Newark, NJ – The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) put a Hands off Social Security picket line in front of the Essex County Social Security building, April 16. Hundreds of drivers blew horns. Passersby stop to talk and show solidarity. Other participating organizations included the International Action Center, One People One Nation, Veterans for Peace and the Coalition to Save Our Homes.

The protest was in response the Obama administration’s proposed cuts in cost of living adjustments for Social Security. A new “chained Consumer Price Index” would replace the established CPI with a lower percentage. The expectation is that Social Security outlays would be reduced by several hundred billion dollars over the next ten years. It is another proposal to support Wall Street profit demands by plundering the living standards of the masses.

That a Democratic administration would propose such a thing has caused widespread shock. The impact would be far broader than senior citizens, since families and dependents are also supported by Social Security. The protest showed that neither POP nor the other organizations nor the masses will have any of it. Wall Street’s attack on Social Security must be stopped.

#NewarkNewJersey #NewarkNJ #POP #SocialSecurity #PeoplesOrganizationForProgress

Trenton, NJ – People gathered here to rally and hold a press conference, March 29, on the need for uncompensated write-down of overpriced mortgages contracted during the housing bubble, the period after 1997. The event marked a court hearing aimed at elimination of ‘robo-signing,’ foreclosures undertaken by banks that cannot prove ownership of the mortgage.

Participating organizations included the People's Organization for Progress (POP), the Irvington Branch of the NAACP, the Newark Teachers' Association, New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA) and the Fair Share Housing Center.

Robo-signing is a terrible abuse. Rally participants all said it must be ended. But the end of robo-signing will prevent no one from being foreclosed. In fact the stated aim of the court hearing was to make the foreclosure process in New Jersey more efficient.

In the hearing a court-appointed attorney presented an agreement he had worked out with six of the largest mortgage lenders. The essential point is the banks agreed to proceed only in foreclosures based on “personal knowledge and accurate business records.” Several homeowner advocates objected that the agreement was vague or that it was procedurally inadequate to protect homeowners. Judge Mary C. Jacobson found in favor of the agreement. Whether or not it eliminates robo-signing will have to be seen from experience.

The people's forces said at their press conference that what really has to happen is enforced write-down of overpriced mortgages to the level of true market value at the time they were contracted. A POP statement was read by Debby Strong. It said the banks had harmed millions of people. They didn't care at all about the terrible risks into which they dragged home buyers. Lenders lured borrowers into mortgages they knew full well the borrowers could not pay. They did things like sell a house for $300,000 when it was only worth $180,000. The banks have been rewarded for it and the victims have been left without help.

POP announced that it will launch a mass campaign to enlist victims of the housing bubble to demand that New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow prosecute mortgage lenders for manipulation of the housing market. Penalty upon conviction will be write-down of mortgage principals to reflect true market value by an objective and uniform standard.

Kathleen Witcher of the Irvington NAACP gave a vivid picture of the suffering caused by the housing bubble. She said that 40% of the houses in Irvington have been foreclosed and the rate may go as high as 80%. Drastic rates in property taxes have resulted. Many homeowners cannot pay the higher taxes, which creates another risk of loss of homes.

Phyllis Salowe-Kaye of NJCA noted that all 50 state attorneys general have submitted an “Accountability Proposal” to resolve the ‘robogate’ problem, but without any requirement for principal write-downs in programs like the Home Affordable Mortgage Program (HAMP.) The AGs set no specific goals or quotas for write-downs. They need to institute mandatory measures for loan servicers. 60% of homeowners could remain in their homes if the mortgage was reduced to the actual market value. “Allowing significant principle modifications would stem the flow of foreclosures and reduce the uncertainty about the housing market and mortgage securities, giving more time to devise approaches to the messy problem of clouded titles and faulty loan conveyances,” she said.

A basis for legal action in existing law and practice was given by people’s attorney Bennet Zurofsky. He said, “The lenders and investors were the ones in the best position to know that they were profiting from a bubble that they themselves were inflating. The law calls this unjust enrichment and the New Jersey Attorney General has the power to do something about it by bringing a lawsuit against the lenders and the investors on behalf of the people of New Jersey to return the riches they have unjustly obtained from the people of New Jersey.” He noted that actions have been brought against persons who benefited from the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme on the basis of unjust enrichment.

A POP member said that there is a power that can act effectively against entities as powerful as big banks. It is the power of the people! Not even the administration of reactionary New Jersey Governor Christopher Christie can ignore the will of the people who have been harmed by the housing bubble, once they are aware and united. It was also noted that the total overvaluation of the housing market was about $2 trillion, and that no recovery from the depression is possible until this burden in removed.

Cries of “power to the people!” and “mortgage write-down now!” rang out. It is clear that the people of New Jersey can make write-down their issue and their demand and create a powerful mass movement for it.

#TrentonNJ #POP #Foreclosures #HousingStruggles #mortgageCrisis #PeoplesOrganizationForProgress #housingBubble

This is Ruane’s second killing in less than two years, each time with the involvement of his partner Popolizio. On July 30, 2003 officer Ruane killed Michael Newkirk, age 20, at 10:00 p.m. during a neighborhood cookout. Both officers are white. Both victims were African-American. Both killings are typical of the police violence on African-American and other oppressed nationality people. Under capitalism the real aim of ‘law and order’ is to maintain the power and wealth of a few. Those who kill in the service of the rich are routinely let go to do it again.

In the Jan. 24 Moore killing, the police said that a car driven by the victim rammed their cruiser. They gave chase, and a few blocks later Moore’s vehicle ran into a snow bank. Popolizio claims Moore got out of the car, tried to take his gun and was shot in the leg. The officers claim that Moore tried to free his car from the snow bank. They say the car struck and dragged Popolizio. Ruane then shot and killed Moore.

The killers were given administrative duty. Moore was taken into custody and charged with disarming an officer, hindering apprehension and resisting arrest.

In the death of Mike Newkirk in July, the killers tried to justify their action by saying he had a gun. No gun was ever produced. In spite of this, there was never any action taken against the officers.

At a Jan. 29 press conference organized by the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), a human and civil rights organization, Moore’s family told a different story. Elizabeth Moore, the victim’s mother, said the police forced her son’s car into the snow bank. She said her son and his friend were unarmed while the police approached their car with weapons drawn. Moore’s father, Allen Snow, Jr., said his son “didn’t like violence. He ran from it.”

Lawrence Hamm, chairman of POP, told the press conference, “We don't want to see another whitewash. We want someone outside the Essex County prosecutor’s office to investigate.” Both the victim’s family and Hamm called for the immediate dismissal of Ruane and Popolizio from the police force, since this was their second involvement in a fatal shooting. Hamm also called for the creation of an independent civilian review board to hear complaints against the police.

#NewarkNJ #News #POP #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #PeoplesOrganizationForProgress #RasheedFuquanMoore #officerNicholasPopolizio #RichardGuy #MichaelNewkirk #policeViolenceOnAfricanAmerican #ElizabethMoore #LawrenceHamm

Newark, NJ – Community outrage has broken out in here over the May 15 police killing of Basire Farrell. Over 100 people turned out when the victim's family and the People's Organization for Progress (POP) sponsored a protest march and rally on May 23.

Farrell, 30, was apprehended by officers of Newark's notorious Fifth Precinct at 2:00 a.m. as he was on his way home. Witnesses say Farrell, who was black, was beaten by as many as seven police, all of them white, while he lay on the ground handcuffed. He was beaten so badly an ambulance had to be called and he died on his way to the hospital. Police authorities denied any wrongdoing by officers, but the community said otherwise.

Racheim Farrell, the victim's uncle, told the protest rally Farrell was “treated like an animal, handcuffed and beaten and beaten.”

Linda Farrell, an aunt, said, “He had a great sense of humor, he was a great athlete. He never set out to hurt anybody. They called him an animal but he was a human being. They gave Michael Vick 28 months. What are they going to give them?” After mentioning the police involved do not live in Newark, she charged that, “They bring them in here and they think we're animals.”

Sharonda Smalls, another aunt, has suffered serious illness recently. She spoke with difficulty due to stress, but in spite of it she said, “I want justice for my nephew. Police are supposed to serve and protect but instead they serve and kill. We’re going to fight and fight and fight and when we get justice we're still going to fight. They don't even have a reason why they arrested my nephew. I'm going to raise hell. I want the mayor and the City Council and the Police Department to know we're not giving up.”

Another speaker was Earl Williams, father of Earl Faison, who was killed by police in neighboring Orange, New Jersey in 1999. In an epic struggle, the family and POP fought for justice for more than four years and eventually five police officers went to prison for the crime. It was the first time in the history of New Jersey that police officers went to prison for killing a civilian. Mr. Williams told the rally, “They're going to turn the victim into the perpetrator. That's what they did to my family. I hate to say it but this family will go through the same thing. We never would have made it if not for POP.”

The rally marched to the nearby address where Newark Mayor Corey Booker is supposed to live, although residents say he is very seldom seen. At that point Emily Reid, who had heard an uproar on the street and opened her door to witness the beating of Basire Farrell, said, “People in the neighborhood need to open their mouths. In our country the color of your skin determines the kind of justice you receive. Get involved.” Police intimidation keeps many people from saying what they see, but Ms. Reid shows the right way to go.

The march then proceeded to the Fifth Precinct station house for a final rally. The struggle for justice for Basire Farrell will continue.

#NewarkNJ #News #PoliceBrutality #POP #AfricanAmerican