Minneapolis, MN – More than 40 family, friends, neighbors and other community supporters gathered at the home of Rosemary Williams Aug. 24 to show support for the continued fight against foreclosure and eviction.
Minneapolis, MN – About 40 supporters and neighbors of Rosemary Williams gathered at her home here, Aug. 18 to hear an update on the latest developments in the negotiations with her mortgage holder GMAC and plans for future actions.
Minneapolis, MN – At a press conference on Thursday, August 13, Rosemary Williams and supporters announced a milestone in the struggle to stop Rosemary's eviction. They announced that after Rosemary's eviction last Friday, and then a week of activists and community members occupying her home to resist the eviction, mortgage holder GMAC has agreed to return to talks about Rosemary staying in her home.
Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of August 10, 2009, a prayer and candlelight vigil was held in the front yard of Rosemary Williams home. Williams and supporters' round-the-clock sit-in continued into its fourth day. The prayer vigil expressed support from various Twin Cities religious communities for Rosemary Williams struggle against eviction and the broader struggle to end foreclosures and evictions.
Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, August 8, the second day of a round-the-clock sit-in at her house, Rosemary Williams and supporters held a press conference on her front porch. Rosemary was officially evicted from her home on Friday. But within one hour of the eviction supporters from the Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout, Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign, neighbors and many others from the South Minneapolis community gathered at Rosemary’s home. They retook the house and are resisting the eviction.
Minneapolis, MN – Rosemary Williams, a 55 year resident of Central Neighborhood, who has stood at the forefront of the fight against foreclosures, was evicted from her home on Friday August 7th.
Peoples' occupation to resist the eviction taking place
Minneapolis, MN – Fight Back! News is reporting from the home of Rosemary Williams on the 3100 block of Clinton Ave S. in Minneapolis, MN. Early this afternoon, Hennepin County Sheriff Deputies came to Rosemary’s home and evicted Rosemary, her daughter in law and two of her grandchildren. The deputies carried out the wishes of GMAC mortgage with calculated precision. They allowed the Williams family to collect a few personal items, then changed the locks on the home and padlocked the garage. A family locked away from their life so the GMAC can be the proud owners of another vacant home on a block with 7 other vacant homes.
Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, July 31, at about 3:00 p.m., Rosemary Williams got word that the deal with Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC) to buy her home fell through. This, after the drama of July 24, when shortly after a 24-hour eviction notice was served, she got word that GMHC was to purchase her home and arrange to lease it back to her. A week of relief and celebration and hope was capped off by Friday’s devastating news.
Editors note: Since this article was written, Minnesota Governor Pawlenty has announced there will be no special secession of the legislature this year and, in an unprecedented move, he states he will use the line item veto and his power to unallot to carry out massive budget cuts.
Demonstrators say, “Moratorium now on foreclosures and evictions!”
Minneapolis, MN – About 100 demonstrators gathered outside the Minneapolis Convention Center to protest a massive auction of foreclosed homes, March 28. The protest was initiated by the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout.
San Jose, CA – The official U.S. unemployment rate rose from 4.6% to 4.8% in July as the economic growth slowed over the past months, creating fewer jobs. The number of long-term (15 weeks or more) jobless people rose, as unemployed workers had a harder time finding new jobs. A better measure of unemployment, which includes workers who have to take part-time jobs because they can’t get full-time work, and those who temporarily gave up looking because they haven’t been able to find a job, also rose in July to 7.8%.
Minneapolis, MN – The Hennepin County Sheriff's officers knocked on the door of Rosemary Williams on July 24, at 9:15 a.m. They handed her an eviction notice, stating that she and her family (including two grandbabies) had to be out of the house by Monday. Ms. Williams, along with the MN Coalition for People's Bailout the MN Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign were already prepared with a press conference to announce plans to resist the eviction.
Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, June 25, friends and supporters gathered at the home of Rosemary Williams to plan for action after getting devastating news. That morning, in a conference call, Judge Lloyd Zimmerman sided with finance giant GMAC and against Ms. Williams, who has been engaged in an epic battle to save her home. Attorneys for Ms. Williams tried to appeal the judge’s earlier ruling which had denied a trial in the foreclosure related eviction. Judge Zimmerman ruled that for an appeal to take place, Rosemary Williams would have to come up with a $49,000 ‘bond’ in two days.