A mini storage for people...

Today our Code Enforcement Unit executed an Administrative Search Warrant at the   Pyramid Rehearsal recording studio on W. 10th Street in Greenville.   

This was in reference to the report of people actually living inside the recording studio.    The investigation found there were at least 23 people paying rent to sleep in cement-walled rooms about 12x12", with no windows.   They were sleeping on mattresses on the floors, or blanket pallets.  They were bathing from buckets, or from a garden hose behind the building, and had no kitchen facilities.    There were no windows nor smoke alarms, and only 3 exits at the ends of the building.  There were, at least, 4 toilets and sinks inside the building, and the building was climate controlled.

Code Enforcement Tools of the Trade

The renters are, for the most part, hard-working people who are close to homelessness or in financial straits.   They were paying between $180 and $220 per month to stay in the rooms.  In light of their circumstances, they voiced few complaints, but knew there was something not right about the way this situation was being run.

While it appears no criminal violations occurred, this use of the building as a motel or apartment facility was outside the realm of its design and  beyond the scope of its commercial permit.

Police Code Enforcement personnel contacted local ministries and the Salvation Army to assist the occupants with finding new places to live.

The owner of the building, a man living in Wilmington, may face civil penalties.

Occupants cleaning out their belongs

This case is a good example of the many types of issues our Code Enforcement Unit has to address.     In a commercial building laid out in design similar to a mini storage, one cannot help but compare this  situation to some form of human trafficking.

Rooms for Rent

The Department wishes to thank the ministries and relief organizations that responded to this situation and those who are providing assistance to the people affected.