Squatters causing a big problem on Park Lane South

From the Queens Chronicle:

Drunk and noisy squatters residing in a house on Park Lane South in Richmond Hill have got to go, residents told police at the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting last week.

Residents living near the problem house flocked to the meeting at Moose Hall in Richmond Hill to ask the police for help.

Resident Dan Seaman said squatters have illegally staked a claim on the house after it was foreclosed by HSBC Bank in 2009.

Seaman said he found out about the squatters last month, when he saw two police cars in front of the home.

He said police officers told him that a fight broke out when the squatters on the first floor tried to evict the squatters on the top floor.

Seaman said the squatters frequently yell, scream and have loud arguments in the middle of the night, disturbing the neighbors’ sleep. The resident alleged that some of the occupants are intoxicated and use drugs.

He contacted the city Buildings Department and called 311 about the squatters.

Receiving no response from the agencies, Seaman brought several of his neighbors with him to express their frustrations at the council meeting.

“It’s a very serious issue,” Seaman said.

Other neighbors said there were days when they could smell the odor of marijuana coming from the house.

Capt. Martin Briffa, the precinct’s executive officer, told Seaman that he would refer his drug complaint to the precinct’s narcotics unit for investigation. However, he said that he could take no police action on the trespass complaint since he would need the property owner to press charges against the squatters for the violation. Neither the owner of the property nor any representative has come forward, Briffa said.