St. Paul, MN – In a packed hearing room, more than a dozen legislators heard testimony March 14 on proposed legislation to put a moratorium on home foreclosures and the eviction of tenants from foreclosed properties. Representative Karen Clark and Senator Scott Dibble, authors of the ‘Foreclosure Moratorium, Neighborhood Stabilization & Tenant Protection Bill’ (SF1521 and HF1886) chaired the hearing. The moratorium bill is an initiative of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout (MCPBO).

Those testifying at the hearing included Cherrene Horazuk, Chief Steward of AFSCME Local 3800, Peter Brown of the Minnesota Tenants Union, Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee, Anthony Newby of Occupy Homes, Mel Reeves of Occupy the Hood and homeowners who have or are currently facing foreclosure, including Rosemary Williams, Bobby Hull, Ruby Brown, Peter Eisert and John Vinge.

Deb Konechne, a spokesperson for the MCPBO, testified, “This bill, which has been introduced in the House and the Senate, would place a 2-year moratorium on home foreclosures and a 2-year moratorium on the foreclosure related eviction of renters from foreclosed property.”

She added, “This bill is a plan to keep Minnesotans in our homes. It also protects renters who too many times end up paying rent and a damage deposit without knowing the property is in foreclosure, only to be evicted through no fault of their own, only a few months later.”

Rosemary Williams recounted her dramatic fight to keep her home. She said that when sheriffs evicted her and her family from her home in 2009, the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout helped move her back in. William’s called for politicians to pass the moratorium law.

To date, Republican committee chairs have refused to hear the Moratorium Bill. “Today’s people’s hearing served notice on them. We will carry forward the fight for a moratorium on foreclosures. We will continue to challenge politicians that serve the banks and big business,” stated Mick Kelly of the MCPBO.

Stacey Kemp, a Minneapolis homeowner gave her take on the hearing, stating “Stopping foreclosures means keeping our neighborhoods healthy and strong. The unemployment and underemployment rate has been bordering on 20% for a very long time. Working families that have been the core of our neighborhoods and communities are losing their homes because of an economic crisis caused by the 1%. I support this public hearing to demand that the legislators protect our interests – not those of the privileged few.”

Video from the press conference preceding the people's hearing on the foreclosure & eviction moratoriumDeb KonechneRosemary Williams

#SaintPaulMN #MinnesotaCoalitionForAPeoplesBailout #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #DebKonechne #Foreclosure #Eviction #Moratorium #KarenClark #ScottDibble

Minneapolis, MN – As the candidates for governor were preparing to debate inside the Pantages Theater here Sept. 15, about 30 members of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, including folks from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and the Welfare Rights Committee were on the street out front.

Inside the debate, Rosemary Williams, of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, rose from the floor and challenged the candidates on the issue of education, specifically the closure of the only public high school in North Minneapolis, a predominantly Black part of the city, and the less than equal education opportunities for African American students.

Coalition groups have actively followed the candidates on the campaign trail to promote a people’s agenda.

Linden Gawboy of the Welfare Rights Committee stated, “We were there to send a message to the politicians and the audience members. We want jobs or income now. Stop foreclosures and evictions. Stop attacks on immigrants.”

#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #CapitalismAndEconomy #PoorPeoplesMovements #WelfareRightsCommittee #MinnesotaCoalitionForAPeoplesBailout #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #MIRAc #TomEmmer #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCommittee

Detroit, MI – Fight Back! interviewed Rosemary Williams, an important leader in the struggle against home foreclosures, at the U.S. Social Forum on June 24.

#DetroitMI #RosemaryWilliams #Interviews #HousingStruggles #Foreclosure #Eviction #USSF #USSocialForum

Chicago, IL – The American Bankers Association met here the week of Oct. 26, in luxury hotels, spending millions for their comfort. Outside, 2500 working people marched and chanted, “You got bailed out, we got sold out!”

Rosemary Williams, who fought eviction from her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was in the march and said, “We need a moratorium on foreclosures.” She spoke at a breakfast for Jobs With Justice to kick off the day of protest. Her message to anyone facing foreclosure is to fight. “If the bank comes for your home, don't go quietly in the night. Get people together and fight back.”

#ChicagoIL #RosemaryWilliams #bankBailout #ArmandoRobles #AmericanBankersAssociation

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 people gathered here, for an Oct. 28 mass community meeting to demand a moratorium on foreclosures and for protections for renters in foreclosed properties. Organized by the Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout, the meeting brought together people facing foreclosures, trade unionists, welfare rights activists and concerned members of the community.

Deb Konechne, of the Coalition for a People's Bailout and the Welfare Rights Committee opened the meeting by stating that the Coalition was preparing to wage a determined fight in the upcoming legislative session to force government to address some of the worst effects of the ongoing economic crisis. Linden Gawboy, also of the Coalition, then outlined plans to fight for a moratorium on foreclosures.

Rosemary Williams, who waged a militant fight to defend her home, urged people to stay strong in the battles ahead. Leslie Parks, of south Minneapolis, is in foreclosure and stated she would not leave her home.

Other speakers included Peter Brown of the Minnesota Tenants Union and Coalition for a People’s Bailout and Minnesota State Senator Linda Berglin.

The Coalition's Mick Kelly stated, “We are up against some serious enemies – the banks and the politicians that are controlled by them.” He urged people to stand with those facing foreclosures and to join the effort for a moratorium.

#MinneapolisMN #CapitalismAndEconomy #WelfareRightsCommittee #MinnesotaCoalitionForAPeoplesBailout #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #LeslieParks

Minneapolis, MN – After a months long fight against her foreclosure, police came to evict Rosemary Williams from her home, Sept. 11. Dozens of police cordoned off the street, sidewalks and alley all around the home, police with rifles and tear gas were at the ready at windows inside the house, as a private security company used metal grating to board up windows and doors. The police showed up as preparations were being made for a birthday party for Rosemary Williams’s grandson, Talib, who turned two that day.

More than a hundred supporters gathered to support the Williams family, as they hastily removed their personal belongings from the house. In a last ditch effort to stop the eviction, seven supporters went onto the property and were immediately arrested. They were dragged away by police, who kicked people laying on the ground and sprayed the crowd with pepper spray.

The arrestees include five members of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, which has been fighting this eviction for months and pressuring the GMAC mortgage company to make a deal that allows Ms. Williams to stay in her home. Instead, GMAC boarded up the windows, making this the eighth vacant house on the block.

Kim DeFranco, of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, was in the home with Ms. Williams when the police arrived and helped the family collect their things. “The more I carried out of the house, the angrier I got. With all the bailouts that big banks have gotten, there’s no reason that people like Rosemary and her family should have to lose their homes. When we left the house, we were chanting ‘it’s not over,’ because we are going to keep fighting this.”

Asked what is next, Ms. Williams said, “Number one, we’ve got to get our people out of jail. After that I’ve got to get my stuff into storage, but we are not giving up and it is not just about my family. This is happening all over and it’s got to stop. We are mobilizing as many people as we can to come downtown tomorrow, we’re going to have a big action outside the Obama rally. It’s time to get up. Stand up or shut up.”

Ms. Williams is definitely standing up, and she is not alone. Hundreds have rallied around her and pledge to continue this important campaign confronting the foreclosure crisis.

#MinneapolisMN #Foreclosures #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #Evictions

Rosemary’s Williams and her supporters re-entered the home following an eviction notice Aug. 7. A resident of South Minneapolis for over 55 years, Rosemary Williams and her family decided to fight against home foreclosures when their own home was at risk. Members of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout have joined with Williams in her fight back for justice

At the rally, anti-war activists from the Anti-War Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Students for a Democratic Society-UMN, and the Minnesota Iraq Peace Action Coalition spoke about the contradictions of spending billions of dollars on wars abroad while people within the U.S. are struggling to keep their homes.

Jennie Eisert of the Anti-War Committee says, “Here at home because of the recession, the foreclosure crisis has devastated our cities, our state and our country. People are unjustly being driven out from their homes. In Iraq and Afghanistan the U.S. driven wars are causing more and more people to be displaced. U.S. aggression is creating a housing crisis on the other side of the globe.”

Mary Beaudoin of Women Against Military Madness agreed, “The United States wars on Iraq and Afghanistan alone have rendered millions of people homeless by bombing their cities and countrysides, destabilizing and destroying their infrastructures, breaking down their doors in house-to-house searches for so-called ‘suspected insurgents’ and, in general, terrifying them and creating uninhabitable living situations. To date, the total cost of this, allocated by Congress, is $915 billion. At the same time, the U.S. government and taxpayers have bailed out banks and created a situation in our own country that is destroying our city neighborhoods and rural communities by forcing people out of their homes through foreclosures that would not be taking place except for a system enabling the reckless greed of financial institutions.”

Many anti-war groups are a part of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout and will continue to make the issue of foreclosure tied into their work around peace with justice.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Foreclosures #MinnesotaCoalitionForAPeoplesBailout #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #AntiWarCommittee #Evictions

Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cites peace movement organized a rally under the call of “Foreclose the war, not people’s homes, ” Aug. 27 to show support for Minneapolis homeowner Rosemary Williams and her fight against foreclosure and eviction. More than 50 people demanded a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions and for the billions being spent on U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan to be used instead to keep people in their homes.

Jenny Eisert, of the Anti-War Committee, stated, “Here at home because of the recession, the foreclosure crisis has devastated our cities, our state and our country. People are unjustly being driven out from their homes. In Iraq and Afghanistan the U.S.-driven wars are causing more and more people to be displaced. U.S. aggression is creating a housing crisis on the other side of the globe. We want Rosemary to stay in her home and we want the Iraqi and Afghan people to be able to stay in their homes too. We support policies that promote justice and we are proud to stand with people here to say, ‘Foreclose the war, not people’s homes!’”

The Aug. 27 rally was organized by the Anti-War Committee and endorsed by Women Against Military Madness, Students for a Democratic Society/U of M and Iraq Peace Action Coalition.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Foreclosures #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #AntiWarCommittee #Evictions

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.

Rosemary Williams thanked all who came and stated that she was prepared to continue the fight for as long as it took. Mick Kelly, of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout said that efforts would be made to turn up the heat on politicians and bankers in the upcoming weeks.

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “Monday will represent 18 days of the sit in at the home of Rosemary Williams to stand-up against the attempt to foreclose and evict her from her home of 22 years. Over the last 18 days, since Aug. 7 when Hennepin County Sheriff deputies came to evict the Williams family, hundreds of people have come out to support Rosemary Williams and the fight to save her home. When the sheriff deputies left 18 days ago the Williams home was quickly reopened and has been at the center of the effort to stop foreclosures and evictions.”

The statement continues, “For the past year Rosemary Williams has been fighting not only to save her own home, but to fight against foreclosure and evictions effecting thousands of Minnesotans and millions of people around the country.”

Earlier in the day, Rosemary Williams, along with members of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign showed up at a city-sponsored housing ceremony where they demanded a moratorium on home foreclosures.

#MinneapolisMN #Foreclosures #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #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.

“As negotiations with GMAC and Rosemary Williams continue, we are getting a peek into the dirty world of finance. Names mentioned so far include GMAC, MERS, the bankrupt Lehman Brothers and Aurora Loan Services. These corrupt financial institutions are all lining up to skim their dollars off a family’s misery and the downfall of our communities,” noted a statement from event organizers.

Rosemary Williams stated that she would the fight until she got her home back in her name. Mick Kelly, of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, urged people to join the protest at the Mayors office that is scheduled for Aug. 19.

Since Aug. 7, hundreds of people have come out to support Rosemary Williams to save her family home. Williams has lived on the block for 55 years. She has spent a year speaking out against foreclosure and evictions on every level, always noting that she has not been fighting just for herself but others in the same situation.

On Aug. 7, Sheriffs came to the Williams house, forcing her and her family out. The house was quickly reopened and an around the clock sit-in has been taking place ever since.

#MinneapolisMN #News #MinnesotaPeoplesBailoutCoalition #Foreclosures #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #GMAC #Evictions

Minneapolis, MN - “Stop foreclosures and evictions” was the rallying call here August 15, as more that 100 protesters marched on Wells Fargo bank.

The protest, initiated by the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout, called on banks and mortgage companies to stop foreclosures and the displacement of homeowners and to stop evicting tenants from rental properties that have been foreclosed.

The march passed the home of Rosemary Williams, the south Minneapolis homeowner fighting to stop her foreclosure and eviction. Williams addressed protesters from her porch.

Steff York of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout said, “The outpouring of support for Rosemary Williams in recent days shows that people want action taken against the continued foreclosures and destruction of our communities.”

“Rosemary’s struggle is a fight to defend the interests of millions of working people and low-income people who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. We march to demand that the banks and mortgage companies stop the foreclosures and evictions,” said Linden Gawboy of the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout.

A statement issued by organizers explains, “The economic crisis is not the fault of working and low-income people. Banks and mortgage companies sold mortgages with escalating interest rates and penalties that were doomed to fail. Increasing layoffs and the economic crisis will lead to more people falling behind on mortgage payments. Working people and low-income people need a bailout.”

The statement demands that banks and mortgage companies honor the leases of tenants in foreclosed rental properties. “Tenants by the hundreds and thousands have lost their homes in the last few years, as landlords lose their properties. Lenders who foreclose on landlords put tenants out on the streets. This must stop.”

#MinneapolisMN #News #Foreclosures #WellsFargo #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #Evictions

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.

The following are videos of Rosemary Williams and Mick Kelly speaking at the August 13 press conference. At the press conference Mick Kelly of the Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bailout said, “This is the place and this is the time where foreclosures and foreclosure-related evictions are going to be stopped.”

Rosemary Williams, August 13, 2009

Mick Kelly, MN Coalition for a People's Bailout, August 13, 2009

#MinneapolisMN #Foreclosures #RosemaryWilliams #HousingStruggles #Evictions