Man Broke into Bar -and Opened It!

I love boozing as much as the next person, but this guy broke into a place that was not his and sold liquor without a license. Is he meant to be some sort of folk hero? Personally, I think he's a jerk.

I don't understand the question. Is there anything that led you to believe that was the case?

I don't know. The fact that it's on Neatorama implies that someone thinks this is neat. Granted, he didn't murder anyone, nor did he get away with it, but it rubbed me the wrong way.

We post crime stories all the time, because they are odd or funny or bizarre. That shouldn't imply any endorsement of the crime.

Oh, I know. It's really just me, I think. I have a special disgust for squatter types, and thought, how is his crime special enough to get this sort of attention?

Just to add, I generally like the crime stories. I'm a true crime junkie most of the time. This is just one of those crimes that some people would defend, so that was my knee jerk reaction to it. Possibly a bit over the top, and if so, my apologies, but it really, really, rubbed me the wrong way. I know people who have had an ongoing issue with squatters, and it tends to get under my skin having seen how damaging these entitled types are.

Wait, this guy reopened a bar that no one was using in order to entertain hundreds of people and make them happy? He needs to be punished in the worst way!!!

He committed a crime, sure. But it doesn't sound like he hurt anybody, or even made that much money doing it. If only all criminals were like that. In a misguided way he even showed a little initiative. Hopefully he's able to get himself on the straight and narrow.

He's a scumbag.

If the guy can bring in that kind of business, I'd think it would be in the property owner's best interest to drop the charges in return for the already earned profits and obtain the proper paperwork to continue business. Maybe a marketing deal with the guy after he gets out of jail for selling without a license.

The guy still committed a crime. No, it wasn't murder or something earth shatteringly horrific, but he still broke into someone else's property and decided to use it for his own profit. That deserves punishment, even if he had just moved in and done nothing else there. The only person who needs to worry about the best interest of the property owner, or the property, is the property owner. The property owner is the only person with a right to what goes on there.

This guy's "initiative" is hardly worth celebrating considering it wasn't his bar to begin with. It's not like he earned the money to buy it and run it legally. He's just a lowlife with no respect for what doesn't belong to him. I'm not saying he deserves the chair for it or anything, but he does deserve to be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law and nothing more.

@Hoax: It doesn't sound as though the property owner is the one bringing charges. It's a criminal case, not a civil one, and the state appears to have all the evidence it needs to prosecute, whether the owner wants to testify or not.

Definitely not a hero, but very ingenious I'd say. This man revived a dead business. He thought outside the box. It's not like he stole anything. It seems to me all the profits he made should be his.

*prosecuted.

Yeah, I can't my words that begin with "p" right today.

I think it's pretty neat. It's illegal and I'm sure he'll be punished. Still, sounds like a helluva party. Maybe it'll give people the idea that the place could be re-opened for real. Think Win/Win.

Um, Evilbeagle...methinks you need to lighten up, Francis. It's just a story about an innovative crime, that's all. Yes, it's against the law. Yes, the law-breaker was caught. And YES, it was an innovative way to break the law. Give credit where credit's due.

artgirl68, if it were someone breaking into your property, you wouldn't be feeling so warm and fuzzy over it, I'm sure. This guy doesn't deserve the attention, or any sort of credit. He is a lowlife opportunist that used what wasn't his until he got caught. Yeah, what a hero. Wanna be just like him. *eyeroll* Why not glorify people who actually do innovative things legally and make something of themselves without breaking laws? This guy is dirt.

Lighten up? I think that a lot of people commenting here need to grow up.

@ Evilbeagle

You are the type of person that makes Neatorama not
'neato' anymore... You are a troll.

Sorry, Buzzkiller. I have been posting here for a long time. Just because I don't agree with your opinion that this criminal is some sort of grand visionary doesn't make me a troll. Nice try, though.

@Evilbeagle: Grow up what? Grow up to be a sheep? With an uptight attitude like that, you won't survive the lawless post-apocalyptic world.

And wow, big deal, it's illegal in today's laws, so what? The whole world population is illegally squatting on Earth anyway.

If nobody has the guts to do something with abandoned lands, lots of cities are ghost towns already. There are of course drugged-up squatters who just devalues properties, but there are plenty of good ones too - especially during bad times. I doubt New York City would have ever sprung back to life if not squatters believing in where they live and spending their time fixing up Soho and Lower East Side.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/squat/

its neat! he dint hurt/stole/scare annyone (if somthing is closed for some time im geussing he had to bring in fresh suplies). Sure its not allowed, but neither is a lemonade stand.

right or wrong, what he did is bad ass.

Evilbeagle. Your point is made. Many, many times your point is made.

No. Really? :P

I'm now inspired to look for more squatter/folk hero-type posts just to rile up Evilbeagle :)

LOL, thanks Alex. You're a doll. You know that squatters and PETA chap my hide. ;)

Liquor licenses cost money. Even if he hadn't broken in to this place, is it fair to legitimate sellers for him to do business without paying for the license? He's not a hero or anything, he's just a douche.

Dude's a twit.

If you run a bar illegally, the only advertising you should be doing is word of mouth.

Shouldn't that be word of vermouth

He is a bum and a crook. He broke in and didn't pay rent, taxes, license fee, insurance, or any of the many other expenses legitimate businesses pay.

Hmmmm, there is a closed tannery just down the road. None of the customers would squeal to the pigs. Not afterwards, anyway.

I'm sure a judge can smile at his audacity while throwing the book at him.

Anyway, I wonder how much time he'll spend behind bars.

@EvilBeagle

[deleted for name-calling. That's not what we do here.]

@MikeVanity
I've been called worse by better. As for kicking bums out of the park, as long as they aren't doing anything illegal, they can stay right there for all I care. If they start busting into someone else's property and trying to capitalize off of someone else's things, then I'm all for throwing them in the can for as long as the law allows. If that's evil and heartless, then I am proud to be evil and heartless.

I'm sure you consider yourself some sort of caring individual, but you really aren't. What about the property owner, or as one person mentioned, others that actually do pay for a liquor license? Oh yeah, they're not "renegades" or "innovators". Give me a break. If you want to stick it to the man, there are better ways to do it that don't involve breaking and entering.

Squatters are trash, and this guy took it to a whole new level making him less than trash. If that's what you want to hold up as a standard, then you are no better than he is.

Wow, somebody needs to delete that. Comments like MikeVanity's have no place here on Neatorama.

turds

Glad evilbeagle changed persecute to the correct word prosecute - to persecute is what he's doing to the guy the law intends to prosecute!!
What's his issue with PETA? - both me and my sister are vegetarians and proud of it!

Hey,glad e/beagle changed the word persecute to prosecute - to persecute is what he's doing to the guy the law is to prosecute!!
What's the issue with PETA? My sister and I are vegetarian and proud of it!! Is he saying animals don't need to be treated ethically?