Update: The Occupy the Dream House event at the so-called Dream House in Menlo Park was a great success… thanks to all who participated and please check out the media coverage, videos, and photos below.
Media coverage: IndyBay
You are invited to our event! Please come help us show the contrast between get rich quick raffle illusions and those fighting to keep their homes and their ability to create wealth.
Occupy the Dream House Press Conference/ Action in front of the “$4.1 million Silicon Valley Dream House” in Menlo Park
Demonstrating the stark contrast of our hardworking neighbors trying to save their homes from billion-dollar corporations and the “Let Them Eat Cake” mentality of the 1 Percent financial institutions.
When: 10 a.m., Thursday January 10, 2013
Where: Silicon Valley Dream House in Menlo Park
3 Patricia Place
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(Cross street is San Mateo Drive) map
Who: Foreclosure and Eviction Fighters and supporters
Confirmed speakers include Ian Haddow and Stardust. (Please contact us if you would like to volunteer to speak or if you would like to carpool to the event.)
Why: Occupy, other social justice organizations, foreclosure fighters and people who just want to reclaim the American dream of home ownership, gather the day before the raffle winner is chosen to bring attention to economic injustice.
$4.1 Million Silicon Valley Dream House Raffle Demonstrates Homeownership Nightmare
Dream House Raffles such as the one for the opulent home in Menlo Park serve as lures and create a lottery mentality that blinds people to the economic nightmare. They serve as a ruse to keep people from seeing how bad things really are.
Why hold a Press Conference in front of the “$ 4.1 Silicon Valley Dream House?”
To send and repeat the message that the banking and financial system is rogue and is devouring the well-being and livelihood of the 99%.
To send a message to besieged homeowners to fight back and that they are not alone. We stand ready to help.
To send a message to the banks that they must create a humanitarian solution for the economic crisis they helped to create.
To send a message to lawmakers that they have to do more to protect the people from the laws and policies that created this financial quagmire that has eroded the middle class.
To repeat the message that raffles and lotteries are a tax on the poor and create false expectations. Policies and laws should be put back in place to invest in people to grow the economy.
As a story subtext: Banks and corporations should more robustly support public organizations through paying their fair share of taxes. Arts organizations should, in a better world, receive public funds from taxes paid by corporations for their operations. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and other nonprofits are used by banks and other corporations for “public relations” subterfuges to clean up their image and deflect attention from the criminal and inhumane activity they engage in as part of their business practice. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts raises much of their funding in this annual raffle. However, compared to their profits, the minimal donations corporations give, while creating profits on the back of the 99%, using tax loopholes, sending jobs and finances offshore, create an illusion of helping the needy. We need an end to austerities. We need to restore funding to public institutions (libraries, universities, parks/lands) and an end to privatization of the commons. We can do better than this!
Occupy The Dream House, Cheryl Meeker +1 415-255-0668, Stardust +1 415-425-3936, and Eric.
For updates and this action alert: http://www.occupytheauctions.org/dreamhouse
Links: The Middle Class American Dream Visits the Occupy Bay Area Show