C.P.G. § 2.6 — Colonization of Common Areas
Domestic Violation“A person is guilty of Colonization when their personal effects establish permanent settlements upon shared territory — the couch, the dining table, the hallway, the one good chair — such that other household members must negotiate passage through what is legally their own home.”
Definitions
- “Settlement”.
- Any personal item remaining in a common area past forty-eight (48) hours, presumed permanent unless actively in use.
Elements (proof required: a preponderance of the evidence)
- The area was common to the household
- The accused's effects occupied it continuously or repeatedly
- Other members' use of the area was materially impaired
Recognized defenses
- The Staging Defense — the items were staged for imminent departure and truly would have left
Aggravating circumstances
- The settlement included footwear in doorways
- Items removed by others were re-established within a day (the Reconquest)
Mitigating circumstances
- An ongoing move, renovation, or craft project with a declared end date
Sentencing guideline: Repatriation of effects, storage quotas, and loss of the one good chair.
Sentences this court has been known to hand down
- repatriation of all personal effects to the guilty party's room within 24 hours, verified by walkthrough
- a standing two-item maximum in common areas for sixty (60) days
- forfeiture of the one good chair for one month