Avondale 4 Trial Concludes, But the Struggle for Housing Justice Continues

Like millions of Americans, Mark Harris- a Desert Storm veteran- lost his home to foreclosure in 2012. Determined to keep his home, Mark joined Occupy Our Homes Atlanta (OOHA) and mounted a nearly yearlong campaign to get Fannie Mae to negotiate, that included a trip to Washington D.C. to meet with top Fannie Mae officials directly. Mark believed he was still in good faith negotiations when Dekalb County Marshals showed up at the door to evict him last August.

Mark, along with OOHA members Mariam Asad, Daniel Hanley, and Tim Franzen were arrested for peacefully resisting the eviction and charged with criminal trespassing. 

The long-awaited trial for those charges began Wednesday August 6th. Following jury selection in the morning things almost immediately took a turn for the worst. Judge Dax Lopez showed a complete disregard for the equal application of the law, refusing to hear arguments from the defendants’ attorneys, showing preferential treatment to the prosecution, and denying witnesses’ testimony. 

Lynn Szymoniak, a Florida attorney and expert witness for the Justice Department, flew to Atlanta to testify on Mark’s behalf, but was denied from giving testimony despite submitting credentials to the court well in advance(Lynn wrote a piece on what she would have said to the jury). The entire day’s proceedings were filled with confusion as jurors were shuffled in and out of the courtroom at the judges command. 

After 2 days of evidence, testimony, and powerful closing statements by the defense, the trial wrapped up late Thursday afternoon, with jurors beginning deliberations around 4:30pm. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision two hours later, at which point Judge Lopez sent everyone home, forcing everyone to return to court today at 8:30am.

By lunchtime on Friday, the jury made it clear that no progress had been made, leaving Judge Lopez with no choice but to declare a mistrial.

Throughout the trial, the state refused evidence presented by the defense. Despite that fact, the prosecution was unable to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, failing to secure a verdict.

"This is a victory. Our clients were not convicted and they will remain free to continue in the fight for economic and social justice. As a legal team we have been inspired by our client's courage," stated attorney Mawuli Davis of Davis Bozeman Lawfirm,  one of four lawyers who took up the defendants case. He was joined by attorneys Joshua Davis, Dionne McGee, and Shawn McCullers all of whom took on the case pro-bono.

Of course the outcome of the trial is good but a cruel reality needs to be pointed out here. Fannie Mae's irresponsible practices, specifically the practice of bundling and securutizing loans so they can be traded on Wall street played a key role in crashing the global economy. In a matter of months millions of hard working Americans, like Mark Harris, so the wealth they had worked a lifetime to accumulate disappear. 

We were told institutions like Fannie Mae and the big banks were too big to fail, that in order to protect the economy tax payers would have to bail them out. The some total of all the monies infused into Fannie and and all the big banks when added up is over 16 trillion dollars. That's enough to buy every American a home free and clear.

Fannie Mae and the big banks have not had to stand trial or face jail time for their crimes intact at their critical crisis moment our government came to their aid with billions of dollars with the idea that bailing them out would somehow keep the economy afloat. Over 11 million hard working people lost their homes while countless millions lost all their wealth. 

There is something truly broken about a system that gives billions to thieves and locks up those standing up against the thieves. Our country needs more Mark Harris', more willing to put something on the line to resist theft of wealth and property, to resist a culture that continues to benefit a few at the cost of everyone else. 

While it may not always feel this way we we are in struggle OOHA has adopted a saying that Mark Harris often likes to remind us of, "When we fight, we win." That doesn't mean things always play out the way we want them to, it means that resisting injustice is always the right path.

Fannie Mae vs Amry Veteran

Last week at the Dekalb County courthouse, U.S. Army Veteran, Mark Harris and members of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and their lawyers  had a ‘Stand Your Ground’ hearing to argue that the protestors "stand their ground" when law enforcement attempted to evict Mr. Harris' from his house of 18 years.  Judge Dax Lopez will hear the motions.

Supporters held a pre-hearing rally on the courthouse steps.

The Occupy Our Homes members  were arrested trying to prevent the forcible home eviction of Desert Storm Veteran, Mark Harris . Mark Harris, served 21 years in the United States Army Reserve.  Mr. Harris was on the verge of qualifying for a federally funded program to save his home (Hardest Hit Fund:. Homesafe Georgia program), when he was unlawfully foreclosed on by Fannie Mae, the financial backer.

On March 6, 2014, the DeKalb Solicitor's Office filed a motion requesting that Judge Dax Lopez disqualify Attorney Mawuli Davis of the Davis Bozeman Law firm from his pro-bono representation of the housing justice activists. However, the judge ruled attorney Davis could remain in the case while three other attorneys, Shawn McCullers, Dionne McGee and Joshua Davis, joined the defense team on a pro-bono basis.

In an unprecedented legal claim the attorneys for the protestors will assert that they had a right to "defend" the property and had “no duty to retreat" (i.e. stand your ground).

"While our clients were non-violent, we believe that they reasonably believed they had a right to resist and should be granted immunity from prosecution.  No matter what, we know we are on the right side of history", stated activist attorney Mawuli Mel Davis.

 Wednesday's motions also include a 1st Amendment claim that argues that the charges should be dismissed because that were allowed to peaceably assembly, as allowed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.

 The stand your ground motion was squashed by the judge but a second hearing was set for June 16^th at 3pm to argue a 1^st amendment motion. Representatives from Fannie Mae will take the stand. Basically the argument is that since Fannie Mae is taxpayer owned 1^st amendment rights do extend to the drive way of the property where folks were actually arrested.

"We are calling on justice seeking citizens to come to the courthouse and bear witness that working people have rights that should not be trampled on by corporate interests with the help of our government" stated an arrestee and American Friends Service Committee staffer, Tim Franzen.

We encourage folks to sign and share Mark’s online petitionby clicking here.

DeKalb County Court Obstructing Justice In Mark Harris Case?

The Judge presiding over Mark Harris' case is making some questionable demands. Demands like trying to have lawyer Mawuli Davis remove himself representing the Avondale 4!

On Thursday  morning,  "Too Much Truth" radio host, Derrick Boazman will be holding a press conference at the Dekalb County Courthouse alongside American Friends Service Committee, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, Malcom X Grassroots Movement, and the NAACP DeKalb County to bring those demands to light!

As the press conference began thousands of concerned residents began calling the DeKalb solicitor upset that the judge would consider obstructing such an important case. The Question has been asked, has Fannie Mae played any role in this clear obstruction of justice?

On Monday American Friends Service Committee calls on folks to stand with Desert Storm veteran and home defender Mark Harris and brave attorney Mawuli Davis.

There will be a rally from 8-9am in from of the DekalbCounty Courthouse and then we will pack the courtroom at 9am. AFSC will be bringing several gallons of warm coffee to keep spirits up!

Please sign and share Mark’s online petition!

FHFA, Remove the Roadblocks to Recovery for Millions of Struggling Americans

Today American Friends Service Committee joined the Home Defenders League and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta in an effort to deliver a letter and petitions to Georgia Congressmen John Lewis, David Scott, and Hank Johnson. Similar deliveries are happening in 15 states today concerning the very serious issue of our governments approach to housing; more specifically Fannie Mae and Freddy Macs unwillingness to work with struggling Americans.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created as government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) with the mission of expanding access to homeownership and affordable housing. After the housing bubble burst in 2008, Fannie and Freddie were bailed out with $180billion of tax-payer funds and placed under the conservatorship of the newly established Federal Housing Finance Agency. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together are now 79% tax payer owned, own or control over half of all mortgages- over 90% of new mortgages- in the United States.

In the time since the crisis began the FHFA, under the leadership of acting director Ed DeMarco, served as a roadblock in the path to recovery, instituting policies that harm families, hurt communities, and violate federal law. For example, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have refused to offer principal reduction for underwater homeowners, a move that according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would save the federal government $2.8 billion, pump $101.7 billion back into the economy, and prevent tens of thousands of foreclosures.Additionally, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have refused to allow buybacks of homes post-foreclosure or accept rent from former homeowners, choosing to sell the homes to investors for pennies on the dollar instead. These are just a few examples of current polices in place at the FHFA that continue displace families and destroy communities across our city and as an organization dedicated
to housing justice in Atlanta, we see this impact firsthand every day.

Today, with the help of the American people, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have returned to profitability, earning the US Treasury billions of dollars. In January, after a two year campaign to remove acting FHFA director Ed Demarco, North Carolina Congressman Mel Watt- was confirmed as the new permanent director of the FHFA, signaling the possibility for changes at the agency. While some progress has been made, for many struggling homeowners, relief is not coming fast enough. The changes we are calling for immediately include:
• Accepting rent from tenants and former owners after foreclosure
• Providing loan modifications that include principal reduction to the current market value
• Selling homes back to occupants post-foreclosure at the current market value
• Donating vacant homes to community organizations to create affordable housing
• Putting more than $570million into the National Housing Trust Fund that has been withheld by Mr.
Watt’s predecessor, Ed DeMarco.
• Reject legislation or proposals that would mandate discrimination by federal agencies against mortgage
loans made in communities that may implement local principal reduction programs.

After delivery a letter and a petition to pressure Mel Watt, we also left petitions with each congressman that were for individual local housing justice campaigns that were in their perspective districts. I hope you will consider signing each of those petitions!
Nancy Daniells
Zannie Jackson
Nazim Abdul-Latif

Mel Watt Welcoming Party!

After over a year of pressure from grassroots organizations like Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, former head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Ed DeMarco has been fired. There’s a new boss overseeing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his name is Mel Watt.

Today American Friends Service Committee joined members of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, including struggling homeowners Zannie Jackson and Nancy Daniell who are facing foreclosure at the hands of Fannie and Freddie respectively, in  throwing a welcoming party for Director Watt at the Atlanta regional office of Fannie Mae. Like any good party there was cake, balloons, and even a great big greeting card for Mel Watt.  

Residents and community members spoke about Mel Watt’s potential to help communities around the country, and what we believe should be his main priorities at the FHFA.

 

We know that Mel Watt has the potential to be a great community partner and work to keep people in their homes. However, we want him to know that we plan on holding him accountable every step of the way. While Mel Watt has already taken steps to distance himself from DeMarco, we want to make sure he starts working on the things communities need right away.

Mel Watt has the power to relief struggling homeowners of dept that insures loans will remain underwater for years if not forever. We hope that Watt will also turn over vacant properties to community groups to be used for affordable/transitional housing units. As city's like Atlanta continue to see the number of homeless increase, it's painful to see empty homes in struggling communities.

 

After we gathered in front of Fannie Mae's regional head quarters, signed our cards, and each shared our hope and dreams for Mel Watt, we decided it was time to deliver our giant greeting card, the cake, and the balloons! Zannie and Nancy also delivery copies of their online petitions to save their homes. Well, it turns out the surprise was on us! Fannie Mae decided to tell the private security force not to allow us in the building, and not to accept our greeting card.

 

Never ones to leave the job undone,  we simply went around the side of the building and delivered our package at the building loading dock, where it was gladly accepted!

Please sign Zannie Jackson and Nancy Daniell's online petition's by clicking on their names.

Fannie Mae Wastes Taxpayer Money Prosecuting Nonviolent Home Defense of Veteran Mark Harris

Yesterday former congressman Mel Watt took office as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Today, Fannie Mae is taking four people to court with charges of criminal trespassing for working peacefully and nonviolently  to keep Desert Storm veteran Mark Harris in his Avondale Estates home of 16 years.

Under the direction of Ed DeMarco, the former interim director of the FHFA, Fannie Mae refused principle reduction to current market value for many struggling homeowners like Mark, resulting in an unprecedented rate of foreclosures across the nation. Instead of helping struggling homeowners, Fannie Mae chose to waste public tax dollars on expensive eviction procedures. In August, Fannie Mae had Mark Harris evicted at gunpoint at spent tens of thousands on 24/7 private security. This money could have gone to helping Mark work out a deal he could afford. Fannie Mae is now set to spend even more taxpayer money to prosecute four people that, along with over ten thousand people who have signed petitions supporting Mark Harris, didn't want to see another veteran on the streets.

In court today, the four arrestees plead not guilty to charges of criminal trespassing levied against them by Fannie Mae, forcing Fannie Mae to justify their actions in a court of law.

Fannie Mae, under the direction of Mel Watt's FHFA, has a choice to make. We ask that Mel Watt direct Fannie Mae to drop the charges against our peaceful and nonviolent arrestess who fought to keep a veteran housed and save American taxpayers and homeowners billions by correcting mortgages to current market value.

We are grateful for the legal assistance from the Davis/Boazman law firm who continues to tirelessly step up for the Atlanta community good over and over again.

Sign Mark Harris' online petion

Heavy Police Force Breaks Up Candlelight Vigil For Homeless Veteran

For the past  15 weeks, supporters of Veteran MarkHarris, who was evicted at gunpoint by Fannie Mae, have been holding a candlelight vigil in front of Fannie Mae VP, Candy Lasher's home. Tonight, over 15 DeKalb county police officers, many in tactical gear, were sent to break up the peaceful vigil, threatening everyone with citations and arrest. American Friends Service Committee has been involved in Mark's campaign for the last year and has had a presence at every candlelight vigil. It was a truly horrifying scene to experience first hand, there was a feeling that anything could happen to us in what seemed like a militarized zone.

They cited an obscure ordinance aimed at stifling union organizing, claiming that the solemn, silent candlelight vigil was actually a picket that potentially blocked An entrance, threatened people, or encouraged a boycott of some sort. The simple fact is that in all of our research we have found no law which prohibits candlelight vigils on public property. Below is an open letter to DeKalb County Police chief Cedric Alexander by Mother and Homemaker Kathy Akcer who was present and traumatized by last night’s police action. Kathy is pictured in this photo, she's wearing the green dress and the blue jacket:

Dear CEO Mays and Police Chief Alexander,

In 1984 we moved to DeKalb County and bought our first home. My baby was born in this house; he attended public school from kindergarten through high school;  and he is now married and a mathematics teacher.

My DeKalb County police officers have always been there for me;  from protecting the children at school to patrolling my house when I was out of town to going door-to-door to check on our safety the night a  neighbor was violently assaulted in her home. They even counseled us after the young hiker was murdered by a horrible serial killer who frequented our neighborhood park.

As moms, we always told our children that if they were ever in trouble they should run to the Policeman.

Tonight I attended a candlelight vigil for Army Veteran Mark Harris. I met
Mark after Fannie Mae evicted him from his home of eighteen years.
After meeting Mark, how could I not attend the vigil for this brave Veteran
and father?

Imagine how I felt when standing in a cul de sac, out of the mist of
headlights fifteen "action figures" - fully armed and dressed in black skull
caps and bullet-proof vests - converged on us. It was like a scene from
"Zero Dark Thirty" when the black helicopters dropped the SEALS and
under cover of darkness they closed in on Osama Bin Laden. Only
the homemaker and mother in the autumn-yellow tights and a dress
was no Osama Bin Laden.

The very idea that in economic hard times for working folks - and with
DeKalb County strapped for police officers - tax-payer dollars would be
spent to send fifteen officers, five squad cars, and a prisoner transport
vehicle to intimidate seven citizens (three of them seniors) is an outrage.
As stated above, there are real criminals in the county - murderers and
sexual assailants - for the police to stop.

Tonight I feel so disappointed by the police officers I have always trusted.
I feel scared of the officers I thought would protect me.
I am still shaking.

CEO Mays and Chief Alexander, why does Fannie Mae - one of the chief
culprits in the Great Recession - deserve more protection from you than a
regular person like me or an honorable Veteran like Mark?

Sincerely,
Mrs. K. Acker
Mother and Homemaker
DeKalb County, GA

Zannie Jackson Fights For His Home and His Life

 
Zannie Jackson bought a home for his family in 2005, he invested countless dollars in fixing it up only to see the market crash as a result of irresponsible and fraudulent bank practices.

In 2012 Zannie was diagnosed with renal kidney failure.

Zannie Jackson is now fighting to save his life and stay in his home. With failing kidneys, he spends four hours a day, three days a week, in dialysis treatment. Zannie has been undergoing dialysis treatment for two year now. In the meantime, Bank of America, Seterus Corporation, and Fannie Mae, are trying to take his home. As a single parent his home has provided shelter for his son and a safe heaven for him to get healthy. Just recently Zannie made it onto a kidney donor list at Emory hospital, giving him a light at the end of the tunnel. However, Bank of America is getting in the way of that. They are refusing to work with him on the second mortgage that has made his home unaffordable on his fixed income. Instead of working with him they are actively trying to put him on the streets and take away his safe haven, which would harm his health even further and possibly cost him his life.

The callousness of our financial institutions is made apparent in situations like these. The paradigm that Bank of America, and their government-owned backers like Fannie Mae, operate under is one in which health problems and crises of any kind result in near-immediate homelessness. Zannie has been trying to work with Bank of America for months, and they have refused to budge. They would rather see an ill man die in the streets before accepting lower payments while he waits for a kidney transplant.

Today Zannie made a commitment to stand up to Bank of America and Seterus stating, "I have no where else to go, there's no plan B".

We urge Bank of America and Seterus to do the right thing and work with Zannie. Our communities need real solutions, not evictions.  

Next Thursday at 3pm Zannie and his supporters are planning a rally in from of Bank of America downtown. Click here for details.

Please sign and share Zannie's online petition.

Struggling Residents From Across the Southeast Storm Senator Isakson's Office to Demand No Filibuster of FHFA Director Confirmation Vote

Today struggling homeowners fighting mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with housing justice activists from across the southeast, converged at the office of Senator Johnny Isakson in Atlanta to demand that he does not block a vote to confirm a permanent director for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

 This group includes Mark Harris, a Desert Storm veteran evicted at gunpoint by Fannie Mae last August from his home in Avondale Estates, Nancy Daniell, a senior citizen whose Duluth home was wrongfully foreclosed on by Nationstar on behalf of Freddie Mac, and Zannie Jackson, a Fannie Mae homeowner and dialysis patient worried about keeping a roof over his head in addition to fighting for his life. Monday's action is the culmination of Atlanta's Housing Justice Academy, a three day training in home defense and non-violent direct action, attended by homeowners, renters, and activists from around the Southeast organized by the American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta.  

At around 1pm fourty home defenders, many of whom are at risk of losing their homes, entered Johnny Isakson's office building where we were immediately told that we would not be allowed into his office despite the fact that folks had driven hundreds of miles to meet with someone from the Senator's office. Finally we decided to go up to the senator's office anyway. Once outside his office we were refused admittance and told no one would meet with us today, which didn't stop us. We stood outside the office until someone met with us. A staff opened the door and offered to meet with us in the doorway without allowing us through the door. They basically wanted to take whatever information we had on paper and be done with us, instead we had a line of struggling residents ready to tell their stories and let Senator Isakson's staff understand what appointing a permanent FHFA director could mean for folks. After several residents shared their story's we then unrolled a large banner that said "#not1moreeviction".

The group spent another hour or so outside the senators office holding signs and granting press interviews.

A vote in the Senate to confirm a new director of the FHFA will happen early this week.  As this confirmation hearing approaches residents are advocating for a confirmation of a permanent Director of the FHFA. Since Senator Isakson and his fellow Republican congresspeople have threatened to filibuster Watt's confirmation, the residents staged a "filibuster" at Isakson’s office, by sharing the laundry list of violations and injustices of the FHFA. The confirmation of a permanent director FHFA  could mean principal reduction for hundreds of thousands of struggling American homeowners. It could also mean the turning over of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac vacant properties over the community organizations for the use of affordable housing.

Similar protests will be taking place around the country on Monday as part of a national day of action to demand that there is "Not 1 More Eviction" until a new permanent director is confirmed by the Senate. These actions are part of the larger movement to "Dump Ed DeMarco," acting Director of FHFA, and reverse his policies that have been devastating to both homeowners and renters.  More than half of all mortgages in the US are managed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Even with all the current talk of housing recovery, 13 million homeowners are still underwater.FHFA’s continued  refusal to reduce principal to current value has hurt the economy, pushing millions of homeowners into the streets.  

Click here for Mark Harris' story and petition. 

Click here for Nancy Daniell's story and petition. 

Click here for Zannie Jackson's story and petition. 

Click here for Sherri Joubert's story and petition.

Click here for more information on the Housing Justice Academy. 

Homeless Veteran's Struggle Continues

On August 9th 2013 Fannie Mae evicted veteran Mark Harris at gunpoint. Since then he has been holding solemn weekly candlelight vigils outside of Fannie Mae VP Candy Lasher's house to demand that Fannie Mae come back to the negotiating table to get him back in his home.

It's been nine weeks since Mark's eviction, and the ninth week of his vigil. Since Fannie Mae suddenly stopped negotiating with Mark, Congress has shut down the Federal Government leaving only so-called "essential" services operating. Fannie Mae, operating under the Federal Housing Finance Agency, continues to perform foreclosures and evictions.

As a result of the Government shut down our national parks are closed, over 80,000 Americans are unpaid, new social security recipients are not receiving promised and needed funds, yet Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue put people like Mark Harris out of their homes.

Today our message was clear; we will not go away until Fannie Mae meets with Mark Harris to discuss a way to get him back in his home. Atlanta doesn’t need another homeless veteran.

Please Sign Mark’s online petition. 

Week Five Outside Fannie Mae VP Candy Lasher's home

The question was posed this week by one of Candy Lasher's neighbors, "Isn't protesting outside someone's home taking things to far?".

It was an interesting question considering why we have been holding our weekly candlelight vigil outside Candy's home.

Friday August 9th Desert Storm veteran Mark Harris was evicted at gun point by Fannie Mae. Mark had been trying to work with Fannie Mae for months and had offered multiple very fair deals to the taxpayer owned mortgage giant. Fannie refused to offer anything like a reasonable deal, instead choosing to move forward with an extremely tactical military style eviction. Fannie Mae even hired a private enforcement team to surround Mark's home 24/7, in fact that private force still surrounds Mark's home now. We estimate this comes at a cost of about 15k per month!

So while having a somber vigil outside Fannie Mae's SE regional VP's home may seem intrusive, it's clear most would agree that the extreme action taken against Mark Harris was certainly much more intrusive and came with the threat of actual violence.

American Friends Service Committee will continue to work with local partners to support Mark Harris and his fight to occupy his home. It is a cruel irony that our tax dollars have been used to pay for Mark's eviction and 24/7 enforcement team to stand around the house. The money Mark had offered for his home would have been a source of revenue for Fannie Mae, instead their eviction of this Desert Storm veteran has cost us all thousands of dollars and created yet another homeless veteran in Atlanta.

We believe it's time for Fannie Mae to do the right ting and meet with Mark. Make a deal that puts Mark back in the place he has called home for 18 year. We will continue to shine a light, every week, and the decision makers at Fannie Mae until they decide to do the right thing.

To sigh Mark's online petition click here.

To join us next week for Mark's vigil click here.

A call For Moral Monday In Georgia

Monday evening American Friends Service Committee, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, and other organizations are calling for Georgia's first Moral Monday to be oriented around taking back Mark Harris's home!

 

When: Monday 8/12, 7:15pm

Where: Mark Harris’s home, 1164 Dunwick Dr, Avondale Estates, 30002

The recent eviction of disabled Desert Storm veteran, Mark Harris, inspired Occupy Our Homes Atlanta to bring together a diverse coalition of concerned citizens around the struggle for housing justice in Georgia. At 8:00 am on Friday, August 9th, DeKalb County Marshals evicted Harris at gunpoint from his home of 18 years. After 10 months of negotiations with Fannie Mae, the owner of Harris’s mortgage, they made it clear they are no longer interested in finding a solution and would rather see another homeless veteran on the streets of Atlanta.

Since Friday morning, Harris, community members, and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta have mobilized to defend Harris’s home. We are deeply concerned with the immorality of the institutions responsible for the housing crisis and will not allow Fannie Mae to put another veteran on the street.

Yesterday multiple acts of civil disobedience took place at Mark Harris’s home.

Occupy Our Homes Atlanta is calling for the first Moral Monday to protest housing injustice in our state and in our nation. Defending Mark's home is a powerful way to stand up to the nationally nefarious practices of Fannie Mae. It is also a way to highlight and potentially change local and statewide policy around housing.  Groups endorsing include: AmericanFriends Service Committee, Atlanta Jobs With Justice ,Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, South Regional Rainbow Push Coalition, Cobb Immigrants Alliance, Cobb United For Change Coalition, DeKalb SCLC, Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists, International Socialist Organization.

Postcards for Justice

Earlier this week folks in the Occupy Our Homes Atlanta network were asked if they would be willing to send a postcard to Judge Mark Anthony  Scott asking him to sign a restraining order against Fannie Mae, which stop Fannie Mae from taking the home of Desert Storm Veteran Mark Harris.

Over the course of the week hundreds of people have responded expressing that they enthusiastically send a postcard to support Mark Harris. Today we sent our first batch of postcards and we know dozens of others that are sending their from their homes. Tomorrow and Monday we will be sending more postcards.

In Atlanta we have seen the homeless population dramatically increase over the last 10 years as the housing crisis has hit already struggling communities. A startling percentage of our homeless population are veterans, many of them, like Mark, combat veterans.

We believe Fannie Mae has an opportunity to do the right thing here, we know Mark is willing to pay and fair price and we know that his community is unwilling to sit back and watch another veteran lose their home.

American Friends Service Committee is proud to be able to support this campaign by printing postcards and making sure every card gets delivered. There's still time to have a postcard sent on your behalf, just email tfranzen@afsc.org with your name and address and we will make sure one gets mailed on your behalf. You can also sign marks petition by clicking here.

Amazing Video Recap Of Mark Harris Week Of Action!

Check it out and share far and wide! Special Thanks to Rob Call with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta for making this short, and of course everyone who participated in all of the actions this week!


Sign the petition to keep Mark in his home!

Eviction Free Fish Fry For Mark Harris!

This past Friday night dozens of community members joined Mark Harris and his family for an eviction free  fish fry.

The purpose was two fold. We certainly aimed to have a good time enjoying each others company, making new friends, and eating delicious food on a perfect night, but that was not all. Under all the cheerful vibes there was a serious earnestness to our gathering; we were there to make a plan to defend Marks home from Fannie Mae and local law enforcement.

On a full stomach we ran several drills preparing folks for an all out nonviolent eviction defense. Our goal is to fill Marks yard with people, should the time come, and make it clear to Fannie Mae that Mark's community will not accept another vacant house, we will not accept another homeless veteran in Atlanta. As Mark would say, "We're fired up, can't take it no more."

To Sign Mark's petition click here

Mark also started an online fundraising campaign in case the worst happens.

Desert Storm Veteran Takes His Fight To Fannie Mae Executive's Home

The Past Wednesday Desert Storm veteran Mark Harris held a Candle light vigil and prayer service at the home of Catherine "Candy" Lasher, the regional director of Fannie Mae. Candy can decide whether or not to throw Mark Harris out of his home.

 Around twenty people Joined Mark for the somber event. After canvassing Candy Lasher's neighborhood to make sure everyone knew why we were there and that there was no need for folks to be afraid, Pastor David Rice led the group in prayer not only for Mark Harris but the millions of people struggling with a housing issue.

We had a candlelighting ceremony in which everyone in attendance shared their hopes, dreams, and concerns.

For me personally the issue of national security was on my mind this evening. I belief in national security, I think It should be our top priority as a national community.


A nation that is truly secure would see all of it's residents with a place to call home, food to eat, and a decent paying job. The sad irony in that we have all the resources to make the dream a reality. Our economic crisis has never been about resources, there's is and always has been enough to go around. Our crisis is about economic priority.

If we continue to believe that developing enough weapons to bomb the world a dozen times over and recruiting young people to go bomb other poor countries somehow makes us more secure, then we will continue to live in economic insecurity while those that profit from our manufactured fears make record profits.


Mark Harris and millions of others are in crisis, and we need to start seeing corporate greed and a historic military budget for what they are; robberies from our communities and real threats to real human security.

One simply place to start prioritizing  national security is for President Obama to do what he has said he would do on the election trail and fire FHFA director Ed Demarco. Demarco could single handidly bring relief in the form of the greatest people's bailout in my generation with mortgage principle reduction. Demarco has widespread support for this measure but has refused to move forward claiming that it's would be morally wrong to relieve people like Mark Harris of their dept.

It's time to let go backwards thinkers like Ed Demarco and appoint someone who has the courage and compassion to take our communities out of the hostage situation they've been in for years.

Sign Mark's online petition

Come support Mark in Atlanta Friday 4/12



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committe