be squatted - largely by people forced to live on the streets. The around the 2x5 meters large space protects from rain and (at least a bit) from the cold. Sometimes people stayed there for months and built their own little hut for living. Sometimes squatters shared the space or used it to have guests. Sometimes the squatters turned their squats into little manifestations - installing drawings, posters or messages on the outside walls of their hut. In most cases, the squatting was ended by the Ordnungsamt. Different to flats or houses, evicting homeless people from a spot they have squatted in the streets, needs no legal requirements and is mostly classified as "waste disposal". The iron hand of the state shows itself especially in the dehumaniziaing and criminalizing dealing with homeless people, that do not fit into the picture of a fancy, rich and "clean" city.
