Secret apartment in this area

Route 95

Park Street

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J.C. Penny

Stateside parking

Cityside parking

Main Concourse

Hayes Street

Macy’s

Nordstrom

Francis Street

in the morning and then used their shower. But, alas, our dreams of getting buff and staying clean were shattered.

HW: Michael, you have come across in the news media as extraordinarily gracious toward the police. Were you surprised by the way they treated you, especially in this day and age of heightened security concerns?

MT: We were in a high state of panic nearly all the time. But we knew if the space reached a “plateau of completion,” the actions against us would be lessened. It’s an odd calculation.

Before the judge, they started reading the charges against me. They said, “He entered a storage closet, which gave him access to a ladder that went up to a loft space, where over the years he created an apartment.”

I’m watching the judge, and I see [his] expression change, and they start describing the apartment in full detail: “The apartment was fully furnished, had sectional couches, matching lamps ....” At that point, the judge called everyone close to him, and they talked for a while and said, “We gotta give this

kid a misdemeanor charge.”

The cop who brought me to the police station said, “How am I going to write this up?” I was like: “Well, trespassing with an intent to decorate?”

AY: I think our commitment was our redemption.

HW: Do you have anything to tell others who are entertaining the idea of doing what you guys did? Or a warning?

MT: It’s worth noting that you can put a cinder block in a backpack. That means you can build a house anywhere you want.

Townsend and Yoto’s “Living in the Mall” project: trummerkind.com

Howard Wen reports on technology and tech culture for several publications and websites. He can be reached at howardwen.com.

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