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Occupy Our Homes Atlanta: Call to Action for Pittman Family
OccupyOurHomes on May 17, 2012
Occupy Our Homes Atlanta:
» MoreOn December 6th of last year Occupy Atlanta began an encampment in front of the Pittman family home in solidarity with their struggle to save their home from JP Morgan Chase.
When the Pittman family reached out to Occupy Atlanta they had just lost their Mother and Grandmother, Eloise Pittman. Like so many Americans Eloise’s struggle to stay in her home was a private struggle, kept secret not only from neighbors but family as well. It wasn't until days after Eloise Pittman passed that the rest of the family discovered that the home had already been sold at the county foreclosure auction.
It has since become one of the longest full-scale home occupations in the country. Working side by side with Occupy Atlanta, the Pittman family has organized dozens of actions to expose JP Morgan Chase's unjust practices and legacy of predatory lending. From marches, rallies, and sit-ins to call in campaigns, workshops, and community canvassing it’s been a 24/7 operation that has put off the eviction for 6 months and put Chase on blast.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO JUNE 1st! That’s right. Chase has given the family until June 1st to accept a deal they simply can’t afford.
We need your help. Can you organize and heavily promote an action against a Chase Bank branch or corporate office to take place on June 1st in solidarity with the Pittman Family and the millions of people being pushed out of their homes?
You can:
- Picket
- Hold a candle light vigil
- Sit-in
- Organize a call in Day
- Deliver a letter
- Shut down a Chase branch
- Foreclose on a Chase branch
- Stage a move-in to a Chase branch, or just outside of one
- Use your imagination to come up with something creative and compelling!
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Rochester: Leonard Spears Protest at Wells Fargo
OccupyOurHomes on May 15, 2012
Check out the latest update and video from Take Back the Land Rochester:
Leonard Spears' fight to save his home has now been taken to Wells Fargo. Watch this protest event that shows his several attempts to deliver a letter, Wells Fargo's response, how the police handle the situation, and how the power of people can show a large financial corporation what their up against.
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Minneapolis: Monique White talks about her landmark victory
OccupyOurHomes on May 15, 2012
Victorious Minneapolis home occupier Monique White talks with The Uptake about her victory and what it means for her to keep her house.
White will now pay approximately $200 less per month on her home. Last week, she received a phone call from US Bank Vice President Bill Parker informing her that the bank had found a sum that would work for White to keep her North Minneapolis home. “He said, ‘Will $616.36 work for you?’ And I said ‘yes’. I am just so happy.” Days after confronting CEO Davis and landing a promise that Vice President Parker would help her, White had a scheduled court date that was to determine her fate: eviction or loan modification. Now she has a new loan term that begins in July.
“US Bank set the bar really high for all the other banks who say they cannot re-negotiate loans to families facing foreclosure,” said Anthony Newby, an organizer with Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. “Occupy Homes has said all along that this is what we want: to figure out a way to keep families in their homes and communities.”
Monique White's story is an inspiration and shows how homeowners who are fighting back against unfair and unlawful foreclosures can win victories that keep them in their homes. Monique was the first homeowner to approach an Occupy group and ask for help occupying her home and resisting foreclosure. Her campaign lasted more than six months and was a focus of energy not only in Minneapolis, but around the country.
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Atlanta: Update on Chris Frazer & her family
OccupyOurHomes on May 13, 2012
Tim Franzen of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta has an update on Chris Frazer and her family's situation following the brutal and inhumane 3am eviction by 40 Dekalb County sheriffs:
Today, on Mothers Day, several of us came out to visit Chris Frazer, her mom Daisy, and Grandson Malachi at their new house, which is temporary. We brought Mothers Day flowers and offered our labor as there's still much moving around that needs to be done.
It's been just over a week since the Frazer family was evicted at gunpoint by Sheriff Thomas Brown and 40 of his officers at 3am. The trauma that the unprecedented action caused the Frazer family undeniably lingers strong. It was a tough scene to observe for anyone, but one can only imagine what it's like having you doors knocked in, physically forced out, and see all you belongings carelessly tossed onto the lawn.
Given the circumstances the Frazer family is making the best of the situation. The family's first priority was getting everyone under the same roof again.
Read more about how you can help below the fold.
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Minneapolis: Cruz family rallies to save their home
OccupyOurHomes on May 08, 2012
The Uptake reports on a bold and courageous action by Alejandra and David Cruz, whose parents are facing foreclosure and responding by occupying their home. They are using cement buckets at the front and rear of the property to peacefully block entry by chaining themselves to it.
My parents had to work so hard for this house,” teary-eyed Alejandra Cruz told an Occupy Homes rally this week. “It’s unjust for the banks to take away our dream. My parents brought us here really young, and we’ve learned how to fight against injustice ever since we came to this country. It’s been a struggle for us every single day since we got here.”
» MoreAlejandra and her brother David, two Minneapolis college students and activists for the Dream Act, took the Occupy Homes pledge this week to stay in the house which their Mexican immigrant parents purchased and are in danger of losing to foreclosure. They are among the first Latinos in the Twin Cities to take the Occupy Homes pledge and defy the banks.
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Occupy Atlanta and Chris Frazer speak at Sheriff Thomas Brown eviction rally
OccupyOurHomes on May 08, 2012
Occupy Atlanta and community allies organized a rally outside of Sheriff Thomas Browns office at 4415 Memorial Drive today. Over 100 people showed up with signs and carrying some of the wreckage that Sheriff Brown and his officers left in Chris Frazer's lawn less than a week ago. The furniture was place in front the entrance to the Sheriff's department with the idea of bring the housing crisis right to the Sheriff's doorstep. The Sheriff's office locked the door and refused to respond to community concerns. Chris Frazer, Carmen Pittman, and Pastor Johnson all spoke to the crowd outside of the Sheriffs department demanding that Sheriff Brown apologize and let Chris Frazer back in her home.
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Atlanta: Protest Sheriff Thomas Browns 3am Eviction of Chris Frazer’s Family at Gunpoint
OccupyOurHomes on May 06, 2012
Occupy Atlanta and community allies plan to protest outside of Sheriff Thomas Browns office at 4415 Memorial Drive; Decatur, GA 30032 from 4-6pm on Monday 5/7
The scene early on the morning of May 2nd at 3662 Wellhaun Road in Decatur, Georgia resembled that of a major drug bust with officers sneaking around in the middle of the night. Instead of a bust however, 50 officers stormed the property of 62 year old Christine Frazer’s house at 3 AM to serve her with an eviction notice at gun point.
Chris’ house was foreclosed on fraudulently by Investors One Corporation in October 2011, and she a case currently in federal court disputing the foreclosure. In March, activists with Occupy Atlanta set up camp on her lawn and committed to stay to defend Chris’ home from eviction.
We cannot afford to allow Sheriff Thomas Brown to disrespect are communities in this fashion. We demand that he lets the family back into the place they've called home for the past 18 yrs. We will be meeting outside of his office Monday evening, 4-6pm, carrying signs and banners asking why he would choose to leave a family homeless at 3 in the morning at gun point and allowed her valuables to be stolen.
Actions you can take:
1. Call the Sheriff's Department (404-298-8145) and demand that they reverse the eviction and Let the Frazer family back in her home.
2. We are scrambling to help Chris put the pieces back together, her family has places to stay but we are trying to get them all under the same roof, please donate if you can.
https://www.wepay.com/x2tg0qn/donations/193827
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Inhumane 3am Eviction In Dekalb County, GA
OccupyOurHomes on May 04, 2012
The scene early on the morning of May 2nd at 3662 Wellhaun Road in Decatur, Georgia resembled that of a major drug bust with officers sneaking around in the middle of the night. Instead of a bust however, 50 officers stormed the property of 62 year old Christine Frazer’s house at 3 AM to serve her with an eviction notice.
Chris’ house was foreclosed on fraudulently by Investors One Corporation in October 2011, and she has been fighting it in court ever since (see the video above). In January, activists with Occupy Atlanta set up camp on her lawn and committed to stay to defend Chris’ home from eviction.
Using what sheriff Thomas Brown himself referred to as “intelligence,” Dekalb County law enforcement waited until activists were not present at the home, and the neighbors would be asleep, to serve an unprecedented eviction after hours, putting 4 generations including her 85 year old mother, and 3 year old grandson out on the curb. They refused to allow Chris to shower or for her mother to get dressed; they told Chris to behave as if it were a fire drill. They even rounded up her dogs and took them to the pound.
The police blockaded the neighborhood and wouldn’t allow anyone to help secure the family’s valuable personal belongings from the side of the road.
Once again, it is clear that the government and our law enforcement officials are being used to serve and protect the interest of the 1% and not of ordinary people or even the laws that they have put in place. Occupy Atlanta is more committed than ever to the fight for Chris Frazer’s home, and the thousands of other homeowners just like her who are being disrespected every day.
Read more below the fold.
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Portland: Neighborhood leads May Day foreclosure defense, reclaims property and home of woman unjustly evicted by the bank
OccupyOurHomes on May 04, 2012
On May Day, the Portland Liberation Organizing Council, the Black Working Group, and dozens of allies and community partners helped Alicia Jackson re-occupy her home which was unjustly evicted from last July. Here's part of the report from the PLOC:
» MoreToday, the community of NE Portland rallied and reclaimed the home of Alicia Jackson, longtime Portland resident, who had been driven from her home last July. Approximately 400 people gathered in Woodlawn at 9am and marched with banners, music, and chanting the four blocks to Alicia’s home. The Portland Liberation Organizing Council and the Black Working Group, along with a dozen allies and partners, organized this home defense.
The neighborhoods hosted a press conference on the steps of the house with Alicia, Ahjamu Umi of the Black Working Group, Father Jack Mosbrucker, retired from St Therese Catholic Church , and Rain Crowe of PLOC. The community then cut a yellow ribbon to enter the house and begin cleaning out the accumulated dust. Other community members began carting in soil, garden tools, and supplies. The neighbors brought out food dishes, spaghetti, pizza, and snacks to share with the crowd.
“Home is where the heart is,” Alicia said during the reclamation.
The home defense went forward without incident and appeared be broadly supported by the neighborhood, many of whom already had “Support your neighbors, stop foreclosure” signs in their front yards. The sun came out as community members shared food, played games, and danced a Maypole together.
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VICTORY: Monique White Wins Negotiation to Save Her Home!
OccupyOurHomes on May 03, 2012
After a 7 month campaign led by Occupy Homes MN, Monique White has been offered a new loan by US Bank. In October of 2011 Monique was perhaps the first homeowner in the nation to approach the Occupy movement and ask for help in defending her home from an unlawful foreclosure . The 6 month campaign to save her home set an historic precedent in the Bank and foreclosure reform movement. The new loan was offered some 15 months after the end of the Redemption period and with a payment in keeping with the homes current value.
Supporters have camped out in and around her home, led over a dozen marches on US Bank, collected over 6,500 petition signatures, packed the courtroom, shut down Bank branches, and even marched to the homeof US Bank CEO Richard Davis. Occupy Homes MN has worked with White and her family since October 2011, making national and international news in the process.
"I'm so thankful for all of the support during this process." Said White, "Through it all I kept my faith in God and fought for what's right. Right now I'm just thankful that my family and I will get to keep my home."
"Monique is truly a hero of the Occupy movement," Said organizer Anthony Newby with Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), "Monique may have been the first in the country to invite the Occupy movement to defend her home from an unfair eviction. This deal sets an historic precedent for what communities can accomplish when they unite around this issue. The new loan offer came some 15 months after the end of the Redemption period and involves a payment in keeping with the home's current value. If this deal can work for Monique White, it can work for homeowners around the country."
"We couldn't be more proud of Monique and the example she has set for homeowners around the country. Her victory gives hope to the millions of American's around the country facing foreclosure by showing that the banks can and must enact a grand bargain that would help every homeowner to stay in their home, whether they are in foreclosure or underwater on their mortgage, by reducing the principal on their homes to the actual market value." Said Nick Espinosa, an organizer with Occupy Homes MN whose family's home is also in foreclosure.
Occupy Homes MN is currently working with dozens of other families in the Metro area and around the State to bring Big banks to the table to negotiate a reasonable solution to the foreclosure crisis.
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