2 27 Occupy Homes MN & Brother Ali at the State Capital & march to Wells Fargo Mortgage Campus

[annm4peace]

https://www.facebook.com/events/222979484508768/

Tomorrow is going to be an amazing day! Our huge march on Wells Fargo is at 3 pm, and before then we'll have a hearing and press conference at the Capitol for the Homeowner Bill of Rights. See a message from Rose McGee below.

Greetings Friends: Just when we thought it was over -- IT's STILL ON!



I am definitely being "double dual tracked"! Please join us this Wednesday February 27th at "our" Minnesota State Capitol as we fight onward! The more of us who show up the better. Better not only for Rose McGee, but many others as well. If you can't make all the events on Wednesday, please consider making one or the other. Let me thank you in advance. Rose McGee

Wednesday, February 27
8:15am - Hearing on Homeowners’ Bill of Rights
House Civil Law Committee in the State Office Building Rm 200
Noon to 1pm - Press Conference on the Capitol steps with faith allies

3pm - March on Wells Fargo. Meet at 3520 5th Ave S, Minneapolis. https://www.facebook.com/events/222979484508768/



[When]
Wednesday
[Time]
3:00pm until 6:00pm

[Where]

3520 5th Ave S, Minneapolis MN
[Description]

Join us for a mass march on Wells Fargo as members of community, faith and labor organizations join with homeowners and residents of the Foreclosure and Eviction Free Zone to demand the richest 1% unlock our homes, our neighborhoods, and our future.

***Performance by Brother Ali***

Wells Fargo has consistently ignored the demands of the 99%.

We have asked that they halt foreclosures and reduce mortgage principal to market value, pay their fair share of taxes, refund our schools for the millions they have cost our children, stop blocking money transfers to Somalia, stop profiteering from student loans, privatized prisons, and the detention of immigrant communities, get their corrupting influence of money out of our democracy, stop opposing the homeowners’ bill of rights legislation, and stop financing coal and other fossil fuel projects that destabilize the climate.

As our communities continue to struggle, we can wait no longer.

The march will begin at the home of Gayle Lindsey, whose eviction orders were recently delayed thanks to community pressure, then we will head to a reclaimed Wells Fargo-owned vacant home. Once a blight to the community, the home is now being used to house a single mother of four who was experiencing homelessness (more info: http://bit.ly/WIh8br). From there we will march and rally at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Center to bring our collective demands directly to the 1%.

Let's unlock our future together.

[annm4peace]

1. Jessica's Story: Reclaiming Our Homes

Published on Feb 18, 2013

Please SIGN and SHARE Jessica's petition:

http://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/wells-fargo-turn-this-vacant-home-over-to-the-community

Dear Wells Fargo,

My name is Jessica English, and I am a responsible single mother of four, student, writer and dedicated worker. However, like one in four Americans, I earn a poverty wage for my industriousness and hard labor. Over the last two years I was unable to work for poverty wages and continue to afford the average rent for an apartment, transportation, food, or amazing things like medical care (I am sure that your bank employs plenty of people who could do the math).

Despite my hard work -- stocking shelves, earning A's in school, mowing lawns, cleaning houses, writing and publishing social commentary for Minnesota Public Radio, and coordinating volunteers - years of poverty left my family homeless. I had to pack all of my children's belongings and my things and put them in one stall of my friend's garage. The hardest issue for me, was having to ask my ex-husband to change our custody arrangement, so that he has them during the week and I parent them on weekends. Homelessness not only leaves people without their possessions, it separates children from their mothers.

Due to the negligence of your share holders, financiers, profiteers, and partners, coupled with the predatory nature of your dealings and lack of integrity, thousands of families in Minneapolis have had to leave their homes, communities and schools. Foreclosures not only rob families of their equity, they rob homeowners and neighbors of that which exceeds all monetary value - security, stability and community. Consider the damaging effects of thousands of foreclosures occurring simultaneously, stripping neighborhoods of their value, schools of their funding and leaving vacant homes in the wake. All of these travesties seem to have meant nothing to you in comparison to your bailed out profits.

Therefore, my family and my friends at Occupy Homes Minnesota have come up with the best solution to address Wells Fargo's bankrupt business practices, the devastation of homelessness, and the blight of vacant homes. The home at 3325 South 2nd Avenue, had been broken into and was being used as a drug/party house. I spoke with the neighbors around the block and told them of a plan to move into the home, fix it up, and contribute (not take away) from the community. They are very supportive and are thrilled, especially after their experience with the last vacant home down the block that had been taken over by drug dealers, who were also using it as a place to house the violence of the sex trade.

We currently live in the home and have fixed it up. Hard work and sacrifice really make a difference. I, therefore, demand that Wells Fargo, in recognition of all that it has already displaced and removed from Minneapolis and in order to restore human decency and begin to repay its societal obligation, start by turning the home over to a non-profit to be used to house a poverty wage earning family, such as my own.

Sincerely,
Jessica

[annm4peace]

2. Why is this important?

Why is this important?

29,000-39,000 children are homeless in Minnesota every night. Over 150,000 homes have been foreclosed in Minnesota, alone, since 2006! That is over 150,000 families who had to leave their communities behind and move. Minneapolis schools have lost 150,000 million dollars in public funding as a direct result of the foreclosure crisis. Yet, even after the bailouts, we are still having to pass legislation like the Home Owner's Bill of Rights through the Minnesota State Legislature to stop horrible banking practices like dual tracking, which is when the bank tells the homeowner that they are modifying the loan, while simultaneously selling the home in a sheriff's sale.

[pediatricmedic]

3. Curious about this snippet, "stop blocking money transfers to Somalia"

What precisely is the link between Wells Fargo, Home Foreclosures, and a failed state?

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. Occupy Homes MN and Occupy Minnesota do kick-ass work! Huge K&R!

[annm4peace]

5. a friend's report on how the action went

Occupy Homes had a full day last Wed. of dramatic demonstrations that culminated in 13 arrests in a sit-in at Wells Fargo. Mary Murphy was moved to describe the events:
“Last Wednesday, Feb 27th, I participated in two events in a week of actions against Wells Fargo Bank's unjust home foreclosure policies.
The first event was a mid morning march and rally at Macalester College. I was pleased with a solid turnout of yellow union stocking caps, and Occupy Homes T-shirts- under heavy layers. It was COLD!
Occupy Macalester is pressuring the school's administration to divest from Wells Fargo. The 5 speakers were eloquent and to the point... Wells Fargo MUST be held accountable for its inexcusable treatment of homeowners.
Later that afternoon I joined a crowd of close to 200 people at Gayle Lindsey's home in Central Minneapolis. Folks were revved up despite the ongoing cold. Sandwiches and brownies circulated while people signed in and listened to fired up speeches by homeowners, union folks, Occupiers, NOC leaders, and others.
From Gayle's we marched en masse to a nearby vacant house now occupied by homeless mom Jessica English and her family. Police cars accompanied us front and back since they were forewarned of the march. [Police had boarded up the house, but there are plans to stand up to that.]
Jessica delivered a rousing and heart felt send off for our 8 block trek to Wells Fargo. We crossed the front of the property and assembled by the parking ramp in front of the 26th street entry. Plenty of police were on hand but they didn't hassle us as we chanted, gave speeches, delivered a petition to a bank representative who came outside to receive it, and dumped off 20 bags of trash from a week's cleaning at Jessica's...all the while exchanging exuberant waves with bank employees in upstairs windows!!!! "COME ON DOWN" we shouted!
One of them actually did! Occupier Patrick Russell, currently employed by Wells Fargo, had the courage to leave the building and deliver a riveting speech in solidarity with the marchers. You couldn't help tear up. [see speech below] Shortly thereafter the crowd spread on to the 26th street freeway overpass, while Brother Ali belted out serious rap from the flatbed of a truck. Traffic was of course all fouled up for an hour, but no question, Wells Fargo received a message.
Eventually the cops cracked down, and ordered demonstrators onto the sidewalks, while 13 people, seated on the ground, locked arms in the middle of the street- in an outward facing circle, ready for arrest, handcuffs, and the ever present paddy wagon. Three Macalester women were among the arrestees, as well as Ty Moore and some union people I didn't know. I am told they were held until 2:00am in freezing cells with no food. Good news is that they were not roughed up in the past style of Dolan's troops.”
Overall, it was a well organized, impressive, and motivating day and week of action. We came away feeling more sure than ever that without fail, we need to speak up and act up for the kind of world we envision.” Mary Murphy

Patrick Russell’s speech—moving 9 min. video of Wells Fargo :

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