Former APD Detective is Fighting for Her Life, as GMAC and US Bank Drag tTheir Feet

Jacqueline Barber is not only fighting to stop US Bank and GMAC from taking her home, she’s also fighting cancer and back on full chemo treatments. Thousands of people all over the country read about Jacqueline’s story last October and responded. Countless phone calls and emails were sent to GMAC and US Bank officials. Protests were organized in front of US bank branches. Thousands signed Jacqueline’s online petition.

When US Bank and GMAC finally responded, they said they wanted Jacqueline to make an offer on the house, which she quickly did, offering the same price US bank was willing to sell it for on the courthouse steps.

Jacqueline and some of her supporters were so motivated to end this long struggle that they flew to Minneapolis in December, and marched to US Bank’s headquarters to deliver their petition, which over 23k people signed, and pressure US Bank and GMAC to do the right thing.

GMAC and US Bank continue to drag their feet with a response. Meanwhile Jacqueline Barber is literally fighting for her life. Jacqueline has been advised by her doctor that stress will increase the risk of complications with her cancer. The stress of not knowing what is going to happen with her home has taken a serious toll on Jacqueline Barber’s health.

We are encouraging folks to call GMAC and US Bank and ask them to do the right thing, sell the house back at the price they purchased it on the courthouse steps.

US Bank Contact: Richard Davis, US Bank CEO: (612)482-0218
GMAC Contact: Susan Fitzpatrick, Communications Director 215-734-4400
                        Dana Dillard, GMAC Mortgage Senior VP: (214)874-2269

A Blitz of Housing Justice Action in Atlanta!

From multiple cookouts, to press conferences, call-in campaigns, and physical eviction defense Atlanta, has seen a flurry of housing justice activity.

Both Jacqueline Barber and Sherrye Calhoun hosted eviction free cookouts in their yards which not only built support for their struggle against the banks, it also brought out others facing housing struggles. Both cookouts became touchstones for folks in struggle that had seen Jacqueline and Sherrye's stories and were inspired to fight the financial institutions that would have them on the street with nowhere to go.

One of those people was JoSelf Freeman, who was facing an eviction today. JoSelf saw Jacqueline Barber's story on the news and was inspired to reach out. After scrambling to put together a phone/email blast to put pressure on Fannie Mae and Bank of America, putting pressure on local government, and filling his yard with home defenders this morning, JoSelf's eviction was put off for two and a half more weeks; hopefully enough time to pressure Bank of America and Fannie Mae to make a deal that keeps JoSelf in his home.

Sherrye Calhoun also had a press conference this morning to declare she would not be leaving her home despite being under threat of arrest for trespassing in the place she's called home for 30 years.

It's taken a lot of organizing work, crippling housing conditions, and a lot of courage from residents to break the code of silence and refuse to leave their homes, but there finally seems to be some real momentum toward changing the way our communities approach housing.

Everyday another resident reaches out with a willingness to stand up, speak out, and refuse to leave. It now feels within the realm of possibility that we could have the beginnings of a powerful housing justice movement. The shear math of the numbers those struggling to keep a roof over their heads versus the number of those who continue to build their fortunes on the shattered dreams of others is encouraging. Those struggling far outnumber those who profit off the housing crisis.


Please sign and share JoSelf's petition: http://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/don-t-evict-joself-freeman-from-his-home



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

US Bank: Stop the Eviction Of Cancer Patient Jaqueline Barber

I had the opportunity to spend my Friday with Jaqueline Barber at her home with her daughter and four grandchildren. The AFSC Atlanta program will be working with Occupy Our Homes ATL and other community organizations to stop the needless eviction of Jaqueline Barber and pressure US Bank to make a deal that keeps the family in their home.

Below is a video of Jaqueline's story and a text version. I encourage everyone to share Jaqueline's petition and come out to the press conference this Monday. Links to both are below.



In Jaqueline's words,

"I spent 20 years working as an officer and detective for the Atlanta Police Department. In 1998, I was struck by a car while on the job, causing spinal injuries that left me unable to work. Forced into early retirement, I spent the next few years recovering and welcoming new grandchildren to my ever expanding family.

In 2005, while visiting a former co-worker with my daughter, I came across my dream home. A friend urged me to apply for a loan, which I did and then quickly forgot about. A few weeks later, I got a call from a loan officer telling me that I had been approved and asking me when we wanted to move. Reluctant at first, my family and I decided to purchase the home in Fayetteville, Ga. In 2009, shortly after the housing bubble burst causing our economy to crash, the adjustable rate on my mortgage reset, causing my payments to go up by almost $1500. Meanwhile, the value of my home began to plummet.

Then tragedy struck. I was diagnosed with multiple mylema, a form of bone marrow cancer. I began aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments, while my son helped me begin the long process of applying for a loan modification with Wells Fargo. After almost a year of treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, my disease went into remission. My mortgage troubles however were far from over. 

Over the next 2 years, I sent in document after document to the bank, attended countless seminars with housing counseling agencies, and tried everything I could to obtain a loan modification, all while still in a wheelchair from the pain I was suffering. My family and I even fell victim to so called “foreclosure rescue” groups, paying them over $3000 to assist us. Finally in early 2012, I received a letter from the executive VP of Wells Fargo assuring me that they were working on my case. I felt a sense of hope at the prospect of finally getting some relief. 

Much to my surprise, I received a letter a few weeks later from US Bank, claiming they had purchased my home at auction, and demanding that I vacate the property. Despite their assurances that they were working on my case, it seemed Wells Fargo had moved forward with the foreclosure. My family, including my four young grandchildren who now live with me, were faced with being put out of the home we love. 

This began my next battle with US Bank, who is demanding that my family vacate the property immediately, even refusing to sell it back to friends and family members who were more than willing to purchase the home back from them. Desperate to put off the eviction and find a way to stay in my home, I filed for bankruptcy in August which granted me a temporary stay from the eviction. The stress of all this has caused my cancer to come out of remission, and I am now having to resume aggressive treatment to fight it. Now US Bank is taking me to court to demand the judge lift the stay, allow them to evict my family, and to force us to pay their legal fees on top of it. 

Please sign my petition asking US Bank to stop their attempts to evict me, and to work out a deal that allows me to stay in my home."

Link to petition

Link to Monday's Press Conference Details