Occupiers Support ACCE at Savanna Jazz Club Benefit

Update: Check out this amazing video from Peter Menchini–


Dozens of Occupiers and other supporters, including Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters Jamila Mohamed, Carolyn Gage, Ross Rhodes, Archbishop Franzo King, Allen Stowers, and Thida Chan and San Francisco Supervisors John Avalos and David Chiu, attended a festive fundraiser for the San Francisco chapter of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) on the evening of December 13, 2012, at the Savanna Jazz Club in the Mission neighborhood.

Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Pascal Thiam, co-owner of the Savanna Club which is facing foreclosure, took to a stage bedecked with foreclosure fighter banners for some delightful jazz improvisations with Archbishop King. Thanks to the other musicians including Occupy organizer Elaine.

ACCE staff members Grace Martinez, Erin Franey, John Eller, and new executive director Christina Livingston were on hand with a bunch of volunteers who helped organize the event, including Gale Rosboro and Buck Bagot.

Occupy videographer Peter Menchini prepared a special video, which unfortunately didn’t get shown with proper audio speakers and will hopefully get broad exposure at another event soon.

Other notable attendees including Sister E, Julie Anderson, Hanson Lee, Jackson, Christie Hakim, Diane Ross, Becca Gourevich, Tim Poulson, Deborah Gerson, Kathy Lipscomb, Susan McDonough, Julien Ball, Judy Kurtz, Lisa Prochello, and many others who I didn’t catch or left before I arrived.

The event raised more than $10,000 for the organization, which has partnered effectively with Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and other Occupiers to fight predatory foreclosures and evictions in San Francisco. Thanks to everyone who made it happen and to everyone who gave generously to save people’s homes!

Occupy Bernal Affordable Housing Forum on November 29, 2012

Occupy Bernal presented a forum on the Fight for Affordable Housing in Bernal Heights and Beyond at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center in San Francisco on November 29, 2012.

Speakers included:

  • Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Ross Rhodes
  • ACCE organizer Grace Martinez
  • Buck Bagot of Occupy Bernal
  • Amy Beinert of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
  • California Assemblymember Tom Ammiano
  • San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos
  • Sheila Chung Hagen for San Francisco Supervisor David Campos

Action: Protest Well Fargo’s Auction of Thomas German’s Home!

Update as of July 7: Due to intense pressure from Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and ACCE (thanks for all the calls and emails!), Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Bernal Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter (FEF) Thomas German until August 14.

At an FEF planning meeting this morning, the group decided that — in light of Wells Fargo’s decision to postpone Thomas’ auction and to start a conversation with us about negotiations — we will postpone the actions we had planned in response to the foreclosure auction:

  • POSTPONED: 12:00 noon on Monday, July 9, Protest at Wells Fargo Headquarters
  • POSTPONED: 8:00am on Tuesday, July 10, Protest at Bank Auction of Thomas German’s Home

Stay tuned for further news about any progress toward negotiations with Wells Fargo. We are hopeful that there will be a positive outcome for all concerned.


Update as of July 6: Good news… Wells Fargo has postponed Thomas German’s auction until August 14.


Wells Fargo plans to auction off our Bernal neighbor, Occupy Bernal co-founder, and Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Thomas German’s home this coming Tuesday, July 10. We have to stop them!

Please take action with three steps to save his home:

1) Send this email right now to Wells Fargo’s CEO, Board Members, and other staff–

To: john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, Pat.Callahan@wellsfargo.com, Avid.Modjtabai@wellsfargo.com, James.Strother@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 Tommie German’s Home at 348 Andover St., San Francisco (loan #0044751501)

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Tommie German’s home at 348 Andover St., San Francisco (loan #0048358501).

Tommie German is a retired federal worker and a veteran who is ready to make regular payments on a renegotiated loan, which Wells Fargo has refused to provide. He is facing a life-threatening hernia operation at the end of July and stress over losing his home is worsening his condition.

Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Tommie German’s home, please offer him a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable.

This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away to postpone the auction.

Sincerely,

your name here
­

2) Call these Wells Fargo representatives with the message below.

Contact:
Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf at 866-878-5865
James Strother at 415-396-1793
Patricia Callahan at 800-869-3557
Avid Modjtabai at 800-869-3557
Wells Fargo Communications Staff Ruben Pulido at 415-852-1279

Tell them (or leave a message):

“Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Tommie German’s home at 348 Andover St., San Francisco (loan #0044751501), scheduled for July 10. Tommie German is a retired federal worker and a veteran who is ready to make regular payments on a renegotiated loan, which Wells Fargo has refused to provide. He is facing a life-threatening hernia operation at the end of July and stress over losing his home is worsening his condition. Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Tommie German’s home, please offer him a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable. This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away to postpone the auction..”

3) Join us to protest:

  • Planning Meeting, 10:00am on Saturday, July 7, ACCE Office, 1717 17th St., SF.
  • Protest at 12:00pm (noon) on Monday, July 9, at Wells Fargo Headquarters, 420 Montgomery St. at California St. in San Francisco (check here for updates). RSVP on Facebook.
  • Occupy the Auction Action, 8:00am, Tuesday, July 10, SF War Memorial, Green Room, Suite 110, 401 Van Ness Ave., SF (check for postponements, arrive at 8:00am to register or register online at auction.com/trustee — have to create an account, then search for July 10 auction and register for it). Please bring a whistle or other noisemaker and earplugs if you have them (we have some to share). RSVP on Facebook.

Links: Action Flyer    Profile of Thomas German    Video Featuring Thomas German

Stop Banks From Evicting the 99%!

Wells Fargo plans to auction Tommie German’s home on July 10 despite:

  • Francisco Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote for a moratorium on foreclosures until the state legislature enacts a Homeowner Bill of Rights
  • The Mayor’s request for a “pause” until the state legislature enacts a Homeowner Bill of Rights
  • California State Attorney General Kamala Harris’ request for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to suspend foreclosure activity
  • The California legislature passing the Homeowner Bill of Rights, now awaiting the Governor’s signature or veto
  • The report from San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting that shows that 84% of a sample of San Francisco foreclosures contain at least one legal violation

This action alert brought to you by Occupy Bernal (www.occupybernal.org), ACCE (www.calorganize.org), and other supportive organizations coordinated within the Occupy the Auctions and Evictions campaign (www.occupytheauctions.org).

How We Work with Foreclosees

Download a Word format of this document

6/13/12

BECOMING A FORECLOSURE FIGHTER
WITH SF ACCE AND/OR OCCUPY BERNAL

GETTING ASSISTANCE BEATING FORECLOSURE, PROPERTY AUCTION, AND
EVICTION

WINNING AN AFFORDABLE LOAN MODIFIICATION

Here’s what we tend to do to help someone in foreclosure – but is still short of property auction or post-auction eviction – who might become foreclosure fighter, if they’re loan is with Wells Fargo. If they are with another bank, SF ACCE may also have the ability to also help them engage in direct negotiations with someone with power at their lender – B of A, Chase, Aurora, for example. SF ACCE has also helped people fight evictions, and reclaim their homes after an eviction. But those fights are not discussed in this memo.

A. Help them get hooked up with a nonprofit HUD-certified counselor, who can:

1) submit their loan modification request, once the counselor has a 3 rd party
authorization, and some financial info;

2) engage in conversation with the lender to help them get a modification;

3) help them figure out if they have the income to qualify to a loan modification with their current income; need to increase his income, or need a principal reduction to modify; and

4) help them get their auction date postponed, find out if it actually is postponed, and until when.

I have attached my roster which has the contact names and info at the two nonprofit counselors we use – MEDA and SFHDC – as well as some other useful folks. MEDA recently told Grace that they are no longer accepting clients, but Ed Donaldson at SFHDC available. MEDA has bilingual staff.

B. Help them into “escalated” review under the WF CEO’s office. Up until now, that has virtually guaranteed that WF will postpone their auctions date/s until the end of that review, although we often don’t find out that one has been postponed until the day before or even the morning of. Getting them connected with Pelosi’s Office and her staffer Alex Lazar should do get them into this escalated process, as well as get him a single point of staff contact in the CEO’s office. This assistance also requires a 3rd party authorization form, for Pelosi’s Office and becoming a counseling client.

C. Help them get onto the Mayor’s Office/staffer Jeff Buckley’s list of cases which he is pursuing individually with the lenders. This assistance also requires a 3rd party authorization form for the Mayor’s Office, and becoming a counseling client.

I have attached 3rd party authorization forms for SFHDC, Pelosi and the Mayor. This form authorizes a 3rd party to engage in conversation with the lender about his modification request, and their case in general. Someone who receives 3 rd party authorization has no power to make decisions on a loan modification request. The foreclosee reserves that right entirely for themselves.

D. Help them get into an ongoing conversation with that single point of contact at Wells Fargo.

E. If and when they receive a trustee’s notice of property auction, in addition to helping them get it postponed and/or blocking it, we need to help them track when it is scheduled to occur.

A lender carries out a property auction through a trustee. The trustee is required to make only a single public notice, with the SF Recorder/Assessor’s Office, of an auction date – the first date when they can carry out an auction. They are not required to report any subsequent changes in that date. OB and SF ACCE have paid for access to a data base that purports to report rescheduled auctions, but sometimes it is faulty and/or takes a few days to report the new date. Even a verbal statement by a lender’s staff person that they have postponed the auction date is sometimes not accurate. The best way that we have found to track an auction date is through the phone number and/or website contained in the trustees notice of the initial auction date.

F. Finally, how do you see if the foreclosee will become/help a person become a foreclosure fighter?

Becoming a foreclosure fighter helps a person: 1) save their own home in foreclosure, AND 2) win reforms and ideally permanent structural changes in the current predatory, unfair and largely racist foreclosure system. We aren’t counselors. We are leaders in fighting organizations. With our current power, we can’t help everyone who is in foreclosure. We can help individual foreclosees, if they fight. We can only win the complete restructuring of the foreclosure system by organizing and building the power to win on individual cases, and reforms of the foreclosure system – like a moratorium, or the postponement of auctions or evictions, or the reoccupation of homes form which folks have been evicted. It is only by fighting with power that we can change the entire foreclosure system into one that is fair, just and non-discriminatory.

We can only win if the people in foreclosure step up and fight for themselves, and other people in the same fix that they are in. We must help them become leaders in the fight. And it is only by them become the face and voice of the fight to end the foreclosure crisis that the lenders, the public, and potential allies like the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor will ever understand who is being hurt by foreclosure, and what it is doing to our communities.

So, sadly, we must pick and choose with whom we will work. We will work with them if they fight, and become active members in and leaders of our organizations. In developing foreclosees into foreclosure fighters, we are not hurting their ability to win their individual cases. Only 13% of the foreclosees who work with an SF HUD certified nonprofit counselor “escape” foreclosure by attaining a loan modification or some other settlement. The counselors tell foreclosees that they will increases their chances of winning if they: 1) fight back, and 2) join an organization like Occupy Bernal and SF ACCE. Lenders pay at least some attention to foreclosure fighters because they want them – and their organizations – to go away! As you can see, the small changes we have won, and the process above, has helped individual foreclosees help themselves.

SF ACCE has helped foreclosure fighters win loan modifications, even for ones that lenders have evicted from their homes. OB has helped foreclosure fighters win modifications, but so far only for people who had the income to qualify anyway.

We must test the folks that we try to help. Tell them straight up that we can’t “save” them, but we will help them fight back. And that we want them to become foreclosure fighters. Tell them what we mean by that term. Give them opportunities to do so. Invite them to the next meeting of our organizations. Ask and train them to speak to their neighbors; the media; elected officials; and representatives of the lenders. Give them the opportunity to participate in the planning of actions against the lenders, and active roles in those actions.

Attachments: Buck’s roster; 3rd party authorization forms for SFHDC, Mayor and
Pelosi’s Offices.

By Buck Bagot – 415/385-0389 OR BUCKB@DEVINEGONG.COM.

For more information, go to www.occupybernal.org, www.calorganize.org, or
www.occupytheauctions.org.

ALERT: Stop the Auction of Alberto Del Rio’s Home!

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 Join Forces

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.

Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home!

Tell Wells Fargo: Stop the Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home!

Call/Email TODAY!

Ernesto Viscarra received a trial loan modification from Wells Fargo in March. So why is his home still scheduled for auction?

Ernesto has been living in his home in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco for 33 years. In 2008, he fell into default on his mortgage with Wells Fargo. Despite the fact that he had the ability to work out a loan modification he could afford, the bank refused to negotiate with him–until Ernesto began working with Occupy Bernal, staging demonstrations, making phone calls and sending emails targeting bank representatives.

In March, Ernesto won a trial loan modification and has been making payments ever since. Yet Wells Fargo hasn’t lifted a May 21 auction date on his home. It was in response to highly-publicized situations just like these that Atty. General Kamala Harris called for a homeowners’ bill of rights. Among other things, it would ban “dual tracking”, a practice where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and may lose their homes as a result. Let’s call and email Wells Fargo TODAY and make sure Ernesto is NOT a victim of dual tracking.

Please take action with three steps to save Ernesto’s 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, eric.tang@wellsfargo.com

Cc: action@occupybernal.org

Subject: Postpone Auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s Home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (Loan # 46110532)

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of Ernesto Viscarra’s home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (Loan # 46110532).

Mr. Viscarra has lived in his home for 33 years. After four years of being ignored, he finally was able to negotiate with your institution, and was granted a trial loan modification. He has been making his payments on time, but he still has an auction date of Monday, May 21 on his home.

I am aware of situations in which Wells Fargo staff have engaged in dual tracking, where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and have lost their home as a result.

Please make assurances that you will make good on the terms of Mr. Viscarra’s loan modification and take immediate action to cancel the auction of his home.

Sincerely,

your name here

2) Starting at 8:00am on May 16, 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 Ernesto Viscarra’s home at 249 Anderson St., San Francisco (lLoan # 46110532). Mr. Viscarra has lived in his home for 33 years. After four years of being ignored, he finally was able to negotiate with your institution, and was granted a trial loan modification. He has been making his payments on time, but he still has a May 21 auction date on his home. I am aware of situations in which Wells Fargo staff have engaged in dual tracking, where homeowners are simultaneously on track for a loan modification and for foreclosure, and have lost their home as a result. Please make assurances that you will make good on the terms of Mr. Viscarra’s loan modification and take immediate action to cancel the auction of his home.”

3.) If the sale of the home is not cancelled, join us on the steps of City Hall (Van Ness side) on Monday, May 21, at 9:45 a.m. to stop the auction.

URGENT Action Alert: Save the Bernal Home of Ted Harvey and His Disabled Daughter

Update as of 7:59am on April 30: Wells Fargo has postponed the foreclosure auction of Ted Harvey’s home until May 30. We will work with Ted to get a fair deal from the bank. The auction action for today is postponed unless you feel like coming down to check it out anyway.

Wells Fargo plans to auction off the home of Bernal neighbor Ted Harvey and his disabled daughter TOMORROW.

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 James Theodore Harvey’s Home at 137 Faith St, San Francisco (loan #708-0154783435)

Dear Wells Fargo staff,

Please take IMMEDIATE action to postpone the auction of James Theodore “Ted” Harvey’s Home at 137 Faith St, San Francisco (loan #708-0154783435).

He has signed and is making payments for a trial payment plan on a loan modification, yet Wells has scheduled his home for auction at 2:00pm, April 30, 2012.

Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Ted Harvey’s home, offer him a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable so he and his disabled daughter can continue to live in their home.

This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away to postpone the auction.

Sincerely,

your name here
——-

2) Starting at 8:00am on April 30, 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 Richard Sintchak at 415-396-7970
  • 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 James Theodore ‘Ted’ Harvey’s Home at 137 Faith St, San Francisco (loan #708-0154783435). He has signed and is making payments for a trial payment plan on a loan modification, yet Wells has scheduled his home for auction at 2:00pm, April 30, 2012. Once Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Ted Harvey’s home, offer him a fair deal for a loan modification on terms that are sustainable so he and his disabled daughter can continue to live in their home. 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 Ted Harvey’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:

Ted Harvey — carpenter, musician, and father — bought his Bernal Heights home in 2005 and made regular payments for over five years.

Two years ago, after a work injury and his 11 year old daughter’s two month hospitalization, Ted fell behind in house payments. He’s been trying to modify his Wells-Fargo loan and believed he had — Wells Fargo cashed his two recent checks!

Now Wells Fargo plans to auction Ted’s home on April 30 despite:

  • San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote for a moratorium on foreclosures until the state legislature passes a Homeowner Bill of Rights
  • The Mayor’s request for a “pause” until the state legislature passes a Homeowner Bill of Rights
  • California State Attorney General Kamala Harris’ request for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to suspend foreclosure activity
  • The report from San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting that shows that 84% of a sample of San Francisco foreclosures contain at least one legal violation

For more information, see http://occupybernal.org/wordpress/?p=1276 or http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=1012

Please forward this alert right away to others who may be interested.

Save Eric’s Home – Occupy the Auction Dance Party on Friday

UPDATE 4:30pm on April 27, 2012: City Hall Building Manager Robert Reiter tells foreclosure auctioneers they can no longer hold foreclosure auctions on City Hall Steps. For photos of the action, see http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=876.


Thanks to Peter Menchini for the great video of the Occupy the Auctions Dance Party action below:

UPDATE as of the morning of April 27, 2012: Wells Fargo has postponed the auction of Eric and John’s home, so we are going ahead as planned with celebrating by dancing away the other foreclosure auctions scheduled for today.

At 1:45pm this Friday, April 27, please come to an Occupy the Auction Dance Party to stop Wells Fargo from auctioning off the home of Eric and his partner John.

San Francisco foreclosure auctions take place on City Hall steps at 400 Van Ness Ave. (unless the weather is very bad).

Eric and John live in Bernal and Eric is a Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter and active member of Occupy Bernal. They went through a difficult financial time, but are now both employed and have the funds to make regular payments on a renegotiated loan, which Wells Fargo has refused to provide.

Please arrive on time and bring loud whistles and earplugs.

The action will go ahead as a celebration even if the bank postpones Eric and John’s auction.

Link: RSVP on Facebook event

Video outside Wells Fargo Shareholder meeting with event invite (thanks to Carol Harvey):

Occupy Bernal, ACCE, Occupy SF Housing Demand Banks End Foreclosure Auctions and Comply With San Francisco Foreclosure Moratorium

OCCUPY BERNAL MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Occupy Bernal: Julien Ball, +1 (415) 483-9138, press@occupybernal.org

ACCE: Vivian Richardson, +1 (415) 994-2778, vivan.richardson@yahoo.com

Occupy SF Housing: Stardust, +1 (415) 425-3936, press@occupysfhousing.org

Occupy Bernal, ACCE, Occupy SF Housing Demand Banks End Foreclosure Auctions and Comply With San Francisco Foreclosure Moratorium

Occupy the Auction Dance Party to Celebrate Wells Fargo Bank Postponing Auction of Bernal Neighbor’s Home

San Francisco, April 27, 2012 – San Francisco Occupy activists and supporters invited the 99% to attend an Occupy the Auction Dance Party at 1:45pm today at City Hall. Occupy Bernal, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), and the Occupy SF Housing Coalition will celebrate Wells Fargo’s postponement of the auction of the home of Bernal neighbor Eric and his partner John by dancing away the remaining foreclosure auctions taking place on City Hall steps tomorrow.

Occupy the Auctions Dance Party:
1:45pm, Friday, April 27, at City Hall Steps, 400 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco

“Wells Fargo Bank postponed the auction of our home, but my partner and I are still living with the looming threat that they will sell our home out from under us,” said Occupy Bernal Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Eric L. “We went through some tough times, but now we can afford to pay if the bank will just negotiate for us and all those who are seeking a fair deal to stay in their homes.”

“The banks continue selling off the homes of San Franciscans every weekday despite the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ passage of a foreclosure moratorium resolution and the Mayor’s request for a pause in bank foreclosures,” said ACCE Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter Vivian Richardson. “Let’s tell the predatory banks we need a fair deal for every home owner and renter in San Francisco.”

Occupy Bernal, ACCE, and other community organizations in the Occupy SF Housing Coalition have organized an Occupy the Auctions/Evictions direct action campaign to invite the 99% to halt the dozens of foreclosure auctions that take place on City Hall steps each weekday.

Background:

California Attorney General Kamala Harris on February 27, 2012, asked lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to halt foreclosures statewide and for principal reductions for those facing foreclosure.

An audit commissioned by San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting on nearly 400 San Francisco foreclosures over the past three years reveals that “fully 84 percent of the foreclosure files contained at least one clear legal violation and more than 66 percent of the files contained multiple violations”. This report confirms what many have suspected and provides the evidence required for issuing a moratorium on all predatory or for-profit evictions, foreclosures, and foreclosure auctions until such time as the law violations mentioned in the report are resolved and mechanisms are put in place to prevent further bank abuses of homeowners and renters.

The recent deal between banks and the Attorneys General of 49 of 50 states is woefully inadequate and does little for the Californians hardest hit by the crisis. Foreclosures have cost the state $650 billion in lost home values, property taxes, and foreclosure-related costs, according to a report released last December by California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). The top banks – Wells Fargo, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Ally Financial – pay only $18 billion in this sweetheart deal, which amounts to only $150 per foreclosure statewide. About 750,000 families will receive up to $2,000, a pittance compared with even the depressed value of their homes. The largest chunk – more than $12 billion – will in part go to pressure even more homeowners to sell their homes for less than what they owe, in real estate transactions called short sales that are nothing more than an easy way for banks to make money and save time evicting homeowners, while leaving more and more neighbors without homes. To summarize, the 1% are profiting off the economic distress of the 99% to finagle the largest land grab since the Depression era or earlier.

In a city that has seen 12,000 or more foreclosures in the past three years, Occupy Bernal started organizing in December 2011 to stop the evictions and foreclosures of our neighbors, joining a community of housing rights organizations who have long been fighting for tenant’s and home owners’ rights. In response to public protest in January 2012, Wells Fargo Bank postponed auctions of the Bernal homes of Washington and Maria Davila and the Alberto Del Rio family, but the bank also rescheduled the auctions. Despite meeting with six foreclosure fighters from the Bernal Heights neighborhood and another from Bayview-Hunters Point, Wells Fargo executives have refused to allow any to refinance their homes or modify their loans, and have continued plans to sell off their homes.

This Occupy the Auctions action follows on successful protests that protested the Wells Fargo Shareholder Meeting on April 24, 2012, occupied the home of Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf on February 25, 2012, and shut down Wells Fargo headquarters on January 20, 2012, and Wells Fargo bank branches in the Bernal, Excelsior, and Noe Valley neighborhoods on January 5, January 7, and March 24 respectively.

To sign up for the Occupy Bernal press list and/or obtain photos and video of the actions, see http://www.occupybernal.org/press

Organizations and Campaigns:

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

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) is raising up the voices of low income, immigrant and working families across California. Web: http://www.calorganize.org

Occupy SF Housing is a coalition which includes OccupySF, SF Tenants Union, Housing Rights Committee of SF, Causa Justa :: Just Cause, Eviction Defense Collaborative, ACCE, Homes Not Jails, Occupy Bernal, and other community groups and individuals. The coalition came together to stop banks from evicting tenants and homeowners through foreclosures or through their partnerships with real estate speculators. Web: http://www.occupysfhousing.org

Occupy the Auctions/Evictions is a campaign to halt for-profit and predatory evictions, foreclosures, and foreclosure auctions in San Francisco and beyond. Web: http://www.occupytheauctions.org and http://www.occupyevictions.org