by Yashenka Baca
Occupy Oakland protesters arrive at the Port of Oakland (PHOTO BY THAN STARK FOR TURNSTYLE NEWS)
The “Occupy Our Homes” national day of action called by the Occupy Wall Street movement nationwide, had a strong impact on the main banks planned foreclosures Tue. Dec. 6. Hundreds in San Francisco, and thousands nationwide gathered to defend the homes of hundreds of families that were schedule to be evicted, “demanding -the banks- negotiate with homeowners instead of foreclosing on them.”
According to Calorganize, an Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, banks had planned to foreclose 60 homes only on Wed. Dec. 7, despite Attorney General Support for a Holiday Moratorium that would allow families to have a home at least during Christmas.
The news website Huffington Post (HP) also informed that in San Francisco’s Bayview District there are about 3,500 foreclosed homes.
The total of homes affected in the city reach 12,600 which adds to the 2.1 million California homes that saw their owners being evicted since the 2008 crisis started. The movement has tried hard to remind the communities that although homes are being taken away, and families are evicted daily, not one person from Wall Street main banks has being held responsible for the economic crisis.
HP reported that Occupy Our Home supporters, and eviction protesters, gathered around Vivian Richardson’s home in San Francisco Tue. Dec 6. “Richardson became a local symbol of the foreclosure crisis when her bank tried to seize her home despite months of unsuccessful loan modification attempts” the website explained. Protesters ‘shield’ the property with a human chain and made it impossible for the sheriff to get in and evict the family.
esinformed the organization.The Rebuild the Dream Innovation Fund also reported on the day of action. The fund established that the human chain strategy is working nationwide, and more people are taking a stand. “Just last week police and movers refused to carry out a bank-ordered eviction of a 103 year-old woman and her daughter, from her home in Atlanta” informed the organization.
Winter plans for Occupy
Filmmaker Michael Moore shared on his website a video of Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur from 2009 regarding foreclosure policies. In the video a passionate Kaptur tells people who might face foreclosure in the future be squatters in their own home and not to leave.
“Don’t leave your home, because when those companies say they have your mortgage, unless you find a lawyer who can put his of her finger on it, then they don’t have your mortgage” said Kaptur.
Moore, who shared the video -from his film Capitalism a Love Story- as part of his proposal for Occupy Wall Street (OWS) during the winter season, called the message ‘encourage to open rebellion’. The filmmaker looks to continue presenting alternatives for the straggling families that might lose their houses in the upcoming weeks.
The OWS movement has been repeatedly raided nationwide, specially in the last few weeks. Occupy San Francisco -at Justin Herman Plaza- was raided Wed. Dec. 7 at about 2:00 am. According to Bay Area radio station KCBS dozens of police cars and about 200 officers wearing riot gear surrounded the encampment and took occupiers by surprise.
Police was seeing taking down tents, but some protesters were spotted packing and moving out of the plaza on their own. A local TV channel website informed that 85 people were arrested during the raid and while occupiers stayed in the surroundings of the plaza determining what their next steps would be.
