Forum Post: News: Occupy Atlanta helping fight foreclosures
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 9, 2011, 3:58 a.m. EST by ramous
(765)
from Wabash, IN
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Here are two links, which both have videos. The Rorey family live in Snellville, GA. The husband's a police officer who contacted Occupy Atlanta asking for help. The Roreys have two school-aged children. They were making all their mortgage payments until someone scammed them into unknowingly participating in some scheme that got them in trouble, so that now they're facing eviction.
Occupy Atlanta has moved tents outside the Rorey’s house to support them. In the first article, the announcer states that Georgia has the fourth highest rate of foreclosures in the country.
The great news is (and I'm sure it's because of the bad publicity the bank's gotten as a result of OWS getting involved) that some official says nothing's going to happen right now, the eviction's on hold, all the paperwork's still tied up in the courts. That's just what needs to happen, foreclosure proceedings going nowhere, because there's too much vocal and visible opposition. Great job Atlanta OWS!!!!
I also wanted to mention that OWS, while it can't solve millions of people's financial problems (at least, not yet--it's not even two months old!), can give people the courage to fight back. Sometimes that might be all it takes, because apparently these mortgages are so messed up, the paperwork fraudulent, etc., etc. that the banks may in fact not have the legal authority to repossess a house.
I was thinking particularly of the kids in a family facing eviction, and how kindly OWS supporters could help them infinitely by being kind, soothing them, reading to them, playing ball--nothing earthshaking, but conveying that their family's not alone, that people care about them. Especially for kids who are too young to understand, for example, what a mortgage is and what's happening to their family, it could be excruciating to fear losing their home.
Thanks again for your wonderful enthusiasm, and isn't it incredible what OWS is doing!
There's something very poignant about Occupiers living out in the parks in tents supporting families who might in fact have to join them due to evictions--in other words, for totally opposite reasons than the occupiers are camping out. But in reaching out to each other, as this story from Atlanta shows, the Occupy movement gains more and more mainstream credibility and people who are in desperate straits due to the policies of the 1% gain hope and a supportive community. That's a pretty powerful combination. Thanks again to this great, great, burgeoning movement!
This is an awesome use of OWS power. Instead of just sitting in parks to get the message out, now we can MAKE change. tomorrow Im going to present this to our local camp's GA. Hopefully we can do the same thing.
That's great, please keep us informed.
Hope for hypocrisy, your wish will come true in America. http://overthecoals.blogspot.com/
The lesson here is to live within your means...way within your means.
So these homeowners willingly signed up for a half-million dollar loan...a loan they knew they couldnt afford. Now they are having trouble. So I guess someone has to help bail them out from their own negligence and its basically Occupy which is a bunch of kids who dont know any better.