Mainstream media caught on camera our very own Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Ross Rhodes speaking at a Foreclosure Moratorium Rally in Sacramento on June 25, 2012.
Several other Occupy Bernal members attended the rally and lobbying day in support of the Homeowner Bill of Rights and some facilitated a teach-in on foreclosures and activism.
Stardust sent this letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, which has not yet been printed:
At the 2012 San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade, thousands cheered the OccuPride occupation of the Wells Fargo Bank float. Forty spirited Occupy activists from Occupy SF, Occupy Bay Area United, ACCE, and Occupy Bernal leapt the barricades to celebrate LGBT freedom and protest bank abuses.
We – LGBT and straight folks of many ethnicities and foreclosure and eviction fighters battling Wells to save their homes – chanted with parade spectators along the parade route to let Wells know what we think about predatory lending and greedy, discriminatory foreclosures that trash vulnerable communities: “Stop foreclosures, save our homes!”, “Happy Pride! Take your money out… of Wells Fargo!”
LGBT liberation pioneers like Harvey Milk refused to sell our rights to the highest corporate bidder. Harvey led the fight for an end to racism and sexism, and against greedy landlords, housing speculators, anti-union bosses, and discriminatory corporations like Coors. We marched in his footsteps, and for his and our demands.
OccuPride led with a demand of the 99%: “Community not commodity!” Wells and the other 1%-ers think they own us, our country, our economy, and our political system. They think we’ll let them throw our neighbors out of our neighborhoods. We let them know loud and clear that we won’t.
Update: Some Occupy Bernal folks participated in OccuPride, an action to protest the commodification of the LGBT Pride Parade and the roles of corporations like Wells Fargo and Kaiser. Check out the videos, photos, articles, and official videostream.
What: Community not commodity!
Join the protest against the over-commercialization of the San Francisco LGBT Pride festivities. Protest Wells Fargo’s treatment of the LGBT community, including the foreclosures and evictions of queer folks from our homes.
When: 10:00am on Sunday, June 24
Where: Mission and Main Streets, San Francisco
Thanks to Peter Menchini for this video:
Thanks to Janice Suess for the first two photos of the yellow banners below and thanks to Peter Menchini for the photos after those two photos.
Daily Kos (check for 12th picture and comment)
Check out the videostream of the entire 2012 LGBT Pride Parade. The initial OccuPride action appears after the Dykes on Bikes contingent in the first chunk of the videostream and the Wells Fargo OccuPride action appears in the second chunk with the Wells Fargo contingent. Check also for a Kaiser contingent further on in the parade videostream.
Update: Wells Fargo finally got the trustee to postpone the auction of Archbishop King’s home to July 20, 2012.
Please show up to defend the Bayview home of Archbishop Franzo King and family at 1:30pm to prepare for the auction which starts promptly at 2:00pm at City Hall sidewalk, 400 Van Ness Ave., in San Francisco.
Although a Wells Fargo representative apparently told Archbishop Franzo King the bank was postponing the auction of his home, the trustee in charge of the auction still lists the bank auction for Thursday, June 21. A recent court ruling seemed to hold that verbal agreements from bank representatives aren’t worth anything, so that means we have to defend the home of Archbishop Franzo King and his family.
Archbishop King pastors the John Coltrane Church, located in the Western Addition community of San Francisco. He is a community leader and a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).
Links: Profile of Archbishop King San Francisco Bayview article (by Carol Harvey)
Update: Wells Fargo managed to sell of the home of the Davilas, but they postponed the auction of Sheila Walsh’s home until July 23, 2012.
This coming week, Wells Fargo Bank is again attacking the San Francisco Foreclosure and Evictions Fighters we know and love and trying to auction off their homes. For the first time, we’ve exhausted the legal remedies for postponing the bank sales.
IMPORTANT: We ask you to choose one or both days to Occupy the Auctions to save our neighbors’ homes.
| Wednesday, June 20 | Maria and Washington Davila (more info below) |
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Sheila Walsh is 87 years old and has lived in her current home for 28 years. She has a mortgage with Wells Fargo and it seems like she has been a victim of financial fraud: she took out a home equity line of credit and through an apparently fraudulent transaction was charged $217,000 to her home equity loan. Her mortgage payment ballooned after the fraudulent charge and is now much more than she can afford. Wells Fargo plans to auction off her home on Thursday, June 21. She needs time and help to investigate the fraudulent charge, so she can resolve the matter with Wells Fargo and remain in her home. |
We gather at 1:30pm at City Hall, 400 Van Ness Ave., to prepare for the auctions that start promptly at 2:00pm. Please bring a whistle or other noisemaker and earplugs if you have them (we have some to share).
Note: In the event a bank succeeds in selling one of our Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters homes, we will take additional action just following the Occupy the Auctions action. In the event of postponements or cancellations, we plan to go ahead and protest the other auctions taking place that day and also have follow-on actions planned.
Action Alert for Maria and Washington Davila
Wells Fargo plans to auction off the home of Bernal neighbor Felisa Yambao THIS WEDNESDAY (JUNE 20). Their tenants of seven years, Maria and Washington Davila, have been members of Occupy Bernal and have been fighting to save the home since they learned of the foreclosure several months ago. The homeowner, Felisa Yambao, is ill and lives in Las Vegas, but now has joined Occupy Bernal in fighting the foreclosure. Occupy Bernal and allies have mobilized to postpone the auction of the home several times, and now we need your help again.
Please take action with three steps to save their home:
1) Send the following email right now to Wells Fargo’s CEO, Board Members, and other staff–
To: john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com, alfredo.pedroza@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, boardcommunications@wellsfargo.com, jason.ohara@wellsfargo.com, richard.m.sintchak@wellsfargo.com, eric.tang@wellsfargo.com
Cc: action@occupybernal.org
Subject: Postpone Auction of Felisa Yambao’s Home at 4255 Folsom St., San Francisco (loan #0044522993)
Dear Wells Fargo staff,
Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Felisa Yambao’s home at 4255 Folsom St, San Francisco (loan #0044522993).
Ms. Yambao, who suffers from cancer, has been making efforts to negotiate a fair solution, yet Wells has scheduled her home for auction at 2:00pm, June 20, 2012, against the wishes of Yambao’s long-time tenants, Maria and Washington Davila.
Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Felisa Yambao’s home, offer her a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable, and which will allow her to continue to provide affordable housing for the Davilas.
This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away to postpone the auction.
Sincerely,
your name here
2) Starting at 8:00am on June 18, call the following Wells Fargo representatives with the message below.
Contact:
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf at 866-878-5865
Wells Fargo Director of California Local Government Relations Alfredo Pedroza at 415-396-0829
Wells Fargo Communications Staff Ruben Pulido at 415-852-1279
Wells Fargo Branch Manager Eric Tang at 415-977-9357
Wells Fargo Branch Manager Jason O’Hara at 415-554-8820
Tell them (or leave a message):
“Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Felisa Yambao’s home at 4255 Folsom St, San Francisco (loan #0044522993). Ms. Yambao, who suffers from cancer, has been making efforts to negotiate a fair solution, yet Wells has scheduled her home for auction at 2:00pm, June 20, 2012, against the wishes of Yambao’s long-time tenants, Maria and Washington Davila. Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Felisa Yambao’s home, offer her a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable, and which will allow her to continue to provide affordable housing for the Davilas. This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away to postpone the auction.”
3) Show up at 1:45pm (auction starts promptly at 2:00pm and the auctioneers can sell off a house in less than a minute) on the sidewalk in front of City Hall, 400 Van Ness Ave, in San Francisco, to protest Wells Fargo auctioning off Felisa Yambao’s, and Washington and Maria Davila’s home.
Bring a loud voice, a whistle, earplugs, and signs to let Wells Fargo know we won’t stand for it anymore… stop illegally selling off our neighbors homes!
Background:
Washington and Maria Davila have been living in a house they have been renting in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood for the past seven years. But now, because their landlord Felisa Yambao, who lives in Las Vegas and is suffering from cancer, is in foreclosure, Wells Fargo is planning to sell the house at an auction this Friday. According to the Ellis Act, a new owner-occupant of the house eventually could evict the Davilas, and the Davilas would like to continue renting from Ms. Yambao.
Last January 20, Wells Fargo canceled an auction date after Occupy Bernal planned a protest. Last month, we mobilized again to save the home with a call-in day and protest on behalf of the Davila’s and the Yambao’s. But the bank hasn’t learned its lesson. On Wednesday, Occupy Bernal is determined to disrupt the housing auction to stop the foreclosure and eviction of our neighbors. We also will be leafleting potential home buyers, calling on them not to buy the Davila’s home.
Now Wells Fargo plans to auction Ms. Yambao and the Davilas’ home on June 20 despite:
These actions brought to you by Occupy Bernal, ACCE, and other supportive organizations coordinated within the Occupy the Auctions and Evictions campaign.
Link: Upcoming Bank Auctions of Foreclosure/Eviction Fighter Homes Foreclosure/Eviction Fighter Profilesion Fighter Profiles
On June 6, 2012, the Association of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Excelsior chapter protested three bank branches in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. Bank of America closed their doors and locked patrons inside for about 20 minutes. Protestors also visited Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase, urged banks to stop foreclosures and evictions, and urged bank customers to divest from banks and switch to credit unions. Occupy Bernal and Occupy SF organizers joined ACCE for the protest.
Update: A large number of folks turned out to stop the auction of the home of Bernal neighbor Alberto del Rio and his family. Fortunately, his family managed to file bankruptcy in time to postpone the auction of his home until July 6, 2012. For more details, see the video below and a further description and photos here
Link: PDF (for printing)
STOP THE AUCTION of ALBERTO DEL RIO’S HOME!
ON FRIDAY, June 1, 1:45pm at CITY HALL (Van Ness side)
Together we can stop predatory banks and help our neighbors!
In the past few months we’ve stalled/stopped dozens of home auctions.
Alberto Del Rio is a Bernal Heights resident who grew up in his family home. He lives there with his wife and 3 kids. To help his mother have a decent retirement, the Del Rio family took equity out of the home and refinanced. But their loan from World Savings was a Pick-a-Payment loan. Lawsuits have found these sorts of loans to be predatory. World Savings sold the loan to Wachovia, which was then acquired by Wells Fargo. “Wells took advantage of me. Like they did so many other people. They promised us the moon,” says Alberto, who has been trying to get a loan modification since 2000. The bank has continually lost his paperwork, and refused to negotiate in good faith. The bank even advised him to stop making payments in order to qualify for a loan modification, which triggered the foreclosure process. Now, Wells Fargo is scheduled to auction his home on June 1. But we won’t let them.
YOU CAN ALSO HELP BY CALLING WELLS FARGO’s CEO and STAFF right away in protest: Just say: “Postpone the auction of Alberto Del Rio’s home at 565 Banks St., San Francisco. Loan # 47339080.” Then tell them the above story. CallCEO John Stumpf (866-878-5865), director Alfredo Pedroza (415-396-0829), communications Ruben Pulido (415-852-1279), bank managers Eric Tang (415-977-9357) and Jason O’Hara (415-554-8820).
For more info www.occupybernal.org or call 415-483-9138.
Occupy Bernal and ACCE Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters joined forces at a meeting on May 31, 2012, to plan strategies and tactics for stopping predatory foreclosures and related auctions and evictions.
Update: A fabulous time was had by all, except perhaps the Bank of America security guards who locked up the front door of the bank branch once the protestors arrived.
WHAT: Occupella joins the Wild Old Women at their weekly Bank of America protest
WHEN: May 31, noon.
WHERE: Bank of America Branch, 3250 Mission Street @29th Street, San Francisco
WHY: Occupy Bernal is again in the press, under headlines such as “Occupy Bernal Blocks Auction of Foreclosed Home in San Francisco” and “Occupy Bernal Succeeds in Stalling Foreclosures.” On Thursday, the hilltop neighborhood’s famously fierce senior women invite some musical friends to celebrate, protest, and make noise, as part of their notorious weekly visits to the bank. Some say the future of Occupy is in local, neighborhood-based work — on Thursday May 31, the Wild Old Women and Occupella show how it’s done.
WHO:
Occupella describes itself: “Informal public singing at Bay Area occupation sites, marches and at BART stations. We sing to promote peace, justice, and an end to corporate domination, especially in support of the Occupy movement.”
Contact: Tita Caldwell, titacal@aol.com; 415-505-9391
Press:
“In addition to some original material, Occupella rewrites well-known songs with Occupy-relevant lyrics.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/occupella-san-francisco_n_1413626.html
“The group … hopes commuters will walk away with a song in their head, or better yet, join in and sing.”
http://missionlocal.org/2012/04/occupella-sings-in-the-mission/
The Wild Old Women describe themselves: “Our action was started in December 2011 by a group of nine women who live in affordable senior housing in Bernal Heights. Since then we have “occupied” the sidewalk in front of the Bank of America every Thursday from 12 – 1 p.m. We have been joined by friends and political allies, as well as strangers who have stopped and talked to us. Our object is to protest the bank’s practice of foreclosing on people’s homes, and of raising the fees of low income people. We are also acting in solidarity with the Occupy movement, and are happy to be part of Occupy Bernal.”
Press:
“It was a slow-moving Occupy Wall Street protest, but it was an effective one.”
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/01/05/wild-old-women-close-san-francisco-bank-of-america-branch/
“There’s no chanting, tents, or tear gas, and certainly no cops in riot gear. Rather, the Wild Old Women hold signs and hand out pamphlets, trying to talk to people and convince them to move their money out of the big banks.”
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012/01/wild_old_women_tita_caldwell.php
Photos:
http://occupybernal.org/wordpress/?attachment_id=212
http://occupybernal.org/wordpress/?p=238
http://occupybernal.org/wordpress/?p=190
Occupy Bernal is a neighborhood-based Occupy currently focusing on preventing the banks from throwing our neighbors out of their homes. Web: http://www.occupybernal.org
To sign up for the Occupy Bernal press list and/or obtain photos and video of the event, see http://www.occupybernal.org/press
Please protest the auction of the home of Bernal resident Allen Stowers for today, May 23, 2012. Allen is out of town on business, but has asked us to protest the sale of his home.
Please come at 1:45pm to the sidewalk in front of City Hall at 400 Van Ness Ave. Bring a whistle and earplugs (we have some to share).