Minneapolis, MN – About 250 community members gathered in the front yard of the Ceballos home, July 29, for a concert and rally to show support for the Ceballos family. The family, with the help of community supporters, fended off an eviction attempt by 30 sheriff deputies sent by JPMorgan Chase July 24. They expect another eviction attempt at any time.

The concert marked the three-week anniversary of a round-the-clock occupation of the housemounted by housing justice group Occupy Homes Minnesota. When sheriffs came to evict July 24, more than 75 home defenders gathered in half an hour and easily moved back into the house. Occupy Homes MN has pledged to defend the home until Chase Bank negotiates with the Ceballos family.

The concert included performances by internationally known hip hop artist Brother Ali, as well as local rapper Haphduzn. City Councilmember Elizabeth Glidden and State Representative Ray Dehn also spoke in support of the eviction defense.

Sergio Ceballos, who has lived in his house for 13 years with his family, asked JPMorgan Chase Bank for a loan modification in 2010 after a divorce halved the family’s income. Chase told the Ceballos family they were considering them for a loan modification, but then filed for eviction at the same time. This process is known as dual tracking and is illegal under the national mortgage settlement.

Brother Ali voiced his full support for the occupation. “This really does make a difference,” he said to the crowd. “The narrative they’ve built around working class people is that they’re irresponsible, that they’re lazy – that they don’t fight back. This is us taking control of the narrative.”

#MinneapolisMN #HousingStruggles #OccupyHomes #BrotherAli #CommunityActivism #CeballosFamily #OccupyHomesMinnesota #JPMorganChaseBank #Banks

Minneapolis, MN – 200 community members successfully took over a vacant home in South Minneapolis the night of Dec. 6, for a veteran made homeless by foreclosure. They are demanding that the house be turned over to community control through a nonprofit, as the Occupy Homes movement marked its first birthday. Internationally renowned hip-hop artists Brother Ali and Chuck D of Public Enemy led the anniversary celebration.

Community members gathered at the nearby home of Bobby Hull, a veteran who won his home from Bank of America last year, for a dinner and celebration of victories of the past year. “We took over this house last year,” said Hull, “and this year I want to take over this neighborhood.”

“I see boarded-up cribs, and I see people in the streets, and I see banks that get bigger and bigger,” said Public Enemy’s Chuck D, speaking at the celebration. “And it’s the most criminal thing that ever could happen. Never have so many been screwed by so few.”

Homelessness in Hennepin County is at a six-year-high, a near crisis situation. One in four people who are homeless are veterans. Nationwide, there are 3.5 million homeless people and nearly 19 million vacant homes. “Why not put homeless people, or people who have gone through foreclosure like us, into these vacant homes?” asked John Vinje. “At least they’ve got somewhere safe and warm to live.”

During his performance inside Bobby’s house, Brother Ali, who made headlines in June for his arrest defending the Cruz house, spoke movingly about the time he and his son spent homeless. “Anyone who’s lived in a house that the police have smashed through, where someone comes into your house with a gun, you know that traumatizes you for life. I still have to sleep away from the door when I stay in a hotel.”

The community then marched to a nearby home made vacant by the foreclosure crisis, where John Vinje told the story of how US Bank and Freddie Mac foreclosed on and then evicted him rather than modify his loan – in spite of their programs to help veterans. “Because of US Bank and Freddie Mac, my family is now split up in three different parts of the metro area,” he said. “It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t your fault. It was their fault. This is not the country that I fought for.”

50 people were still in the house as of 9:30 pm. “Whose house?” they chanted. “Our house!”

#MinneapolisMN #Minneapolis #HousingStruggles #HomeForeclosures #OccupyHomes #ChuckD #BrotherAli