Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

Los Angeles, CA - Activists from Alliance of California for Community Empowerment, homeowners and Occupy Fights Foreclosures gathered on the intersection of 7th Street and Figueroa Street for a Day of Action Against Wells Fargo bank, at 10:30am in Downtown Los Angeles on February 27. The plan for the Day of Action was to shut down four Wells Fargo bank branches around Los Angeles. This Day of Action was organized by ACCE and supported by Occupy Fights Foreclosures activists. Carlos Marroquin, a core member of Occupy Fights Foreclosures said: "We organized this day of action against Wells Fargo bank because Wells Fargo refuses to work with the families. Wells Fargo continues to mislead homeowners while many other banks are already working with the families."

Full story and photos: A Day of Action Against Wells Fargo Bank by Natasha Petrosova

LOS ANGELES, January 24, 2013--One more person might end up on Skid Row, adding to the 85,000 homeless in Los Angeles, because of an eviction yesterday. At noon, sheriff's deputies drove into the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood of South Central and changed the locks on the door of 72-year-old Cathelene Hughes' home of nine years.

. . . Mrs. Hughes is another victim of bank fraud. Her income was inflated on her loan application, and her mortgage nearly doubled after just two years. She explained, "I was denied a modification ten times because my loan was adjusting. I had no idea it was an adjustable. A guy from Countrywide called and told me that it was adjusting a couple weeks before they did it. Then he explained the situation to me." Mrs. Hughes has paid thousands of dollars to people promising to negotiate modifications. . . .

Full story: An Eviction in South Central by Ramona

While negotiations between regulators and 14 banks center around dollar figures and conditions, the millions who have lost homes due to financial crime continue to suffer. The ten billion dollar settlement will be effective for keeping the banks out of court, but will not go far among the homeowners foreclosed abusively. The settlement, likewise, does nothing towards restoring the economy, which crashed as a result of such schemes.

Occupy Fights Foreclosures was one of the groups to denounce the proposed settlement.

From the newswire: Occupy Fights Foreclosure Protests $10 billion Settlement by Natasha Petrosova

Occupy Fights Foreclosure (OFF), a subgroup of Occupy LA continues to fight against illegal foreclosures that are currently widespread in the state of California. OFF started the year 2013 by marching and chanting at the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena. The group of activists and victims of illegal foreclosures met at Singer park on January 1st at 6am Tuesday morning to prepare for the parade. They adjusted a 15-foot-high float with "Giant Mr. Monopoly Man" on a wagon and marched the 5 mile route following the Parade. Carlos Marroquin said that the reason for marching at the Rose Parade is not only to protest illegal foreclosure practices of the major banks but also to create public awareness and spread the word about banks' fraudulent actions.

Full story and photos: Rose Parade Completed by Occupy Fights Foreclosure Float by Natasha Petrosova

VAN NUYS December 27, 2012--The Hernandez family, who became local heroes in their determination to keep their Van Nuys home from foreclosure, were evicted by the Los Angeles sheriffs and police at 4:30 this morning.

In what is fast becoming a symbol of the fight against fraudulent foreclosures, the Hernandez family built a barricade across the front of the property announcing "Government By, Of and For the People." They decorated their roof in Christmas lights proclaiming "Evict Banks" with members of Occupy San Fernando Valley, Occupy the Hood, and the Los Angeles Anti-Eviction Campaign. For 123 days, they staved off the Bank of New York-Mellon with the support of grassroots groups across Los Angeles. What is the nation's second-longest occupation ended this morning when the family and their friends were awakened by the sound of the slamming doors of dozens of law enforcement vehicles surrounding the 1400 block of Leadwell Street in Van Nuys.

Javier Hernandez purchased the property for his mother seven years ago. At the recommendation of the bank, he stopped making payments in order to receive a loan modification but was met with repeated rejections. His story is typical of those people, predominantly Black and Brown, who were sold subprime mortgages at the height of the housing boom. Like so many others, Javier's father was deported, Javier lost his job, and the value of the house plummeted. Javier has since found employment, so, just days before the bank ordered the eviction, he came to a settlement with the mortgage trustees and was waiting for court approval. He elaborated, "We presented sufficient income to make the payments, and yet they still came in and evicted us right before New Year's Eve." . . .

Full story and photos: Hernandez Family Foreclosure Sparks Anti-Eviction Outrage by Leslie Radford