Occupy Wells Fargo Homeless Shelter on November 17, 2012

On November 17, 2012, Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and their supporters gathered at a Chase bank branch at 15th and Market Streets in San Francisco to protest the effect of bank foreclosures and evictions on homeowners and renters. About 10 police officers turned out for the protest.
Meanwhile, someone altered the signage at a nearby Wells Fargo Home Mortgage location so that it became a Wells Fargo Homeless Shelter.

The protestors moved to the Wells Fargo location on Market Street between 15th and 16th Streets and set up a soup kitchen, played music, and spoke about the problem of foreclosures, evictions, and homelessness, as well as connections with the banks investing in prisons and environmental degradation.

The protestors highlighted the case of Larry Faulks, a disabled African-American gay senior — while negotiating a loan modification with him, Wells Fargo sold his home at a foreclosure auction and now refuses to buy it back from DMG Asset Management, the company who bought the property at the auction. Wells Fargo also refuses to give Larry Faulks a fair deal loan modification.

As one participant read off the names of families at risk from Wells Fargo’s foreclosures and evictions, the group responded by chanting “…shall not be moved” after each name.

Thanks to Arizmendi for donating delicious bread and pastries from their worker-owned cooperative bakery and to Space Transformers for organizing the fabulous soup kitchen. Representatives from many groups participated, including Occupy Bernal, ACCE-SF, Occupy Direct Action Workgroup, Occupy Action Council of SF, Occupy SF Environmental Justice Workgroup, Community Not Commodity, Occupy Noe, San Francisco Tenants Union, Senior and Disability Action, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Communities United in Defense of Olmsted, and Occupy South San Francisco.

Media coverage: Huffington Post

Thanks to Peter Menchini for first video below.

Thanks to Peter Menchini for the last 15 photos below.

ACTION: 2pm November 17 Occupy Chase to Prevent Homelessness, Foreclosures, and Evictions

Action Location (rain or shine):
Chase Bank Branch, 2112 15th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 (at Market Street)


What: Occupy Chase to Prevent Homelessness, Foreclosures, and Evictions with a soup kitchen, street theater, foreclosure and eviction fighters and other speakers

When: 2:00pm on Saturday, November 17

Where: We’ll announce the surprise! location in San Francisco the morning of the action on this web page at http://www.occupytheauctions.org/chase.

Who: So far, we’ve got bread donated from Arizmendi and Ryan and the Space Transformers folks are setting up a soup kitchen, Bob on transport, Lisa and David on signage, music including guitarists Francis Collins and Tommi Avicolli-Mecca.

Join Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/492628647435647.

Brought to you by Occupy Bernal, ACCE-SF, Occupy Direct Action Workgroup, Occupy Action Council of SF, Occupy SF Environmental Justice Workgroup, Community Not Commodity, Occupy Noe, San Francisco Tenants Union, Senior and Disability Action, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Communities United in Defense of Olmsted, and others coming soon.

Occupy the Home of Kathy Galves: From Foreclosure to Homelessness

Dozens of protesters held a press conference at the former home of Kathy Galves at 12:00 noon on October 23, 2012, to tell the story of thousands of disabled elders and families that end up homeless when they lose their homes. Wells Fargo foreclosed on the home of Kathy Galves, then evicted her and her sister in December 2012. Since then, she has been staying with friends and paying out of her pension to stay at hotels. “I have nowhere else to go,” says Galves. Kathy, a disabled, African-American senior, needs a safe, secure, and affordable home.

Thousands of elders and families have lots their homes to foreclosure here in San Francisco and they often end up homeless staying in motels, their cars, shelters, and even sometimes on the streets. Many of the foreclosures happen when someone in the family becomes ill and the family can no longer afford skyrocketing medical bills.

The event also highlighted the plight of 82-year-old Dr. Lehmann Brightmann, a Native American scholar and educator who is in the hospital while his family teeters on the edge of foreclosure and 80-year-old Fred Wahpepah, a Native American medicine-giver who needs financial assistance to prevent his home from going into foreclosure after his wife became ill and could no longer work.

The event was co-sponsored by POOR Magazine / Prensa POBRE, The Manilatown Heritage Foundation, The Idriss Stelley Foundation, and the San Francisco Bay View newspaper, with speakers from some of those organizations, as well as the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Occupy Bernal, and the Occupy the Auctions and Evictions Campaign.

Brother Robles of Poor Magazine and Manilatown Heritage Foundation speaks.

“Tiny” aka Lisa Gray-Garcia of POOR Magazine speaks.

Kathy Galves speaks.

Son of Dr. Lehmann Brightmann speaks.

Son of Dr. Lehmann Brightmann continues.

Tommi Avicolli-Mecca of Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco speaks.

Tommi Avicolli-Mecca of Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco continues.

Fred Wahpepah speaks.

Devina Estrella O Jai speaks.

Ross Rhodes of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Occupy Bernal, and Occupy Noe speaks.

Fred Wahpepah offers a closing ceremony.