[flatiron]

"The prosecution rattled through a laundry list of offenses. But the judge didn’t seem too impressed by the charges — if anything, he appeared more impressed by the audacity of the secret apartment dwellers. So he gave Townsend a misdemeanor for trespassing and sent him on his way. Townsend, who had lived on and off in the secret apartment for nearly 4 years, got away with a slap on the wrist"

if anyone was wondering what punishment he got

[jrochkind1]

It's amazing how disparate treatment by the criminal justice system can be, depending on whether a judge is capable of being (and decides to be) be sympathetic/empathetic to the wrong-doer, curious about them, decides to basically view them as a human being. A lot of people don't get that "privilege". (And to be sure, I think everybody should, not that nobody should).