Two years ago Csaky found himself homeless, surrounded by dead-ends. Posted on 04/09/2008 12:59:11 PM PDT by BGHater
SEATTLE -- He was kicked while he was down, but he eventually found way to build a new life. But now, David Csaky is on the brink of another fall.
Two years ago Csaky found himself homeless, surrounded by dead-ends.
"I was divorced, I had bad credit, I have animals with me," he said. "I have two walls against me. I can't hurdle either one."
But then he found three sturdy trees under the Ship Canal Bridge in the Eastlake neighborhood and decided to build himself a tree house.
While earning a very modest living by rescuing animals, Csaky kept plugging away at the idea.
"I'm not your typical homeless person. I just wanted a home," he said.
Csaky crafted his new home in the vacant lot underneath the interstate with patience and makeshift material. The result: an urban pied-a-terre of sorts with a priceless view.
"I've just pieced and pieced and pieced things together," said Csaky. "I built it with love and safety. It's very, very important to me."
The man's labor of love didn't go unnoticed. Neighbors who heard Csaky hammer and saw away for months stopped by for a look.
"The neighbors have named it 'three-tree harbor,'" he said.
"He's got a beautiful view. In the summer he's in the shade with the tree. I think it's beautiful," said neighbor Alley Tenley.
Cables and thick branches anchor the home. The sink doesn't work and the ladder creaks. But filled with personal touches, the place has become Csaky's home.
Through trial and error over time, Csaky fortified the tree house to be able to withstand the elements. He reinforced the roof with 20-foot beams and tarp.
"The wind can be 50 mile per hour there and 40 there, and it doesn't rip at all," he said proudly. "It's built like a giant umbrella, and it's built right from the tree."
In this way, Csaky made himself a home. He thought he had found his place in the world.
But then came the boot.
On Monday the city served him with an eviction notice telling him to pack up, move out and move into a shelter. A complaint from a neighbor triggered the city's action. Csaky's home sits on property owned by Seattle City Light.
"It's city property. There are liabilities, public health hazards. And it's not a humane way to live," said Sara Levin with the Seattle Human Services Department.
The city gave Csaky 48 hours to vacate the home that took him years to build. Comply or get tossed out, the city said.
The man doesn't have much to pack up, but a life in the shelter means he must part with his beloved animals, not to mention the place he built with own hands and the ties he's built with his neighbors.
"He's so friendly. He's always laughing, he's got tons of stories to tell. He'll talk your ear off if you let him," said Tenley, laughing.
In response to public criticism, the city granted Csaky a 10-day stay on Tuesday. But the story still has the same ending; Csaky must move out.
Csaky says he hasn't lived in a real home in four years. The city says it has offered him an alternate place. But the man says he doesn't know where he will go after he leaves his beloved home with a view.
"I just wish they (the city) would reconsider," he said. "I don't know. I'm leaving it in God's hands."
More Photos: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/popupV2.asp?SubID=3667&page=1>itle=Living%20in%20a%20Treehouse
Man does that thing look dangerous.
What an eyesore. Bring on the chainsaws.
What no SWAT team kicking in the door and serving the order......oh wait no door.
Conform or be cast out!
Why can’t a resourceful guy like that make a living? There’s not a lot of money in rescuing animals.
Bottom line.... Casky is a squatter, in the best tradition, like those in the third world of Rio De Janario and Manila.
Who kicked him? "Society"?
“Why can’t a resourceful guy like that make a living?”
That is the $64,000 question. For whatever reason, some people just don’t want the responsibilities and obligations that come with a steady job, or even less structured freelance work.
His only mistake was squatting in a city...If he'd have done this out in one of Washington's National Parks, nobody would have noticed him....of course he wouldn't have had access to the various items of urban flotsam with which he's been able to adorn his abode.
Guys probably got bigger issues, but hey, he’s at least keeping himself busy, and from the sound of things getting along well enough.
Our nation has not only lost its character... its lost its characters...
Lift a cold one to Powder Puff Pete of Manitowoc, WI. (If you know who I’m talking about give me a buzz...) Those sorts of characters are no longer left.
He rescues rats?
I told my wife on our first date that I had two .22 rifles and a lantern in the trunk and we were going to the landfill to shoot rats.
>>There’s not a lot of money in rescuing animals.
Not when you figure in proper vet care, feeding, supplies, you’re lucky if you break even, let alone feed yourself. Most rescues have non-profit status and take as many donations as they can and often still go broke.
What this guy should do is get a bed at the Y, a job at a *paying* shelter and get on his feet.. he’s obviously physically strong and able. If he can get around the on public transportation in town, professional caring pet sitters can make crazy cash.
There’s got to be more to this story.
In one of the pictures it looks like a 20 ounce can of malt liquor is sitting next to the cross-legged vagrant. Couldn’t be a practicing alcoholic could he? Nah.....
Nice pet rat he has there.
Well, he is just a squatter. His house is cool, but very badly engineered. Obviously, one can’t have people just moving in and taking public property, or private property either.
He is an aggressor, but the article makes him look like a victim. Typical!
Bet he didn’t get any PERMITS for any of that!
You have epic style.
Exactly ... he's using somebody else's property, without their permission. There's something ironic about that "NO TRESPASSING" sign ...
Also, this has the potential to be serious ... if the owner doesn't take action against him, he could eventually assert "adverse possession" against them and take the property.
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