Jailed for Justice Tour: Day 9, Savannah

An interesting thing happened on the way to Savannah, two of our arrestees decided to take a stand again. This time it wasn’t at the state capital or the governor’s mansion, it was instead it was in the neighborhood we were coming to visit for stop #9 of the Jailed for Justice Tour. Stop 9 in Savannah was by far our most eventful location! As two of our arrestees drove into town they identified a very apparently problem right in this neighborhood. We heard from Marcus Coleman and Joe Beasley who spoke about an injustice happening mere feet from where we had stood.    

As they had come into town they stopped by a local convenience store and were incensed at what they found. A sign propped up outside, a supposed deterrent to shoplifting, in which lamented the owner’s struggles with shoplifting and the effect it has on his livelihood. There was not an objection to the owner trying to protect his business; there was however an objection to the manner in which this was conveyed to the community. For you see this owner’s sign also included a picture of a young black man behind bars.

Arrestee Marcus Coleman delivered an impassioned speech to the audience, “How can you go in there, and shop there, and let that be the message that is being sent to your neighborhood?” As he went on you could see the passion in his face and hear it in his voice. “Our young men need to know they are more than that, they can be more than that; they have to stop seeing these types of messages every day. A message that says you’re going to be nothing, you are going to fail.” Speaking to an audience and a group of younger children he spoke of the fact that in American 1 in 3 black men will go to prison in their lifetime.

This seems to, unfortunately, fit right into some of the main concerns of Moral Monday. A concern that stems from a for profit prison system that makes their business off of incarceration, mostly the incarceration of young men of color and the poor. How can we live in a state where the prisons are being expanded and the state is guaranteeing they will fill those extra beds? What motivation is there for our society to rehabilitate these men and women and help them transition back into society?

 As brother Coleman pumped up the audience an amazing thing happened. Right there and then we were able to facilitate a positive change in the neighborhood. The owner of the store came out and apologized and pledged to remove the sign. They shook hands we were able to make an instant and positive change just by coming together and confronting a wrong. That is what Moral Monday is all about. This is about uniting together for a common cause, to stand up in the face of things that are wrong and say we aren’t going to tolerate it. Today Savannah took their stand, their first Moral Monday action was to send a more positive visual message to their neighborhood! 

Jackie Rodriguez, Guest Blogger, AFSC Community Organizing Intern

DeKalb Sheriff’s deputies attempting to serve an “intrusion warrant” on Toni Furman

Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, American Friends Service Committee, and Civil Rights leader Joe Beasley to held Press Conference today at Toni's home.

 On May 7th of this year, Toni Furman was in her Lithonia home when she heard someone breaking down her door. It was DeKalb Sheriff’s deputies who came to evict Toni from her home of almost 20 years. Toni was a victim of wrongful foreclosure by a notorious mortgage lender called Cenlar.

After working with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta Toni decided to lead a march to her to her home and move back in on June 10^th of this year, Since then there have been at least 1000 calls, countless emails, over 5,000 have signed an online petition,  and media inquiries to Cenar with zero response.

Last week officers under  Sheriff Browns jurisdiction showed up with an Intrusion warrant and tacked it on Toni’s door. They have been back several times since. Toni and several of her neighbors have made it clear today, she will not be leaving her home, even if it means risking her freedom, she is taking a stand.

American Friends Service Committee's Atlanta Economic Justice Program is proud to stand with Toni and we continue to be inspired by everyday Americans who risk everything to stand up to the financial giants that have ravaged communities all over the country with impunity.

The Figaro's were ripped off, and they want their wealth back

Yesterday Mike and Patrice Figaro, along with several members of Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and myself, met with Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards 

More than 60 days ago the Figaro's met with the Fulton County Commissioner to discuss fraud the county had let slip by them that ended up costing their family hundreds of thousands of dollars. At that meeting Commissioner Edwards said he and his staff would look into the forged documents and unpermitted wiring and have a report in 60 days.

It's had been more than 70 days and still no report has been issued. Last time the Figaro's met with the commissioner he had two Occupy Our Homes Atlanta advocates escorted out of the building under threat of arrest. 

Yesterday we made sure to multiple our numbers and make it clear that we would not tolerate being shut out of meeting that was set up by our members. The commissioner also invited lawyers from John Wieland's office.

Patrice and Mike both were able to really present their case, maybe for the first time, uninterrupted by the county or John Wieland's lawyers. As they presented evidence it became clear, even to Commissioner Edwards, that there was wrong doing on John Wieland's behalf and maybe event the Fulton County. 

Although the Figaro's were hoping for totally resolution, wrong doing was acknowledged and  clear next steps were put into motion at the close of the meeting. Now it's our job, our mission to hold those next step commitments from Commissioner Edwards to some level of accountability.

The Figaro's case is really like no other Housing fight we have been involved with. At first look it can seem complicated, it's really not though. After building wealth in their California home they decided to move to Georgia. They invested everything into building a home they could pay cash for. Mike made sure the house was built custom for Patrice, as she is handicapped. They essentially hired John Wieland homes to build their house. 

Shortly after they moved in everything started going wrong. There we water faucets that spilled out water, a sink hole showed up in the yard, the foundation cracked, there was an electrical fire. Turns out proper permits were not only not obtained, it appears they were forged.

John Wieland sold a bad product, and the Figaro's bought it in good faith. Unlike most people these days they purchased the home in full, upfront. The home was faulty and quickly became a hazard. The Figaro's were ripped off, and they want their wealth back.

Sign the Figaro's online petition.

Single Mom Fights Back Against Landlord

Today a delegation of six people hand delivered the petition to keep Jaye Crawford and her young daughter from being evicted from a place she had called home for over a decade.

The petition was delivered to Hugh Trotti who manages the property and has has made it clear that it's his call to displace Jaye and her daughter. Up to this point Mr. Trotti has refused to meet with Jaye to review why his is unwilling to renew her lease.

Mr. Trotti was given 24 hours to respond before the campaign to save Jaye's home is escalated.

Please sign and share Jaye's petition.

Wasted Wealth Report Released, Results Are Scathing

The City of Atlanta lost 901.8 million dollars in wealth due to the foreclosure crisis in 2012, according to a new analysis. The most devastating impacts were felt in communities of color: in zip codes with majorities of people of color, average lost wealth per household was $4,900, more than two times the average lost wealth($2,300) of  in segregated white zip codes.

These are among the key findings of a landmark study, “Wasted Wealth: The Foreclosure Epidemic, a Generational Crisis for Communities of Color,” released today by Occupy Our Homes Atlanta with the Alliance for a Just Society, Home Defenders League, and The New Bottom Line. Wasted Wealthanalyzes 2012 foreclosure data to calculate lost wealth, examines the ongoing threat of foreclosures-in-waiting, and explores the economic impacts of principal reduction. 

“While the impacts of the housing crisis have been felt broadly across communities and across the country, these data shows that there’s a clear racial dimension to the foreclosure crisis: households in communities of color are the hardest hit,” said report co-author Jill Reese, Associate Director of the Alliance for a Just Society.

The full report, including national numbers, data for all 50 states, and special breakouts for 19 cities, is available here: wastedwealthreport.com

 “Seeing this loss of wealth per household is profound. People of color in Atlanta, whose majority equity holdings remain in real estate, have been particularly affected by the crisis,” said Joe Beasley with Rainbow Push Coalition. “Without principal reduction or other interventions, people of color in this city will continue to bear the brunt of this crisis.” 

“The country cannot ignore the damage it has caused on my life, and the lives of homeowners in my community,” says Mark Harris “The threat to my family and our safety, the threat of losing our home is unacceptable.”

“Veterans like Mark Harris have been stepping up and fighting for their homes,” says Tim Franzen with American Friends Service Committee.“This report confirms that the housing crisis in Atlanta is far from over.”

In addition to wealth already lost in communities like Mark Harris’, the report found there were at lease 36,000 underwater mortgages still on the books in Atlanta 2012 and another $606.9 in wealth at stake if a share of these mortgages go into foreclosure.

Homeowners like Mark Harris have worked with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta to push Congress and the Administration to deal with the current and pending crisis by enacting principal reduction.

The report examines the economics of principal reduction; finding that a principal write-down program could save underwater homeowners in Atlanta an average of $6,700 annually, generate $242,200. in economic activity, and create 3,600 jobs.

“One of the strongest changes we could make as a nation is to implement principal reduction for homeowners,” says Franzen` “We would stop the local bleeding and put $6,700 into the pockets of homeowners.”

The full report, including national numbers, data for all 50 states, and special breakouts for 19 cities, is available here: Wastedwealthreport.com

The Atlanta report can be viewed here: http://www.wastedwealthreport.com/atlanta

A Major Win For Tacco Cullins And Her Children

Just one month ago Tacco Cullins, single mother of 11, faced homelessness after being scammed by a fake landlord.

With no public housing in Atlanta, a moratorium on section 8 housing vouchers, and no organizations able or willing to take on a family of 12 in crisis, Tacco had almost nowhere to turn.

After reaching out to Occupy Our Homes ATL Tacco decided to fight for fair housing for her and her children.

After countless press interviews, hundreds of phone calls, fundraisers, and community meetings enough money was raised to get Tacco in a much larger house that's furnished with everything the family needs.
After much public pressure it also looks like the Atlanta Housing Authority might temporarily end the section 8 freeze in order to grant the Cullen's family an emergency voucher.

This is just a start for Tacco and her children, a new beginning. Now new challenges face the family as they look for jobs, or better jobs in some cases. Tacco is excited about her weekly life skills/jobs skills sessions she started attending two weeks ago, and she has expressed wanting to become an organizer with Occupy Our Homes ATL, maybe writing a book about her experiences as a mother, and one day opening a day care center.

The Cullen's family is hosting a victory party Saturday 8/4 at 2pm at their new home at 2259 Polar Rock Terrace.

American Friends Service Committee has been excited to be a part of the campaign keep this loving family together, and we hope to stay involved over the next three months as the family makes this transition.


This campaign definitely brought a diverse group of individuals and organizers together. So many folks played super key roles in keeping this family off the streets. "Able" Mable Thomas, Atlanta Travelers Aid, Antioch Baptist Church,  Community Ministry Christian Church, Joe Beasley, Derrick Boazman, WOAK, V103, Frank and Wanda, Pittsburgh Resurrection, and countless individuals are all had the communities back, and who knows what kind ripple effect preventing Tacco and 11 children from becoming homeless will have. It's a win for humanity, and we need more of those these days.


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Sheriff Thomas Brown Has No Remorse Over 3am Eviction Of Senior Citizens

Earlier today several dozen members of the metro Atlanta community converged at DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown's office to deliver him a People's Citation for his actions against DeKalb County Resident Chris Frazer and her family.

On May 2nd Sheriff Brown and 40 of his armed officers stormed the Frazer home and evicted Chris along with her 3 year old grandson, 25 year old daughter, and her 85 year old mother. 18 years of their lives in that home were tossed in the yard like trash while members of the community watched helplessly. Many tried to help pick up Chris's belongings, but where threatened with arrest for doing so.

Last week, after much negative press, Sheriff Thomas Brown reached out to several organizers and asked what he could do to de-escalate the conflict between Occupy Atlanta, Chris Frazer, and his office. Sheriff Brown offered to accept a people's citation from the community, face Chris Frazer face to face and apologize for the pain he caused her, and contribute to her legal fees as she continues to fight Investors One Corporation.

With some skepticism, Chris Frazer agreed. As an organizer working with Chris, I was honestly excited to de-escalate with the Sheriff's office, as it feels like our energy really should be focused on the extremely shady Investors One Corporation.

Things did not play out the way any of us expected. Joe Beasley, Attorney Joshua Davis, Chris Frazer, and myself were allowed to meet with the Sheriff in his lobby while around 30 others watched from outside the glass walls. Sheriff Brown's face had no signs of reconciliation on it.

The first sign that he was backing down on his word was that he refused any media admittance to the meeting, which we had agreed he would allow. The Sheriff began to attempt to apologize, but it appeared that he just couldn't resist sharing his true remorseless feelings. At one point, as Chris Frazer had begun to weep, Sheriff Brown simply stated, "If I had to do it over again, with all the information I have now, I wouldn't have done anything differently".



In a sense Chris Frazer was forced to relive the bullying she experienced under the lash of Sheriff Brown a second time. Those of us in the room found ourselves in total bewilderment, as just days earlier Sheriff Brown had reached out to us in an attempt to make amends for the 3 a.m eviction.

After the meeting several folks, including myself, where accosted by an overwhelming number of Sheriff's officers who harassed us, demanding to take pictures of every activist who showed up, even forcing one person to show them all his tattoos.


Today was a shameful day for anyone that cares about justice in DeKalb County. We can't afford a Sheriff that disrespects folks in the community like Thomas Brown continues to.

Tomorrow(6/12) We plan to join Chris Frazer at the DeKalb County Commissioners meeting at 9am at 1300 commerce drive in the Maloof auditorium. Please come if you can.



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Newton County Resident Moves Back Into Home After Wrongful Eviction

 Newton County resident Eddie Jones was illegally evicted on Thursday, May 17th. Instead of just rolling over and letting his house get taken away like so many other Americans, Eddie decided to fight back. Eddie got a few friends together and did something very few have been brave enough to do—he moved back into his home.

This past Saturday, Sheriff’s deputies showed up at Eddie’s home to evict him. After allowing Eddie to show them paperwork that proves his foreclosure--and therefore eviction--is wrongful, the officers decided to leave and give Jones until Monday, May 21st to vacate his home.

Former Congress Woman Cynthia McKinney, who Eddie used to work for as a body guard while she was in office, contacted Occupy Our Homes ATL(OOHA) this past Saturday with a sense of urgency.
OOHA sprung into action and planned a press conference for Monday morning, the same time Eddie's 2nd  eviction was scheduled. As we were mobilizing folks the Sheriff of Newton county was contacted and informed that Eddies case was rife with fraud, and that the community would push back if there was an eviction attempt.

At the press conference, which was also a soft blockade against Eddie's eviction, we were joined by Vison Jones of National Action Network, Cynthia McKinney, Civil Rights leader Joe Beasley, and members of Newton County SCLC.

After the Monday morning press conference Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown agreed to meet with Eddie and put off eviction for an additional two weeks to establish fraud on behalf of the foreclosing entity, which in the case is Fannie Mae

More on Eddie Jones’s fight to save his home.

Mr. Jones suffered from a car wreck in 2008 and missed three payments on his mortgage, which caused him to spiral into foreclosure. He applied for the Making Home Affordable program and was accepted. After making three payments in full and on time Mr. Jones was mysteriously dropped from the program. His home was then transferred over the Internet via MERS from Litton Loan Servicing to Fannie Mae. He has a copy of the MERS transfer of the property to the evicting party, Fannie Mae, which is under a cloud of legal suspicion and may not have standing in Georgia Courts.

Mr. Jones’s home was fraudulently obtained by Fannie Mae through MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems), which was deemed by Courts throughout the country as not having any ownership interest in any mortgage. He has a case pending before Newton County Court, #2012978-5.

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

RALLY TO SAVE 108 YR OLD CHURCH FROM BB&T BANK

Tomorrow(1/17/12) at 9:30am we will be holding a press conference and rally to save Higher Ground Empowerment Center(HGEC). The time and date is significant because the bank is set to negotiate with HGEC, Occupy Atlanta,and Rainbow PUSH, at 11am. Last week Occupy Atlanta was able to help the Church put off immediate eviction from the building they've called home for over 108 years. Despite false claims from BB&T lawyers and executives, it seems clear that the bank does not plan and working out a deal that would give ownership back to the Vine city church. BB&T has also been openly dishonest with the public, claiming that they never intended to evict HGEC, we know this to be sadly false.

It is time that BB&T live up to their "Values based approach" to dealing with foreclosures and make a deal with HGEC with gives ownership to the church, time for BB&T to do the right thing.

Occupy Atlanta will also be delivering a petition, which was organized by Rebuild the Dream, to save the Church to BB&T tomorrow. There are over 60,000 signatures from people all over the country.

The fight to save HGEC from BB&T bank isn't just about saving a church, it's about saving a devastated community. Vine City is the most undeserved community in the downtown area.There are parts of the City that resemble post Katrina New Orleans. Tomorrow after our press conference members of the HGEC, the Vine City community, and Occupy Atlanta will begin the process of fixing up Vine City. It's clear that we can no longer wait around for the Mayor to wave a magic wand, if there is to be change, it's going to have to come from everyday people in the community, it's going to have to come from the 99%. In this spirit we will be picking up some of the overwhelming amount of trash around the neighborhood.We also plan on launching an effort to get signatures on a petition to save Bathune Elementary School, which is within eye-shot of HGEC, and is under threat of being shut down.

Joining us for the press conference tomorrow will be Dr. Joseph Lowery from the Peoples Agenda, Joe Beasly from Rainbow PUSH, Talk Radio Host Rob Redding,American Friends Service Committee and many other community leaders and stake holders, and organizations.


Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Occupy Atlanta Helps Save the Home of Veteran

In late November, Brigitte Walker, a decorated Iraq War veteran received another foreclosure notice. Brigitte had unsuccessfully tried to modify her loan with Chase Bank since she medically retired from the army as a result of combat related injuries in 2007. Her home was set to be sold on the Fulton County Courthouse steps on January 3rd, whether she was in it or not. Instead of making holiday plans or putting up a Christmas tree, Brigitte and her girlfriend Ajai were worried about losing their home. On a whim, Brigitte sent an email to Georgia state senator Vincent Fort, who set up a meeting with Occupy Atlanta. On December 6, after leaving the very same auction where Brigitte's home was to be sold the following month, we started occupying her home.

The sad reality is that countless families in Georgia have their homes auctioned off at county court houses every month. Many believe that homes auctioned on the court house steps are unoccupied. This is not true; Occupy Atlanta has seen multiple families begging auctioneers not to sell their homes. For many, this auction is the last nail in the coffin of their American dream, their home. Let's not get it twisted, the auctioning of occupied foreclosed homes in Georgia is nasty business.

In Georgia, the foreclosure process can begin after just one missed payment. The lender then sets a sale date for that home to be auctioned off, and publishes the sale notice in the county paper. They are only required to give the homeowner 30 days' notice, and there is no requirement that the homeowner receives the notice, only that it is sent. If the sale goes through, there is no right of redemption in Georgia, meaning there is no way for a homeowner to reclaim their home. Disrupting the auction of a home literally gives a family one more month of housing, and in some cases one more chance to save their home.

A six to nine month moratorium on evictions and foreclosures would allow time for bank inflated home values to be re-assessed to realistic payable levels. The banks' irresponsible practices played a huge role in our current crisis. In their time of need we bailed them out. Now it's their turn to do the right thing, to stop holding our economy hostage.

After two press conferences on her lawn, a national call in day, and direct action on Chase Bank, Occupy Atlanta did what Brigitte Walker couldn't do in years, get a loan modification. If it weren't for Occupy Atlanta and Brigitte Walker's willingness to resist foreclosure, she would have had her American Dream auctioned off on the Fulton county court house steps. Instead Brigitte Walker and her family can breathe easy knowing they can continue to live the American dream of home ownership.

It should be noted that while we were fighting to save Brigitte Walkers home, we also spent a great deal of time organizing the South Hills community where she lives. In her neighborhood we found over a dozen abandoned homes, and many other families facing economic hardships. The developer gave up on the community in the latter end of 2007 and never finished the community center that was supposed include a pool, basketball court, and a space for meetings. The impact of this broken promise is deep. Children have nothing to do after school or on weekends besides wander around and play in abandoned buildings. Because the Banks make slightly more money on insurance when they evict then they do on creating modifications that keep people in, communities like South Hills are being held hostage by the big banks.

Winning Brigitte's home is a win for the people. It should be a call for Georgians to fight for their homes, and fight for their neighbors' homes. Let's not forget, we outnumber the bank executives.

American Friends Service Committee is proud to stand with and support Occupy Atlanta's actions to defend families from evictions and foreclosures.

Co-Written by:

Shabnam Bashiri

Guest Writer

Tim Franzen

American Friends Service Committee