One Step Close To A People's Bailout

VICTORY! Campaign To #DumpDeMarco Celebrates Nomination of Permanent FHFA Director; Urges Watt To Support Principal Reduction

American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta Joined With New Bottom Line’s 16-Month Campaign To Force Out:

“The biggest roadblock to our country’s economic recovery”

Since early 2012, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta has joined with New Bottom Line in driving the campaign to get President Obama to dump Ed DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Today, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta joined with New Bottom Line in celebrating the news that the president announced Rep. Mel Watt as the nominee to become the permanent director of FHFA. Occupy Our Homes Atlanta also urges Congressman Mel Watt to support principal reduction at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in his new position, as well as supporting the vital role they play in ensuring homeownership opportunities for all communities.

Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and New Bottom Line’s #DumpDeMarco campaign helped drive Ed DeMarco, a virtually unknown appointee from the Bush administration, into being known as the “the biggest roadblock to our country’s economic recovery.”

During his tenure, DeMarco blocked needed and sound economic policies such as principal reduction, which in turn helped to drive millions of homeowners into unneeded debt and foreclosure while holding down our country’s economic progress.

“This is a good day for homeowners and families across the state of Georgia and a big step in the right direction for our economy,” said Mark Harris with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta. “We now encourage Congressman Watt to implement common-sense policies like principal reduction to bring relief to tens of millions of homeowners like me and to jump start the economic progress our country needs.”

American Friends Service Committe and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta joined with New Bottom Line on a 16-month campaign that included:

• On the ground actions in 15 states, protests inside FHFA offices, at DeMarco’s home, and within a Congressional hearing
• Press conferences on Capitol Hill and in cities around the country with elected officials
• One-on-one meetings with state and national elected officials
• Online ad buys during the election in key battleground states and the 2013 state of the union
• Op-eds from Huffington Post to The Hill and producing media coverage from in national and local media outlets
• Driving housing into the 2012 national election debate
• Dynamic online organizing and high-impact social media execution from America Underwater, tens of thousands of petition signatures, and hundreds of calls into the White House