Bank Tenants Fight to Stay in Their Homes

From NEFAC Things look bleak for bank tenants, because banks make bigger profits from selling mortgages than from collecting rents on low-income properties. But in New England, people are coming together to confront banks and, in many cases, they are winning. The cost of contested evictions is forcing banks to accede to tenants’ demands to stay in their homes, while the increasing number of bank tenants fighting eviction is developing into a movement. People are turning to each other for solidarity in direct actions to defend their homes and to make their voices heard. Across the country, the foreclosure epidemic is getting worse. As reported online by RealtyTrac, 343,638 homes received foreclosure notices in September 2009, up 29% from last year. Meanwhile, bank repossessions of houses were up as well – by 21 percent. This indicates that banks are taking over foreclosed properties, instead of helping property owners get their mortgages restructured into more manageable debt.

Bank lobbyists have already helped kill legislation meant to enable judges to reduce mortgage payments for families declaring bankruptcy. Now, they’re trying to defeat a proposal for a governmental Financial Protection Agency. The agency’s purpose would be to prevent banks from using deceptive practices to sell mortgages to people who can’t afford them.

But homeowners aren’t the only ones being hurt. Foreclosures are negatively affecting renters as well. Tenants may not know the landlord has fallen behind on mortgage payments, but when banks foreclose on rental properties, tenants are being evicted - even when they are current on their rent. Especially impacted are people in very low income families, and communities of color.

Things look bleak for bank tenants, because banks make bigger profits from selling mortgages than from collecting rents on low-income properties. But in New England, people are coming together to confront banks and, in many cases, they are winning. For example, in Rhode Island, banking interests put forth a bill to undermine tenants rights. Tenants and their supporters, working with the Rhode Island Tenant and Homeowner Association, fought the bill and won.

Banks have been unwilling to negotiate with tenants of foreclosed properties – either to sell them the property at appraised value, or to accept rent. This has left tenants feeling frustrated and angry enough to contest bank evictions. In fact, in Massachusetts, the Suffolk County Housing Court has had to create a new foreclosure division to deal with the flood.

The cost of contested evictions is forcing banks to accede to tenants’ demands to stay in their homes, while the increasing number of bank tenants fighting eviction is developing into a movement. People are turning to each other for solidarity in direct actions to defend their homes and to make their voices heard.

A Boston family, evicted when the bank foreclosed on their landlord, wanted to bring attention to the illogical policy of bank evictions. These evictions cause families to become homeless while leaving the families’ former homes vacant. With help from the Boston Bank Tenants Association, the family occupied another housing unit made empty by foreclosure. This action put pressure on the bank owner to negotiate, and ultimately to sell the property to a non-profit lender that sells and rents to local residents homes that were previously bank-owned.

A bank tenant association is a group of tenants and homeowners facing foreclosure evictions. They come together to help each other fight their cases and build a movement with the power to stop evictions so people can stay in their homes. Bank tenant associations have formed in East Boston, Chelsea, Lynn, Somerville, Providence, and Worcester. Soon to start are groups in Hartford, Brockton, Merrimack Valley, and southern Maine.

In East Boston, tenants in a foreclosed building decided to fight their eviction. Confronting the bank in court, they won $12,500, the right to stay in their apartment at $200 less rent, and all utilities paid by the bank.

In Providence, the Bank Tenant Association, along with two community groups – Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE) and the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA) – came together to fight the eviction of a disabled family. The family had been intimidated, harassed, and offered money to leave by Deutsche Bank. When the Association threatened to physically blockade any attempted eviction, the bank backed down.

Though banks received a $700 billion government bailout last year when they ran into trouble due to deceitful lending practices, the foreclosure crisis continues as a cruel reality for many tenants and homeowners. As long as greedy banks and speculators are able to get rich from the housing market, people will continue to lose their homes and communities will be torn apart. The alternative is for housing, like other basic needs, to be governed by the simple principle of people, not profits.

If you or someone you know is facing foreclosure, do not leave your home! Look for a Bank Tenants
Association in your community. If your community does not have an association, contact the tenant rights organization, City Life/Vida Urbana, at 617-524-3541 or go to www.clvu.org for info on how to get one started.

Freedom #3
NEFAC New England
PO Box 230685 • Boston, MA 02123
newengland@nefac.net
www.nefac.net
617-544-3932

Steen Family Sues City, Police, for $10 Million.

Steen family will seek $10 million

by Derek Cosson January 12, 2010 Join the Discussion

Tags: Ard incident

Steen family attorney Aaron Watson has sent the Pensacola City Manager and Pensacola City Council members a letter informing them that the Steen family intends to seek damages of $10 million in the death of 17-year-old Victor Steen.

Mr. Steen died October 3 when he was struck by the police cruiser of Pensacola Police officer Jerald Ard. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation into the incident recently wrapped up, and State Attorney Bill Eddins is currently considering what, if any, charges Officer Ard will face. Officer Ard remains on restricted desk duty, as he has been since October 13.

The letter states that the City, the Pensacola Police Department, and Officer Ard of “negligently caused Victor Steen’s wrongful and premature death”:

The City and its agents failed to properly screen, supervise, and adequately train police officers, including Officer Ard, regarding investigation, pursuit, and use of Tasers. In addition to, and/or in the alternative to the allegations mentioned above, claimant alleges that Officer Ard exhibited willful, wanton, malicious, and reckless conduct which exceeded the scope of his authority and position so that the sovereign immunity which might otherwise apply to him does not apply.

Download steenclaim3.pdf (PDF, 156.65KB)

The coroner’s inquest into the death of 17-year-old Victor Steen will be held on Thursday, February 25, beginning at 8:30 AM. The inquest will carry o

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The coroner’s inquest into the death of 17-year-old Victor Steen will be held on Thursday, February 25, beginning at 8:30 AM. The inquest will carry over to Friday, February 26 if necessary. The presiding judge will be John Simon.

From:Progressive Pensacola.

Mr. Steen was killed in the early morning hours of October 3 in an altercation with Pensacola Police officer Jerald Ard. Officer Ard claims that Mr. Steen was trespassing on a construction site, and that when he tried to detain Mr. Steen, he fled on bicycle. Officer Ard pursued Mr. Steen with his police cruiser, eventually striking Mr. Steen and dragging him under the vehicle.

The incident spurred the Pensacola Police Department to revise its Taser and vehicle pursuit policies.

The coroner’s inquest process is a public hearing at which the case material will be presented and the presiding judge will deliver a verdict stating whether or not there exists probable cause to believe that the death was the result of a criminal act, criminal negligence, or foul play. The State Attorney is not bound by the judge’s recommendation.

Workers Solidarity Alliance Statement on the 2009 US-Afghan Escalation On December 1, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that he will send tens of thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan, escalating the war in central Asia. Obama claims to want peace while he orders more war and death for poor and working people. He claims that the US fights for freedom and democracy, but he allies himself with tyrannical Afghani warlords. He does this with the backing of both Democrats and Republicans and the corporate interests they serve. None of this is new or unusual for the United States Government and its NATO allies. The only thing “new” is the person issuing the orders today: Obama, the “Candidate of Hope” was elected promising “Change.” Now in office, he delivers more of the same—using the US military to install pro-capitalist governments in countries around the world in order to maintain and expand access to raw materials, cheap labor and consumer markets for Western corporations. Obama and his cohorts have lured many sincere working people into supporting the war in Afghanistan by promises that it will curb terrorist attacks against the US and bring freedom, democracy and women’s rights to Afghanistan. The real facts in Afghanistan show such “humanitarian” concerns to be nothing but lies:

* US/NATO aerial bombardments relentlessly murder thousands of Afghan civilians in their homes, villages and cities; in fact, air bombings in Afghanistan have significantly escalated under President Obama
* US/NATO forces have allied since day one, and remain allied, with the “Northern Alliance” warlords responsible for mass atrocities against civilians in 1992 and who now dominate the corrupt regime in Kabul, through which they secure immunity for their past and present crimes
* Afghani women activists—to whose cause the occupiers pay lip service—have consistently denounced the US-led occupation and puppet regime, demanding that foreign troops leave and calling for prosecution of both Taliban and pro-US war criminals

The escalation of the war is a disaster for the oppressed poor and working people of Afghanistan. As such, the “surge” will inevitably fuel more terrorist attacks against civilians in the US and elsewhere, attacks which elites will then use to justify the far bloodier terrorism of “Western” military powers against cities and villages in the Middle East. US elites will then seek to manipulate workers’ fear of terrorist attacks into support for the so-called “War on Terror,” increased defense spending and decreased funding of education, welfare, healthcare and social services, increased militarization of the domestic police, and increased spying and repression of workers organizations and anti-capitalist political organizations in the United States. All in the guise of “fighting terrorism.”

It is our stance that authentic peace and security can only be achieved through worldwide working-class solidarity against all forms of oppression. The Workers Solidarity Alliance firmly stands with the oppressed people of Afghanistan and with progressive organizations such as the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) and others, who we know are risking their lives at this moment to defy imperialists, warlords and fundamentalists alike. The WSA unequivocally supports the aspirations of all oppressed Afghanis for a free, democratic and peaceful life.

There can be no hope for liberation of Afghanistan by foreign occupiers—only the struggle of oppressed Afghanis and authentic solidarity from struggling people around the world offers any such hope. American workers who wish to stand up for oppressed Afghanis should stand against the war-mongering of “our” government.

It is heartening to see the anti-war movement stirring in the US and internationally against the troop surge in Afghanistan. However, the movement as it stands now suffers grave limitations. It is telling that many liberals and Democrats who have spoken out against the war in Iraq are willing to compromise with the Afghan war. This fact alone speaks to the dire lack of coherent social principles in the broadly defined anti-war movement. Many who criticize it do so (as with Iraq) out of “strategic” or “pragmatic” reasons—that the war is a “mistake” or “cannot be won.” Such reasoning is not anti-war. These reasons imply that the war would be just fine if the US could achieve its aims.

That is but a flip-side argument to those now clamoring for “victory.” On the other hand, in our experience, many in the protest movement seem more concerned to prove their moral righteousness, while neglecting to build an anti-war movement that can actually defeat wars. We find both the “pragmatic” and “moral” arguments against the war unsatisfactory.

The WSA proposes a different orientation for the anti-war movement. As an organization of working-class militants rooted in the traditions of anarcho-syndicalism, libertarian socialism and class struggle, we are convinced that militarism can only be defeated by the rank and file of working people, in common struggle against the class of bureaucrats, politicians and capitalists who profit from the slaughter of war. Only through a mass struggle against all bosses and the overthrow of capitalism and its supporting political structure will war and imperialism ever be definitively ended. While we firmly support anti-war protesters, we know full well that news-grabbing marches by a small crew of professional activists are no substitute for the kind of mass working-class resistance that wreaked havoc on the US war effort in Vietnam: rank-and-file refusal, sabotage and mutiny, social upheaval in the ghettos and working-class communities from which the soldiers are recruited, and so on.

Here we find the Achilles heel of US imperialism. The US military is an army made up of recruits largely from working-class backgrounds. With rampant unemployment and underemployment in precarious service industry jobs, many workers increasingly see military service as their only viable career option. Many immigrants join the US military in exchange for US citizenship, interpreted as a path to a decent job and a better life. Frontline GIs are enlisted largely from working-class neighborhoods, towns and ghettos suffering economic hardship. The rank and file of the US military do not simply enlist because of blind patriotic loyalty to the ruling elite. They often enlist out of the economic hardship inherent for working-class people forced to live under an economic system in which basic necessities such as shelter and health care are treated as luxuries for those who can pay rather then necessities that all people are in need of and have a right to, in a word—capitalism. Already we have seen the first stirrings of resistance in the military’s rank and file, from soldiers who have refused to serve in Iraq. We deeply respect the courage of those soldiers and technicians who have taken a stand against the madness of war, asserting the value of working-class lives. Their brave example serves as the clearest manifestation of the fact that US soldiers do not fight simply out of ideological faith in the objectives of US imperialism.

The anti-war movement, if it is to have a chance at success, must encourage the growing resistance in the lower ranks of capitalism’s armed forces. The rank-and-file soldiers of capitalist empire, recruited from the working class, could turn against the brass to become a true workers’ army dedicated to fighting the real enemy at home: the ruling class of capitalists, politicians and the middle managers who do their bidding.

We pledge our support for rank-and-file soldiers who refuse the orders of their commanders. We extend our support in particular to the Iraq Veterans Against the War, an organized grouping of veterans and active-duty soldiers that seeks to undermine support for imperialist war in Iraq and Afghanistan from within the US military. We also encourage efforts to establish solidarity across battle lines with the rank-and-file of state militaries around the world.

While supporting anti-militarist resistance within the armed forces of the US, NATO, and other imperialist states, we also acknowledge the right of oppressed Afghanis to resist all forms of aggression and despotism at home, whether it be in the form of foreign imperialism or homegrown autocracy. Thus the Workers Solidarity Alliance extends its solidarity to all who struggle to build a truly democratic Afghanistan that respects the humanistic aspirations and needs of all working-class Afghanis, male and female alike. We affirm again our internationalist, anti-authoritarian principles and our solidarity with oppressed and struggling people everywhere.

The Workers Solidarity Alliance
workersolidarity.org

Police murder in Pensacola. WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN.

Pensacola Police Department: YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.

Victor steen, a 17 year old black male, was killed by pensacola city police officer jerald ard, on october 3, 2009 around 2 am.
Witnesses say they saw ard shoot his taser out of his window at a fleeing steen, who then fell off his bike and was run over and dragged 15 feet by ard.

Thursday,October 23, around 5pm, about 50 understandably pissed off locals met at cervantes and haynes street, and marched to city hall, where a few protesters spoke.
Organizers of the march say they are demonstrating to show opposition to the choice of the pensacola police department's choice to allow ard to return to work, at a desk for the patrol division, while on administrative leave. Whether or not ard will return to his regular job as armed and dangerous killer cop, is yet to bee seen.
Organizers of thursdays protest say to expect more demonstrations if ard is not relieved of all duties while the investigation regarding the incident that resulted in a local youth horribly slain on our streets, and left to die for 3 hours underneath ard's cruiser.

The Pensacola police department has more blood on its hands.
50 is not enough, we all have to make it known that we will not allow our communities to be invaded, harassed, and terrorized by the police.
Make no mistake, Victor Steen is now dead as a direct result of police terrorism.

The police are a force of violence. They exist to protect the property of the powerful at any cost, even if it means spilling blood. The police' origins can be traced back to the days of slavery, where armed bands of white racists formed to keep their slaves "in line", and ward off any rebellion, as well as terrorize black communities.

The police are not on the side of the people, they never have been. It is not a question of a "few bad apples". The entire system is founded on slavery, racism, imperialism, violence, war, and oppression. There is no getting around this. The system is not for the people, it is a weapon to be used against the people.

WE HAVE GOT TO START TAKING BACK THE LAND, TAKING BACK THE WORKPLACES, TAKING BACK OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND TAKING BACK OUR LIVES.

Pensacola: DEMAND JUSTICE NOW!!!