Lower East Side squatter history remains a fascinating, if not controversial chapter in the book of New York’s life. So much so that there is even a museum dedicated, at least partially, to preserving the cultural significance of the bygone movement – the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space.
One upstart filmmaker hopes to capture the essence of the war between squatters and the city of New York in the last three decades. Anytime, Baby! is the result of that quest, an independent documentary on the subject through the lens of one particular battle that was endemic of the times. That of 545 East 13th Street.
When the city began to reemerge from the crisis at the dawn of the 90s, the then new-mayor Rudolf Giuliani and his chief of police, William J. ‘Bill’ Bratton took notice of the squatters and their now-valuable properties.
With an invigorated city willing to set aside the implications of his actions and motives, the administration set out to evict the squats. And they did so violently and militantly. And so began the war for those homes. This is a telling of that story using interviews, archival footage and adaptation of work that was created at the very time of the battle.
The story is told using hours of archival footage, photos, and interviews.
John W. Frisbie of Woodside, Queens is behind the intriguing project. With Anytime, Baby! currently in pre-production, he’s taken to Kickstarter for help in raising funds to both reach completion and to develop a graphic novel on the subject. The monetary goal is a modest one – $4,600 by December 13. So far, he’s reach about a quarter of that.
See here for trailer, for more info go to squatmovie.com
