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:
Update as of October 8, 2012: Deutsche Bank has agreed to postpone the eviction of William Bailes and Gigi Ellis in order to hopefully come to a mutually agreeable solution, so we have postponed the October 9 protest and all phone calls and emails for the action alert.
Deutsche Bank has pursued a protracted battle to evict disabled renter William Bailes and his niece, caregiver, and homeowner Gigi Ellis from their Bernal home in San Francisco. Bill and Gigi want to remain in their home, where Bill’s doctor says he must remain to receive the nearly round-the-clock care he requires for life-threatening illnesses including hepatitis C, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary fibrosis, which has him on an oxygen tank.
The eviction is scheduled for Wednesday, October 10.
Please take action to help the Bill and Gigi:
1) EMERGENCY RALLY
When: 9:00am on Tuesday, October 9
Where: Deutsche Bank office, 101 California Street at Davis Street, San Francisco (one to two blocks from Embarcadero BART station)
2) Call and email Deutsche Bank with the following message:
* Seth Waugh, CEO, +1 212-250-5646 or main line +1 212-250-2500
* Jeffrey Ruiz, Director, +1 212-250-3667
* Duncan King, Head of Press & Media Relations, +1 212-250-4864
* Randall Naiman, Eviction Attorney for Deutsche Bank, +1 858-535-4808
Sample messsage:
To: seth.waugh@db.com, jeffrey.ruiz@db.com, duncan.king@db.com, info@naimanlaw.com
Cc: action@occupytheauctions.org
Subject: Stop the Eviction of William Bailes and Caregiver Gigi Ellis at 433 Nevada Street in San Francisco
Please stop the eviction of disabled renter William Bailes and his niece, caregiver, and homeowner Gigi Ellis from their home at 433 Nevada Street in San Francisco. Bill and Gigi want to remain in their home, where Bill’s doctor says he must remain to receive the nearly round-the-clock care he requires for life-threatening illnesses including hepatitis C, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary fibrosis, which has him on an oxygen tank. The eviction is scheduled for Wednesday, October 10.
Gigi Ellis was in negotiations for a loan modification from Washington Mutual (which took over the loan from Long Beach Mortgage and was later acquired by JP Morgan Chase) when Deutsche Bank foreclosed on the home without Gigi’s knowledge. Please stop the eviction and negotiate with Bill and Gigi so that they can obtain a loan modification or have a third party purchase the home so they can remain in their home.
Please don’t put disabled people out on the streets.
3) Please mark your calendars for possible eviction defense on Wednesday, October 10.
For updates and this action alert: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=4873
Update as of September 12: Good news! After the television coverage and news coverage of Sally’s case, the judge delayed the eviction of the Scott family with the help of Sally’s attorney. Sally, her husband Bob, and supporters from MORE attended the proceedings. That gives us time to pressure Freddie Mac to rescind the eviction and allow negotiations for a fair deal loan modification so the Scott family can remain in their home.
**Press Advisory for Tuesday, September 11, 2012**
For Immediate Release
Contact:
* Sally Scott, Foreclosure and Eviction Fighter, +1 314-218-5733, ROSCOTT3@aol.com
* Stardust, Occupy the Auctions and Evictions Campaign, +1 415-425-3936, press@occupytheauctions.org
* Zach Chasnoff, Organize Missouri, +1 314-780-3734, zach@organizemo.org
Freddie Mac to Evict Disabled Veteran, Wife, and Mentally Challenged Child in Saint Louis
Bank Bailouts Don’t Benefit Homeowners Who Want to Pay, But Need Loan Modifications
St Louis, Missouri – Pleas to stop the eviction of Sally Scott, her disabled veteran husband Bob, and their mentally challenged daughter Susie, have fallen on deaf ears at Freddie Mac.
“After my 84-year-old husband suffered a stroke, I was ashamed to admit that we missed some mortgage payments while closing down my husband’s business and covering skyrocketing medical costs,” said Sally Scott. “Now I know that the right course of action is to fight for my family and our home by demanding that Freddie Mac work with Select Portfolio Servicing to stop our eviction and offer us a fair deal loan modification.”
The Scotts originally obtained their loan from Southwest Bank, then it was transferred twice over the last 11 years, ending up serviced by Select Portfolio Servicing and owned by Freddie Mac.
The following Freddie Mac staff and attorneys have refused to negotiate on the case when approached by Sally Scott and her supporters:
* Donald H. Layton, CEO, +1 703-903-2000 (say “Donald Layton” to transfer call), Donald_Layton@freddiemac.com
* Brad German, Public Relations, +1 703-903-2437, Brad_German@freddiemac.com
* Patti Boerger, Media Relations, +1 703-903-2445, Patricia_Boerger@freddiemac.com
* Chad Wandler, Media Relations, +1 703-903-2446 or +1 571-236-2533 (cell), Chad_Wandler@FreddieMac.com
* Aaron Elking, Attorney at Martin, Leigh, Laws, & Fritzlen, in Kansas City, 314-862-5200 or 636-534-7600, ame@mllfpc.com
After their staff refused a loan modification approved by a HUD-certified counselor, Freddie Mac auctioned back to themselves the home of 65-year-old Sally Scott and her family in west St. Louis, Missouri.
Her 84-year-old husband Bob is a WWII and Korean War veteran who was disabled by a stroke five years ago. Sally, her disabled husband Bob, and her 26-year-old mentally handicapped “special child” Susie live in a constant state of fear, not knowing when the county sheriff will show up to evict them and throw all their belongings out onto the sidewalk. The next court hearing on their eviction is at 9:00am on September 12 at the St. Louis County Courthouse.
Hundreds of supporters have responded to the following action alert, calling and emailing Freddie Mac in support: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=3983
Organizations and Campaign
Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE) believes that Missouri is positioned at a unique intersection of social, economic and environmental injustice. We believe that as corporate power continues unabated expansion and the gap between the rich and the poor widens, there has never been a better time for our low-income communities to come together and fight back. MORE seeks to be a powerful organization of low- and moderate-income people, building strength in our communities. We work in relationship with other organizations pushing our allies to engage in creative direct action with us to foster good policy changes. MORE seeks to be part of a movement that cuts across, class, age and race lines that is envisioning and building the world in which we would like to live. Web: http://www.organizemo.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
Updates and Photos
For updates, photos, and for this release on the web: http://occupytheauctions.org/wordpress/?p=4466