Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters took the struggle for housing justice to the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco on April 27, 2013, with an Occupy the Banks for Housing Justice bank crawl.
The crowd visited the Bank of America branch near 29th and Mission Streets, the JP Morgan Chase branch at 26th and Mission Streets, the Bank of America branch at 23rd and Mission Streets, the US Bank branch at 22nd and Mission Streets, and the Wells Fargo branch at 22nd and Missions Streets.
At each branch, Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters delivered a letter to be faxed to bank executives. The group leafleted the Mission in Spanish and English.
Many thanks to the Brass Liberation Orchestra which provided festive music for the event and to Reverend Billy and the Stop Bank of America Gospel Choir (aka Stop Shopping Choir) visiting from New York City who joined up with us at the second Bank of America branch.
A protest at the Wells Fargo headquarters at 420 Montgomery Street in San Francisco took place on April 13, 2013, in coordination with a protest earlier the same day at the Wells Fargo Shareholder meeting held in Salt Lake City, Utah. These protests are a special edition of the Occupy Wells Fargo Vigil to Stop Evictions.
More than a dozen protestors from the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) and other organizations infiltrated the shareholders meeting and told Wells Fargo executives what they thought of their practices regarding predatory, illegal, and discriminatory lending and related foreclosures and evictions. Maria Alvarez, whose family is facing eviction by Wells Fargo, got to tell Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf to his face that he is a liar, then Wells threw the protestors out of the shareholders meeting.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, about one hundred protestors from the ACCE (San Francisco and Oakland), Occupy Bernal, Occupy Noe, and the Occupy the Auctions and Evictions campaign held a memorial service in front of the Wells Fargo Headquarters and History Museum at 420 Montgomery Street. A trumpeter named Elaine played taps and Archbishop Franzo King delighted participants with his saxophone stylings. Various spokespeople read out the names of those who have lost their home or their lives to foreclosures and evictions, spoke in solidarity with those protesting in Salt Lake City, and listed off the many families still struggling to save their homes from Wells Fargo. After each name or section, the crowd chanted repeatedly, “Housing Justice, Home Security!”. Finally, Kathy Lipscomb and Merrie Jo Musni delivered some calalilies to Wells Fargo to complete the memorial service.
To: brenda.wright@wellsfargo.com, alfredo.pedroza@wellsfargo.com, ruben.pulido@wellsfargo.com, john.g.stumpf@wellsfargo.com
Cc: action@occupybernal.org
Subject: Stop the Holiday Foreclosures and Evictions of the “Wells 32”
Dear Wells Fargo staff,
Please take IMMEDIATE action to stop holiday foreclosures and evictions. Please meet the demands listed for each of the 32 families listed below who Wells Fargo has put at risk (Name, Demand, Address, Loan #, Priority) and stop dual tracking by continuing to list foreclosure auctions while negotiating loan modifications:
Bernetta Adolph, Stop eviction (20130303) Rescission of foreclosure sale and fair deal loan modification, 48 Lobos Street, SF, CA 94112, 44793073, 1
Larry Faulks, Undo eviction (20121216), Rescission of foreclosure sale and fair deal loan modification, 25 Cameo Way, SF, CA 94131, 004 6406278, 1
David Lewis, Rescission of foreclosure sale and fair deal loan modification, 442 Carl Street, SF, CA 94124, need loan #, 1
Dollie and Sally Ross, Rescission of foreclosure sale and fair deal loan modification, 1075 Gilman Avenue, SF, CA 94124, 004 37815, 1
Lehmann Brightman, Rescission of foreclosure sale (20130114) and fair deal loan modification, 2434 Faria Avenue, Pinole, CA 94564, 0044126233, 1
Gloria Lomeli (and Alberto del Rio), Stop foreclosure auction (20130131) and fair deal loan modification, 565 Banks Street, SF, CA 94110, 47339080, 1
Guadalupe Schmitt, Stop foreclosure auction (20130211) and fair deal loan modification, 11-13 Santa Marina Avenue, SF, CA 94110, 102484459, 1
Benjamin and Irma Reed, Stop foreclosure auction (20130226) and fair deal loan modification, 2 Warren Drive, SF, CA 94131, , 1
Emilia Hughetti, Stop foreclosure auction (20130228) and fair deal loan modification through loan servicer Chase, 1041 Florida Street, SF, CA 94110, Chase loan #20733507, 1
Kim Mitchell, Postpone foreclosure auction until short sale, 601 Van Ness Ave #244, SF, CA 94102, , 2
Segundina San Juan, Fair deal loan modification, 1074 Huron Avenue, SF, CA 94112, 00048634281, 2
Maria and Washington Davila, New owner must keep Davilas as tenants under same rental conditions as before, 4255 Folsom Street, SF, CA 94110, , 2
Armand and Maria Mejia, Stop foreclosure auction (20130204) and fair deal loan modification, 749 Athens Street, SF, CA 94112, 004 37815, 2
Peter Fairfield (and L. Sweet), Stop foreclosure auction (20130205) and fair deal loan modification, 831 Chenery Street, SF, CA 94131, 1100225238, 2
San Francisco’s Mayor and Board of Supervisors have unanimously requested a halt to foreclosures and related evictions, especially since San Francisco Assessor-Recorder’s report showing that 84% of foreclosures have at least one legal violation and due to Wells’ $175 million settlement paid to resolve allegations of racial discrimination in providing mortgage loans in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point and other neighborhoods.
Wells Fargo’s “waterfall” model, along with similar policies from other lenders, ensures that the bank can squeeze the most money possible from homeowners struggling to make payments while finally discarding them like trash if the bank can’t make a profit on every single loan. Running a mortgage loan business means assuming risks, especially after receiving billions in bailout funds from the taxpayers, many of whom are Wells’ mortgage loan borrowers.
Stop contributing to the rash of deaths by foreclosure! Stop the single-minded greedy focus on profit! Stop ignoring the health and well-being of your customers and the communities where we live! Take whatever action is necessary to keep distressed families in their homes!
This is an URGENT request, so please respond right away.
Sincerely,
your name here
Reserve December 6 and December 18 on your calendar for Wells Fargo protests on behalf of the “Wells 29”. (Update: Those protests took place with great success!)
Wells Fargo plans to foreclose on or evict the “Wells 29” despite: