Brigitte Walker and Chris Frazer Go To Washington!!!

Yesterday, community leaders, advocates and housing experts traveled the Nation’s Capital to meet with White House officials about implementing the necessary solutions to the housing crisis that has enveloped Georgia.

American families continue to face a crisis in housing, with 2 million foreclosure filings this year, and millions more at risk. Over 15 million homeowners are underwater, meaning that their home is worth less than they owe on their mortgage. Georgia is projected to be one of the hardest hit states in the nation this year.

The crisis is rooted in wrongdoing by lenders and Wall Street and inadequate rules and enforcement. The misconduct included predatory sub-prime lending, targeting of senior citizens, veterans, and communities of color, and bundling and pawning off flawed mortgages, avoiding accountability. Those forces combined with record long-term unemployment to bring our economy to the brink of collapse, and continue to jeopardize our economic recovery.

The White House invited Brigitte Walker and Christine Frazer, both with Occupy Our Homes, ATL to discuss their priorities and possible solutions to the crisis moving forward. They were joined by over 150 other advocates and experts from across the country. 

Brigitte Walker had the special honor of addressing the whole delegation, which included senor White House staff. She received a standing ovation on more than one occasion. 

Brigitte and Christine met with key White House officials, including about specific solutions ranging from principle reduction and affordable housing.

After the White House meeting, participants visited the offices of Senators to urge them to lead on bills currently under consideration, and other potential solutions to the housing crisis.

We are very excited that Christine and Brigitte where the ones who were chosen to represent Georgia and find them to be extremely appropriate choices as they both have struggled hard through our states historic housing crisis. We are also very grateful to the Home Defenders League for making their trip possible! 

Residents Uniting In Struggle Against The 1% In Atlanta

It's been a big week for the newly launched Occupy Our Homes ATL(OOHA) movement. This weekend AFSC participated in an all day retreat designed to begin the tough work of building a sustainable structure and organizing strategy for OOHA.


It was especially exciting to see so many folks in the room who had personal experience standing up to the big banks and resisting foreclosure and eviction of their own homes. It was the first time we had Carmen Pittman, Chris Frazer, Brigitte Walker, and Ajai Craig all in the same room.


Many of us believe it's crucial to build a resident led movement to effectively take on Atlanta's housing crisis, which many may not know is much worse today than any other time in the city's history. In order to move towards a resident led movement we recognize that the most effected residents need to take on leadership roles from the get go, and be the face, voice, and spirit of resistance.

No one can reach out to those struggling with housing better then those who have been through it themselves. Too many people in our city silently struggle, often times in shame,to maintain a living space, while financial institutions shamelessly make record profits putting more and more Atlanta residents on the streets. Our city can no longer afford the gross disregard for human rights, our local government's inadequate response to the housing crisis, or law enforcements cooperation with illegal foreclosures.

  Here's the mission and Vision that folks agreed on at this weekend's retreat:

MISSION
We are a grassroots, member-led organization that seeks to build power in metro-Atlanta neighborhoods highly impacted by the housing crisis. By mobilizing communities around foreclosure, eviction, tenant rights, and public land rights--with an emphasis on leadership development and fostering a culture of resistance through nonviolent direct action--we strive to transform our city's approach to housing. We believe that housing is a human right regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, economic background, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or immigration status.

VISION
Occupy Our Homes Atlanta plans to build a mass movement in the metro-area around the housing crisis by:

1.) organizing impacted communities around the issues they identify as affecting them the most;

  2.) developing leadership in these communities and fostering a culture of resistance, through nonviolent direct action, to public and private institutions that continue to disrespect basic human rights;

3.) inciting a cultural shift in the way we think, see, and ultimately, tolerate the hardships bred by foreclosure, eviction and homelessness;

  4.) provoking a system change in the way our city approaches housing;

5.) building communities through direct democracy, that place human need above corporate greed

  6.) and striving toward a system where people have more control over the communities they call home.

After the retreat over a dozen folks went out into the Pittsburgh(ATL) Community and canvassed the neighborhood, letting folks know about OOHA, and inviting everyone out to a community cookout.

Despite the cloudy day, which did bring some rain, the cookout was a big success. Over 60 people from the neighborhood came out in the bad weather to hang out, eat food, and give us their thoughts on how we can build movement around the housing crisis that's hit the Pittsburgh community hard.

OOHA is hosting a meeting this Thursday the 14th for folks that want more information about how to plug into the work.

AFSC is excited to have the opportunity to play a role in this important work.














Tim Franzen
 American Friends Service Committee

Occupy Our Homes ATL Lift Off!

Thanks to all who made it out on Saturday for the Occupy Our Homes ATL official launch, a project that's very close to the heart of AFSC's Georgia Peace and Conflict Resolution Program! Special thanks to Chris Frazer, Bridgette Walker, Carmen Pittman, Pastor Dexter Johnson of Higher Ground Empowerment Center, and Pamela Flores for sharing their victories and struggles; to Senator Vincent Fort and Tony Romano of Right to the City Alliance for their inspiring messages of support; to folks who donated to and participated in our silent auction; to Altobeli's for the wonderful food; and to all who pledged to defend homes in the metro-Area!

Here's what OOHA has put out on their listserv:

"Over $7,000 was pledged at the event to help us with start-up expenses and initial program costs. Our goal was to have $10,000 pledged, so we are hoping to make up the difference by extending our initial push pledges one more week. By June 1st--the same day that we will move into our new communal home and headquarters--we hope to have $10,000 pledged.

If you were unable to pledge your solidarity and financial support at our launch, please consider donating here.

You will notice that over the course of our first year we are aiming to raise $28,000 through local, grassroots support. While this initially might strike ya'll as an overly ambitious fundraising goal, we want to assure folks that we've been very thoughtful and intentional about this goal and its use. As a budding community organization with large, transformative demands to change the way our city approaches housing, we recognize that there are many resources that we need in order to not only defend homeowners and tenants from foreclosure and eviction on a mass scale, but also to strive toward a total sea change in our city's approach to housing. While there are many resources that would certainly make our work more effective, we recognize that the resources we cannot do without are committed, accountable, full-time activists.

As we moves forward with our plans, we now--perhaps more than ever--hope to make it clear that we are working under the banner of the Occupy Movement. While we will not be accountable to the GA's, but rather accountable to each other and our communities, we do recognize the contradiction of Occupy activists receiving stipends from large foundations and from the 1%. Because of this, we are aiming to support our four full-time activists solely through grassroots fundraising. Please consider donating to support our activists today."

We look forward to updating everyone on OOHA's developments soon. Stay tuned for more information about our summer Home Defense Mobilizing Conferences.

AFSC's Georgia Peace and Conflict Resolution Program aims to continue to support this important movement with trainings, resources, and space for meetings and conferences. Our cities housing crisis is unprecedented and requires unprecedented, bold, nonviolent, creative action.

Tim Franzen

American Friends Service Committee

Brigitte Walkers Story Goes National!

Brigitte Walker's victory not only means that she will be able to stay in her home, it's a call to action for everyone facing eviction or foreclosure! We are encouraged that the rest of the nation is picking up on her story. Brigitte Walker's willingness to resist her foreclosure, along side Occupy Atlanta is truly inspiring!

Check out some of the coverage on Brigitte Walker and Occupy Atlanta's BIG win:

CNN

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/21/iraq-veterans-home-saved-from-foreclosure/

Creative Loafing

http://clatl.com/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-saves-a-home-from-the-auction-block/Content?oid=4427310

AutoStraddle - Occupy Atlanta Saves Lesbian Vet's Home, Accomplishes Tangible Change

http://www.autostraddle.com/occupy-atlanta-saves-lesbian-vets-home-accomplishes-tangible-change-125157/

Atlanta Creative Loafing - Occupy Atlanta Saves Home From Auction Block

http://clatl.com/atlanta/occupy-atlanta-saves-a-home-from-the-auction-block/Content?oid=4427310

CBS (Atlanta) - Occupy Atlanta Helps Keep Family in Their Home

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/16362507/occupy-atlanta-helps-keep-a-family-in-their-home

PBS (Atlanta) - Occupy Atlanta Helps Homeowner Avoid Foreclosure

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1887506/Atlanta./Occupy.Atlanta.Helps.Homeowner.Avoid.Foreclosure

The GA Voice - Lesbian To Keep Home Thanks To Occupy Atlanta

http://www.thegavoice.com/index.php/news/atlanta-news/3921-lesbian-couple-keeps-house-thanks-to-occupy-atlanta

FireDogLake - Occupy Atlanta Saves Woman's Home From Foreclosure

http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/12/20/occupy-atlanta-saves-womans-home-from-foreclosure/

Project Q Atlanta - Occupy Atlanta Helps Lesbian Veteran Keep Her Home

http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/occupy_atlanta_helps_lesbian_veteran_keep_home?gid=9871

Youtube - Chase Foreclosing on Veterans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GbnpTJoSWc

People's World - Memo Confirms Occupy Movement Has Banks on the Edge

http://peoplesworld.org/memo-confirms-occupy-movement-has-banks-on-edge/