Past “hatchlings” share allegations and incidents leading up to a mass departure of 17 residents
By NOAH HARRIS — features@theaggie.org
“That’s when I learned that I would never be on the lease with 17 other people ever again, because you’re liable for whatever the fuck they do,” Piper, a former tenant of Turtle House who wishes to leave her last name anonymous, said.
Turtle House, a cooperative (co-op) residence in Davis’ downtown, has faced issues with tenant-owner relations, as well as lease violations, that led to almost all of Turtle House’s occupants vacating the property in a less than two-week period.
Turtle House is known for their frequent concerts, which have mostly stopped in the last two years. Up to 600 people would typically attend these concerts, routinely utilizing the area in front of the house, according to numbers reported from various sources.
One of the first inciting conflicts for the residents of Turtle House began over the front lawn.
“Things really started to boil over starting from the grass,” Piper said.
Another past resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed frustration with the situation, noting that the owner, Michael Harrington, was being particularly strict about visitors standing on the lawn, which was newly renovated at the time.
“We had this big show planned and he told us [at the] last second, ‘Nobody’s allowed to stand on the grass,’” the resident said. “And we were like, ‘Well, where the hell are people supposed to stand?’ It was a big point of contention.”
For the event, the residents put mats over the grass, in an attempt to protect it from damage. One former resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, described the situation in more detail.
“We went and got all these carpets at Goodwill to cover them so that the actual grass would not be stomped on,” the resident said. “It was just kind of compacted under. And then after the show was over, we pull[ed] it up, let the grass breathe, water[ed] it and it was 95% fine.”
The damage done to the lawn resulted in Harrington charging residents a $2,500 fine.
This became a cause of tension, and many of the tenants asked lawyers for advice on whether they should pay the full charge and were advised to not pay Harrington for the damages, according to multiple anonymous former residents.
Eventually, the amount of money Harrington requested for the damage was paid through the residents’ collective security deposit, which many residents alleged they later received only a fraction of the amount that they initially paid upon moving out of the house. Some residents believe they weren’t given the fair amount owed from their deposit.
Around the same time as the lawn damage, an injury occurred at a concert, which turned into a potential lawsuit against Harrington as there was no insurance that covered these events at Turtle House.
“Those kids weren’t buying commercial coverage for their profitable Venmo shows,” Harrington said. “They were using Daddy’s resources for free, right? If somebody’s seriously injured and there’s no coverage, guess who eats it? Daddy does, right?”
When the injured individual’s attorney sent a letter requesting to speak with Turtle House’s owner, the tenants who received the letter debated how to proceed. One former tenant explained what happened after the letter was received.
“When we got the notice from the guy who injured himself, we were instructed [by other residents] to take the letter and rip it,” the tenant said.
Because the letter was allegedly ripped, it wasn’t until months later that Harrington learned from the single resident who stayed at Turtle House that a letter had been sent. Later, a settlement was reached outside of court.
Another set of incidents that occurred at Turtle House was the usage of urine jars. Claimed by several past residents of the house, jars of urine were visible around Turtle House, including in public areas such as one of the house’s communal kitchens.
“I saw one on the back porch,” one former tenant said. “It was a gallon water bottle, like a Crystal Geyser water bottle.”
Piper made a similar discovery in a different location.
“I remember looking for my iron one day — like we were sharing an iron back and forth — and I went into the closet and found the jugs,” Piper said.
The origins of the urine jars came from one resident, who had previously joined a Facebook group of individuals who drink their own urine as a “joke,” according to multiple sources.
This wasn’t the only urine-related situation that occurred. When one former tenant brought a friend over to the house, they alleged that at the same time, other residents peed over the balcony railing that publicly faces the street.
“They just sat on the railing, like right there, and then they just peed over it when [the visitor] was there,” the tenant said. “It was kind of a free for all with the pissing.”
Other allegations surrounding the house included resident applications and why some people were chosen to live at Turtle House over others. There was one tenant who, according to multiple former tenants, set up meetings with applicants only looking for one specific demographic: white women.
Another tenant allegedly found evidence of significant bias in applications during their time at Turtle House when they were reviewing applications.
“One of my friends was in charge of [applications],” the former tenant said. “We were struggling to fill the house so we’re looking through the [Turtle House] email for any applications. We found a bunch of emails and applications that were sent in by people who were not white women that just were never responded to.”
Only one resident, who was a white man, was in charge of applications during this time, according to the source. One former resident mentioned that many who visited Turtle House observed a perceived lack of diversity.
“Honestly, when you looked at us in a picture, it kind of looks like a cult,” the resident said.
Multiple residents also alleged that someone wasn’t selected to live in the house because of their appearance. One resident who was attempting to leave the house and was seeking a subletter expressed dissatisfaction with the selection process.
“I [prolonged] my stay here and [had] to pay rent, which I [could] no longer [do],” the resident said. “It [caused] me financial issues, because you [all] [didn’t] like that he’s bald.”
There was also significant friction between members of the house and one specific resident. Based on meeting notes provided by an anonymous former resident, this individual was put up to a vote during a meeting, and the majority of tenants voted to evict them. However, the vote only held ceremonial power and was not enforceable, so the individual chose to remain a resident, despite being asked to leave multiple times by other residents.
In interviews, multiple former tenants expressed that this individual made them feel uncomfortable.
“I wouldn’t leave my female friends alone [in the house],” one former tenant said.
Additionally, during a “room crawl” held in the house — an event where people visit different rooms in a house and drink in each one — one room in particular featured multiple pictures of Harrington with his eyes crossed out with the letter “X.” There was also a photo of Harrington next to a photo of Mao Zedong, the former president of the People’s Republic of China.
For many involved, what happened at Turtle House was an emotional time and for some, it continues to be.
“Every time I looked at the house the first couple of months I walked by, I would tear up a little bit and be like, ‘Damn, the house is really beautiful,’” Piper said. “It was hard seeing new people there out front and [thinking], they don’t even know. They have no clue what happened.”
Co-operative living spaces can be complicated, as the events at Turtle House from August of 2022 to September of 2023 have shown. Everyone involved — from the tenants to the owner — mentioned numerous issues inside of the house that contributed to 17 residents leaving the premises.
However, co-ops in Davis, as a whole, have provided a unique, collaborative space for students to contribute to a shared living experience. Turtle House continues to serve as a communal space for students in Davis, whether through its band performances or simply its recognizable exterior and central location within Davis’ downtown.
Written by: Noah Harris — features@theaggie.org
