Campaign from Occupy Our Homes

With the support of the Occupy Our Homes movement, hundreds of people across America have taken a stand and demanded their bank negotiate to keep them in their home.

These bold individuals and courageous families have built support in their neighborhoods, pressured their banks, raised awareness (and sometimes a ruckus), and won their homes at an inspiring rate.

Of course, not everyone who is facing foreclosure and eviction is ready to occupy their home. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t find ways to help everyone facing foreclosure and eviction keep their home.

Today I’m excited to announce a new tool for anyone in housing crisis: http://Start2.OccupyOurHomes.org.

Start2.OccupyOurHomes.org allows anyone to start a campaign in support of a solution to their housing situation. This tool empowers people in housing crisis to start organizing on their own behalf in their community, and build power that they can leverage in their efforts to keep their home.

You can use this tool to target anyone—a bank loan officer, a local elected official, executives at Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac—whoever has the power to make sure you keep your home.

It’s easy to do—all it takes is a few quick steps: identify who you are petitioning, tell your neighbors and supporters around the world what you want them to do, then say why it’s important. You can start a campaign in support of keeping your home in a matter of minutes.

Once you start a campaign, we’ll be here to help answer questions and do our best to see you succeed.

The banks are more powerful than they should be—we all know this—but the Occupy Our Homes movement is proving that when homeowners fight back and organize within their communities, we have the power to beat the banks. 


Take a stand, start a campaign, and save your home. Or if you’re not in housing crisis, come to the site and take action in support of brave people around the country who are fighting to keep their homes.

http://Start2.OccupyOurHomes.org

I look forward to seeing how we use this tool to beat the banks and win justice for homeowners.

In solidarity,

Matt Browner-Hamlin & the OccupyOurHomes.org team

Block Party Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

Good Neighbor Awards

Block Party Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Download the Good Neighbor Block Party Invite Poster!

Entertainment, live music, barbecue, beverages, tabling, kids activities, movies, education, fun, networking, and best of all–GREAT NEIGHBORS! Everyone is invited.

Plus an award ceremony to honor local foreclosure fighters + activists. Celebrate the successful actions that have helped keep neighbors in their homes. We’ll acknowledge the miraculous work being done to stop foreclosures. Mingle with people who care about people.

Presented by your neighbors

Andover St. (Cortland & Ellert)
Between the Bernal Heights Library & the Good Life Grocery

Hosted by Occupy Bernal

We’re also seeking volunteers to help on the day of the event. Join us for a production meeting Friday night, May 18, 6-8 at Progressive Grounds. Or just come!

Call Annie B. 415-821-7617
Or email annie.borgenicht@gmail.com

Please join our facebook event page

A Call for Collaborators

PDF version of this Call for Collaborators—please distribute

The Good Neighbor Award Ceremony & Foreclosure Fighter Fiesta

Andover St. between Cortland & Ellert (Next to library)

Saturday, May 19th, 1:00-4:00 pm

YOU are invited to co-create this event with us.

WE’RE HAVING A BLOCK PARTY POTLUCK to honor our wonderful foreclosure fighter neighbors + activists. We’ll celebrate the successful actions that have helped keep neighbors in their homes and acknowledge the amazing work we’ve done to help stop foreclosures.

Meet folks who care about people.

SEEKING entertainers, acoustic musicians, a deejay, production manager,
production assistants, planners, food/beverage help, set up/clean up angels, sponsors, people to poster, social network help, a press liaison, seeking involvement of related organizations (i.e.: MEDA, ACCE, SF Housing), tabling assistance, graphic designer, decoration, kid’s activities (sidewalk chalk, bubbles, crafts, face painter), gate monitors, journalists to spread the good news, documentarians, food/drinks for pot luck, and more.

Let us know what YOU want to do.

Join us for production meetings on Sundays at Progressive Grounds on Cortland & Bennington, 10-11:30 a.m. May 6 & 13. Friday night, May 18, 6-8 p.m.

Want to collaborate? We need YOU!

Call Annie S. & Beth today: 415-847-1323 or Annie B. 415-821-7617
Or email anniesprinkle@me.com
More info: occupybernal.org

Phil Ting: Stand Up for the Homeowner Bill of Rights

Sign the petition today.

It’s common sense that big banks and other lenders should need to prove they are owed the debt on the home – before they foreclose on a family. It might be common sense, but unfortunately, it is not California law. Please sign the petition today to support the Homeowner Bill of Rights.

The Facts on Foreclosure

Earlier in the year, I released data from California’s first in-depth look at problems with foreclosure documents. The audit released by my office showed pervasive problems with foreclosure documents. Our audit, which gained national attention, found that nearly 60% of documents were backdated in some fashion and fully 84% of documents contained at least one legal flaw.

That shocking fact is that in California families today face foreclosure despite the flaws in mortgage records so severe that the title is in question.

We all know the costs of the foreclosure epidemic – trillions of dollars in family assets whipped away after a decade of lending speculation. Nearly every reputable economist agrees: the continuing high rates of foreclosures are delaying full economic recovery, meaning they contribute to high unemployment and lower state tax revenues – which in turn trigger cuts to vital program like education.

There are so many things our state needs to do to get back on track. But restoring common sense and justice to our housing markets and foreclosure process is one of the first things we should do – because helping to avoid unnecessary and even unlawful foreclosures is a powerful economic stimulus.

Protecting California Homeowners from Foreclosures

The package of legislation, now commonly-referred to as the Homeowner Bill of Rights, would create long-overdue protections like requiring creditors to provide documentation to a borrower that establishes the creditor’s right to foreclose, prohibiting creditors from recording a notice of default when a timely-filed application for a loan modification or other loss mitigation measure is pending, and requiring creditors to provide a single point of contact to borrowers in the foreclosure process.

Common sense, right?

Let’s help Attorney General Harris, Senate Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg, our own State Senator Mark Leno, State Senators Fran Pavley and Mark DeSaulnier, Assemblyman Mike Eng, Assemblyman Mike Davis, Assemblywoman Wilmer Carter, and other leaders in Sacramento pass this important package of reform to help avoid unnecessary and unlawful California foreclosures.

Protest the Wells Fargo Shareholders’ Meeting

There is a planning meeting for Occupy Bernal in preparation for this action. The planning meeting will occur on Thurs. April 19 at 7 p.m at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.

We’ll be be taking our demands directly to John Stumpf as part of a broad coalition of community, faith, labor, immigrant rights and movement organizations that is going to the Wells Fargo shareholders meeting on April 24, to fight for justice for homeowners and our communties.

Be a part of the 99% takeover. Join us on April 24th and tell John Stumpf that enough is enough!

We are just ONE WEEK away from the 99% Takeover of Wells Fargo’s annual Shareholder’s meeting!!! Thanks to the hard work and commitment of so many folks we have a very solid plan shaping up that will likely shake up the Bank that is breaking up communities, families and people’s future!

Meeting Reminder

The final coalition planning meeting will be this Thursday, 4/19 from 5:30-7:30 @ Local 87’s office, 240 Golden Gate in SF just a few minutes from the Civic Center BART stop.

Note: Occupy Bernal is having an organizing meeting for the OB contingent this same night, at 7pm at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

Action/Training Updates

4/21
Occupy SF will be hosting one of the final Direct Action trainings for participating in non-violent direct action that will cover: risking arrest, role-playing actions, legal consequences and details of the April 24th action on Saturday April 21, 10am to 1pm in San Francisco. This will be followed by a mandatory training from 2:30-4:30pm for anyone who is committed to participating in non-violent direct action on the outside takeover. To attend please respond to this email for the location.
4/23
The inside action planning team will be holding a final training and meeting from 3-6pm for all of the fighters planning to be inside the meeting on the 24th in the event the meeting is not shut down. This training is for folks with proxies and share only and for more information, please email Marguerite Young. Marguerite.young@seiu.org.
Later in the day
Occupy SF will be holding a “pop up” occupation and teach in starting @ 5pm in front of Wells Fargo’s corporate HQ on Montgomery & California St. in downtown SF. There will be another non-violent, direct action training as part of that event for folks who have to miss the training on Saturday. (Bring warm clothes!)

Legal Information

For folks participating in Non-violent Direct Action: please read this legal information from Occupy Legal if you are willing to participate in non-violent direct action

Websites and Social Media

Banking Videos for April 23rd’s Movie Showing about Wells Fargo

These video links are courtesy of Peter Menchini, Occupy SF Media
http://www.youtube.com/user/MayaMediated
https://picasaweb.google.com/110351006045593232796

These are for the lead-up to the
Protest the Wells Fargo Shareholders’ Meeting on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

Videos about Wells Fargo

Videos about banks, foreclosures, and even education

Mayor Lee’s Statement on California Homeowners Bill of Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, April 16, 2012
Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, 415-554-6131

*** STATEMENT ***

MAYOR LEE’S STATEMENT ON CALIFORNIA HOMEOWNERS BILL OF RIGHTS TO PROTECT
FAMILIES AGAINST FORECLOSURES

Mayor Edwin M. Lee today expressed his strong support for California
Attorney General Kamala Harris’ California Homeowners Bill of Rights and
urged members of the State Assembly Banking and Finance Committee to
support Attorney General Harris’s package of foreclosure reform bills
including support for AB 1602, a bill to end “dual tracking” foreclosures
by preventing banks from foreclosing on a borrower’s home while the
borrower is in the process of negotiating a loan modification, being heard
today:

“Too many San Franciscans have been devastated by the mortgage crisis and
too many families have lost their homes due to deceiving banking practices
right here in some of our most vulnerable communities. Thousands of
foreclosures have happened and are happening in neighborhoods in our
cities. I applaud the leadership of Attorney General Kamala Harris for
standing up for families and using the powers of her office to protect
homeowners from mortgage fraud and abuse.

The California Homeowner Bill of Rights is designed to protect homeowners
from unfair practices by banks and mortgage companies, and I urge the
State legislature to do the right thing to protect families.”

Since 2008, there have been 3,181 foreclosures in San Francisco, according
to the Assessor-Recorder’s Office, with the highest concentration in
low-income neighborhoods such as Hunter’s Point, Bayview, the Excelsior,
the Outer Mission and Bernal Heights. San Francisco conducted the first
comprehensive audit of county land records. The audit conducted by
Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and released in February shows that 84 percent
of sampled foreclosures contain at least one clear violation of
California’s foreclosure laws.

Mayor Lee joined Attorney General Harris in support of the foreclosure
reform package aimed to protect families in distress. This comes just
weeks after Attorney General Harris won California the lion’s share of a
$26 billion multistate settlement with big banks over foreclosure abuses.

The California Homeowners Bill of Rights consists of six bills designed to
guarantee basic standards of fairness in the mortgage process, including
an end to dual-track foreclosures, an increase in transparency in the
mortgage process, including a single point of contact for homeowners,
community tools to prevent blight after banks foreclose upon homes, tenant
protections after foreclosures, enhanced law enforcement to defend
homeowner rights – paid for by fees imposed on banks and creation of a
special grand jury to investigate financial and foreclosure crime.

California Homeowner Bill of Rights Legislative Package

Assembly Bill 1602 / Senate Bill 1470 – The Foreclosure Reduction Act of
2012
(Assemblymen Mike Eng and Mike Feuer; Senators Mark Leno, Fran Pavley, and
Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg)
·       Require creditors to provide documentation to a borrower that
establishes the creditor’s right to foreclose on real property prior to
recording a notice of default.
·       Require creditors to provide documentary evidence of ownership,
the chain of title to real property, and the right to foreclose, at the
time of the filing of a notice of default.
·       Prohibit creditors from recording a notice of default when a
timely-filed application for a loan modification or other loss mitigation
measure is pending.
·       Prohibit creditors from recording a notice of sale when a
timely-filed application for a loan modification or other loss mitigation
measure is pending.
·       Prohibit creditors from recording a notice of sale while a
borrower is in compliance with the terms of a trial loan modification or
after another loss mitigation measure has been approved.
·       Require creditors to disclose why an application for a loan
modification or other loss mitigation measure has been denied.
·       Require that notices of foreclosure sales be personally served,
including notices of foreclosure sale postponement.
·       Provide homeowners with a private right of action in instances in
which the requirements set forth in the legislation are not followed

Assembly Bill 2425 / Senate Bill 1471 – Due Process Reform Legislation
(Assemblywoman Holly Mitchell; Senators Mark DeSaulnier and Fran Pavley)
·       Require creditors to provide a single point of contact to
borrowers in the foreclosure process who will be responsible for providing
accurate account and other information related to the foreclosure process
and loss mitigation efforts.
·       Require creditors to provide a dedicated electronic mail address,
facsimile number and mailing address for borrowers to submit information
requested as part of a loan modification, short sale or other loss
mitigation option.
·       Authorize borrowers to challenge the unlawful commencement of a
foreclosure process in court.
·       Impose a $10,000 civil penalty on the recordation or filing of
“robosigned” documents, defined as documents that contain information that
was not verified for accuracy by the person or persons signing or swearing
to the accuracy of the document or statement.
·       Require that certain documents be recorded in a county recorder’s
office.

Assembly Bill 2314 / Senate Bill 1472 – Blight Prevention Legislation
(Assemblywoman Wilmer Carter; Senator Fran Pavley)
·       Prevent blight enforcement actions from being taken against new
purchasers of blighted property for 60 days, provided that repairs are
being made to the property.
·       Require banks that release liens on foreclosed property to inform
local code enforcement agencies of the release so that demolition of
blighted property can proceed.
·       Increase fines against owners of blighted property from $1,000 per
day to $5,000 per day, and allow the imposition of the costs of a
receivership over blighted property to be imposed directly against the
owner of blighted property.

Assembly Bill 2610/ Senate Bill 1473 – Tenant Protection Legislation
(Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner; Senator Loni Hancock)
·       Require purchasers of foreclosed homes to honor the terms of
existing leases and give tenants at least 90 days notice before commencing
eviction proceedings.

Assembly Bill 1950 – Enhancement of Attorney General Enforcement
(Assemblyman Mike Davis)
·       Impose a new $25 fee to be paid by servicers upon the recording of
a notice of default. The fee would be deposited into a real estate fraud
prosecution trust fund that would support the Attorney General’s efforts
to deter, investigate and prosecute real estate fraud crimes, including
the work of the Mortgage Fraud Strike Force.
·       Extend the statute of limitations from one year to four years from
the date of discovery for violations of law commonly occurring in
connection with foreclosure-related scams, including acting as a
real-estate agent without a license and charging up-front fees for loan
modification services.

Senate Bill 1474 / Assembly Bill 1763 – Attorney General Special Grand
Jury
(Assemblyman Mike Davis; Senator Loni Hancock)
·       Authorize the Attorney General to impanel a special grand jury for
the purposes of investigating and indicting multi-jurisdictional financial
crimes against the state.

###

Francis Tsang
Chief Deputy Communications Director
Office of Mayor Edwin M. Lee
415.554.6467
francis.tsang@sfgov.org

Get Connected with Mayor Lee
www.sfmayor.org

Bus Tour: A Visit to Wells Fargo Community Predators

Watch a video from Peter M. with Occupy SF documenting our bus tour of Wells Fargo community predators
Saturday morning, April 7
The South Bay communities of Hillsborough and Los Altos are seemingly safe, full of large, idyllic homes for the 1 percent. But community predators lurk among them.
Nicholas G. Moore and Philip J. Quigley both sit on the board of Wells Fargo. They are still at large, living in luxury while they continue to steal our neighbors’ homes and prey on our communities. Foreclosure fighters, neighbors and activists have been demanding loan modifications, but our cries have fallen on deaf ears. Earlier in March, Dexter Cato even re-occupied his home in Bayview/Hunters-Point, but Wells Fargo still refuses to negotiate a loan modification in good faith.
On April 7, we will be bringing the crimes of Moore, Quigley and the rest of the Wells Fargo community predators to the light of day. Join us as we visit their houses and demand that they stop foreclosing on ours. Come demand loan modifications that will allow all of our neighbors to stay in their homes!
Bus leaves at 9 a.m. from 515 Cortland, in front of Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
9:30 a.m. from Dexter Cato’s reoccupied home, 1401 Quesada
Please RSVP to julienball@hotmail.com to reserve a seat on the bus, or call 415-483-9138.
Flyer (Word format): GET ON THE BUS 4-7 
Sponsored by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) and Occupy Bernal.

Foreclosure and Eviction Community Forum

Back by popular demand!

Because there was so much lively energy and interest and so many questions, and since there were people who came with their personal, urgent situations, we stopped the discussion & questions at about 8:15 so that people in need could get to talk with people who might help them, we decided to have a follow up education event next week. See details below./p>

In the meantime you can Watch the video and read a report from last week’s meeting.

80+ Bernal families are in foreclosure and eviction
Stick together and please attend!
Childcare and Spanish translation available

Thursday, March 1

7 – 8:30 pm
Bernal Heights Community Center
515 Cortland Avenue

Program:

  • The Foreclosure Problem Now (A community organizer’s perspective)
  • Legal Help for you and your community (Presented by a foreclosure lawyer)
  • Where to get Counseling help (Presented by a San Francisco housing counselor)
  • Panel discussion with the presenters
  • Question and answer with the presenters
  • Local homeowners and tenants affected will speak

Contact:

Annie 415-821-7617

Mission Economic Development Agency Hosts Workshop

Mission Economic Development Agency is hosting a monthly Foreclosure Intervention & Mortgage Default Workshop.

Keep in mind you can come as an organizer, activist, citizen, homeowner, be informed and later disseminate & pass on the info to the rest of our community.

Looking forward to seeing you here.

Need a sitter?: No problem! We have child care for the duration, please register in advance to save a spot.

When

Wednesday February 29th from 6 TO 8PM

Where

Mission Economic Development Agency
HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency
Main Office: Plaza Adelante
2301 Mission Street, Suite 301 (19th & Mission corner)
San Francisco, CA 94110

How

Just show up, pre register at dmayorga@medasf.org , or call our general number at extension 132

What

If you are a distressed homeowner seeking counseling, please pre-register or come early to fill out needed intake forms to get you assigned.

Cost

All our services are free of charge to you, for you and because of you.

Info

General overview of foreclosure, options, programs, referrals, internal cross services, options, more options and some options.

Guarantee

It will NOT be a waste of your valuable time

Remember you don’t have to be a homeowner to come, the information will make you a future well informed homeowner/ advocate!!!

Jose L. Rodriguez
Foreclosure Intervention & Default Counselor
Mission Economic Development Agency
HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agency
Main Office: Plaza Adelante
2301 Mission Street, Suite 301
San Francisco, CA 94110
P: 415.282.3334 ext. 114
F: 415.282.3320
jrodriguez@medasf.org
www.medasf.org
www.facebook.com/medasf
www.twitter.com/medasf