Landlord Breaks Promise to Sell Home to 27 Year Tenant After Community Rallied to Raise the Funds

 

What: Press Conference to Save Ms. Juliet's Home

When: Thursday, April 21, at 4 p.m.
Where: 3529 Misty Valley Rd Decatur GA

Please join us tomorrow at a press conference and neighborhood meeting at the home of Juliet Brown, a Black elder of Decatur who is facing a pending writ of possession in the fight to remain in the home she’s rented for 27 years.

Ms. Juliet has rented her home for 27 years. In 2019, Dustin Maxwell purchased Ms. Juliet’s home, at the time promising Ms. Juliet that he was committed to letting her stay. In February 2021, however, Maxwell notified Juliet that he was selling the home.

After lengthy negotiations, Dustin agreed to allow Ms. Juliet to purchase the home. Neighbors and community members helped raise money, and Maxwell was presented with a finalized purchase agreement. However, Maxwell is no longer willing to sell, and has filed to proceed with the eviction.

Ms. Juliet has been fighting this eviction for nearly a year, and her case will now go to Georgia Superior Court. Ms. Juliet’s fight is just one piece of a larger struggle against gentrification and displacement in predominantly Black Atlanta-area neighborhoods.

Ms. Juliet and Housing Justice League refuse to allow Dustin Maxwell to get his way in the year long struggle to save Ms. Juliet’s home. It is not right to displace a long-term, Black senior resident just to make a quick buck.

Please come out and show your support. Bring Signs!

Atlanta Residents March on Fulton County, Challenge Cruel Eviction Process

Residents Take to the streets

 Yesterday members of the Housing Justice League took the streets of downtown Atlanta and Marched to the Fulton County Courthouse and the County Commissioners office. The march will be led by Atlanta residents who have experienced or in the process of experiencing the eviction in Fulton County.

Residents Sopke about their experience with eviction process

Carver Highschool Band helped keep the spirits up

Atlanta has been declared to be in a renter’s state of emergency. Right now in Fulton County the number of evictions has dramatically spiked to 500 a week! Many of those evictions are as a result of arbitrary rent increases that often come with no changes in tenant amenities. The eviction process in Fulton County is not only cruel, its decades behind the rest of the country. During eviction court in Fulton, which happens twice a week, Judges sign off on an average of one eviction per minute. A whole sickening economy has developed around the eviction process in our county with over ten 3rd party eviction corporations thriving off the crisis.

 

We call on the Fulton County Commission to take immediate action to change the eviction process in Fulton County. The following recommendations are working in other parts of the country, they are not revolutionary proposals but they would make the eviction process more humane and less difficult to bounce back for tenants in hardship. These changes are but a step in the right direction.

Residents Hold Space Outside Fulton County Courthouse

1.       Scheduled Evictions

Many counties and states around the country schedule evictions. We already know that evictors have to schedule eviction with moving companies, why not schedule evictions with the resident. As things stand now residents are subject to a knock on the door at any hour. Scheduled evictions allow residents the final reminder of the coming crisis at hand and gives them a last chance to secure their own belongings.

2.       No evictions after hours

After hours evictions can leave families with nowhere to go, no truck to rent, no storage facility to move things into. We know after hours evictions have been facilitated in DeKalb County. This is a cruel practice that no family should be subjected to. We ask that you commit to making evictions outside the hours of 9am-4pm against DeKalb County policy

3.       No evictions during extreme weather

Going through the evictions process means immediate homelessness for some, it also means all of your life belongings are put out on the street in the elements. Many counties will not do evictions in freezing, raining, or 100 degree weather.

4.       Costs paid by the evictor or a cap of public spending

Evictions can bring an enormous cost the county. The banks and private equity groups that do most of the evicting make an enormous profit. In many counties the evictor pays for the process, in some cases counties put a cap on what they will pay for.

5.       Relocation and 30 days storage for belongings

One of the most dehumanizing parts of the eviction process is having your things dumped in the front yard. Not only are families immediately faced with the prospect of having nowhere to go, they also have to protect their belongings. Furthermore this process is bad for the whole community, effecting the financial and spiritual value of the neighborhood. Many counties, and some states, require the evictor to pay property to be moved to a storage facility for at 30 days.

6.       Handle belongings with care

Often times peoples belongings are destroyed or stolen during the eviction process. We hope that as Sheriff you are able to facilitate stringer accountability for your constituent’s belongings during the eviction process.

7.       Referrals for housing services

Many facing evictions have now where to go. As a point of policy it would be fairly simple to provide those being evicted with a comprehensive list of service providers in the area. Often time’s people are given assistance finding temporary shelter for their animal but no assistance finding temporary shelter for themselves, this should change immediately.

Residents posted "Final Notice" with demands on the Fulton County Government Building and the County Courthouse

Will the Chinese Be Evicted From DC Chinatown?

Bush Company’s Plans to Build More Luxury Condos Would Displace Hundreds and Mark the End of DC Chinatown

Tenant leaders from across the US joined Museum Square Tenants today to support tenants at Museum Square in DC’s Chinatown facing displacement to make way for luxury condos. Over 100 tenants came together for the rally, which was held outside the DC Chinatown complex.

Approximately half of Chinatown’s remaining Chinese population lives in the 302-¬unit Museum Square building. Most tenants are Chinese immigrants; the rest are African¬American. The owner plans to tear down Museum Square to build 850 high rise luxury condos.

Are the Chinese being evicted from DC Chinatown? That is the question and the concerned shared by many long term residents of the community. “I don’t call it Chinatown anymore I call it downtown; I don’t know why they have Chinese letters on all the buildings. I remember when we used to be able to walk down H street to get rice, vegetables, and everything else we need. Now most Chinese business has been priced out” stated Museum Square tenant leader Jenny Tang.

Last October, the owner declined to renew the federal subsidy contract that kept the building affordable for low income tenants Under federal law, tenants were issued “Enhanced Vouchers” by HUD which provide them a legal Right to Remain in their homes.

Initially, the owner refused to accept the vouchers, but relented under pressure from Museum Square tenants and their allies. Although the owner now accepts vouchers, both the owner and the DC Housing Authority continue to encourage tenants to move.

HUD officials on Monday refused to change their policy which recognizes a tenant's right to remain but requires the tenants to personally enforce that right. This forces low-¬income tenants to contend with well financed real estate developers and owners.

11 yr old Tenant Leader Jasmine Tang

“Just because the owner says ‘you have to move’ does not mean you have to move. Right now, in my heart, it means ‘work as a team and fight,’” said Jasmine Tang, a ten year old tenant leader who lives in Museum Square. “The owner does not know how many people and children he can hurt by just demolishing the building.”

 

"The struggle of Museum Square tenants has put a spotlight on the issues faced by low income tenants and communities of color across the nation,” commented NAHT President Ed Lucas.  

An on-line petition was created to build pressure to stop the displacement of the Museum Square tenant: https://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/bush-company-stop-the-displacement-of-300-families?bucket=&source=twitter-share-button

Fulton County Drops Case Against Tim Franzen

Almost four years ago Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, now rebranded as the Housing Justice League, launched an ambitious campaign to liberate vacant homes in Atlanta. The first campaign we launched was led by Michelene Meusa, Renika Wheeler, and their two amazing children Dillon and Jahla.

After occupying the house for seven days M&T bank flew down executives from New York and worked with Atlanta Police to evict the family despite community support. Renika and Michelene refused to leave and several other supporters, including myself, refused to leave as well. We knew that arrests were very likely but we also knew that half of the homes in the neighborhood were bank owned vacants that had been sitting empty for years while the Atlanta homeless populations was multiplying. It was a time for drastic measures. 

In the end four of us were arrested but we managed to bring a lot of media attention to Michelene and Renika's struggle and the housing crisis facing thousands of Atlantans. I'm happy to report that many people in the movement stepped up to support Michelene and Renika and they have been living in a home with their children, totally self sufficent, for years.


After that campaign we quickly won our next two home liberations and we started to see more people around the country use that model.

The four of us arrested were charged with criminal trespass. Eventually everyone's charges, except mine, were dropped. Over the years I've had countless court dates related to this charge, some of which I showed up to and no judge was present. There have been two separate occasions in which I was arrested on a failure to appear warrant, both times were extremely suspicious as they were right in the middle of protests or organizing meetings. Another time I was detained for over an hour after being followed by police after an organizing meeting. The officer claimed I didn't appear at a court proceeding related to the charge, thankfully I was able to call my lawyer and a friend from the back seat of the officers car before they attempted to book me.

Today I had to go to court, it was time to set a trail date. It's rare that I get any kind of pleasant surprise from the state but today I did; they decided to drop the case all together! In the paper work they cited: " An assessment has been made by the prosecutor and it's determined that in the best interest of justice the prosecution should be terminated"

I have no doubt that a major factor in this outcome is the fact the cities best movement lawyer, Mawuli Mel Davis of the Davis/Bozeman lawfirm represented me.

Despite the difficulties this specific arrest has brought me over the years I want to be clear that it was 100% worth all the trouble. Doing the right thing can never be wrong and the positive outcomes radically outweigh the personal issues I have endured. That being said I'm grateful to close the book on this one. Thanks to everyone that supported me through the process!

Love and Service,

Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee

Community Demands Dignified Eviction Procedures From DeKalb Sheriff’s Office

After months of attempting to create dialogue with acting Sheriff Jeff Mann around troubling eviction policy’s which include afterhours evictions, excessive force, and alleged theft of evictees personal property, DeKalb residents plan to bring concerns and eviction policy recommendations to the Sheriff’s department tomorrow(7/16) at12pm.

   DeKalb County is home to the zip codes of 6 of the 15 highest rates of underwater homeowners in the entire country according to the Under Water America report published by the Haas Institute.

  Occupy Our Homes Atlanta continues to be overwhelmed by the number of DeKalb County residents in immediate housing crisis. There is a clear moral imperative to make the eviction process more humane for folks going through a very difficult time in their lives.

In our attempt to reach out to both Sheriff candidates Vernon Jones committed to enact a six month moratorium on evictions in DeKalb County and appoint a committee to make recommendations on changing the eviction process in the county.

Tomorrow American Friends Service Committee joins DeKalb residents and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta as we deliver a letter to acting Sheriff Jeff Mann that includes practical recommendations that are already working in other parts of Georgia and the rest of the country.

Recommendations include:

1.         Scheduled Evictions

Many counties and states around the country schedule evictions. We already know that evictors have to schedule eviction with moving companies, why not schedule evictions with the resident? As things stand now residents are subject to a knock on the door at any hour. Scheduled evictions allow residents the final reminder of the coming crisis at hand and gives them a last chance to secure their own belongings.

2.         No evictions after hours

After hours evictions can leave families with nowhere to go, no truck to rent, no storage facility to move things into. We know after hours evictions have been facilitated in DeKalb County. This is a cruel practice that no family should be subjected to. We ask that you commit to making evictions outside the hours of 9am-4pm against DeKalb County policy

3.         No evictions during extreme weather

Going through the evictions process means immediate homelessness for some, it also means all of your life belongings are put out on the street in the elements. Many counties will not do evictions in freezing, raining, or 100 degree weather.

4.         Costs paid by the evictor or a cap of public spending

Evictions can bring an enormous cost the county. The banks and private equity groups that do most of the evicting make an enormous profit. In many counties the evictor pays for the process, in some cases counties put a cap on what they will pay for.

5.         Relocation and 30 days storage for belongings

One of the most dehumanizing parts of the eviction process is having your things dumped in the front yard. Not only are families immediately faced with the prospect of having nowhere to go, they also have to protect their belongings. Furthermore this process is bad for the whole community, effecting the financial and spiritual value of the neighborhood. Many counties, and some states, require the evictor pay for property to be moved to a storage facility for at least 30 days.

6.         Handle belongings with care

Often times peoples belongings are destroyed or stolen during the eviction process. We hope that as Sheriff you are able to facilitate stronger accountability for your constituent’s belongings during the eviction process.

7.         Referrals for housing services

Many facing evictions have now where to go. As a point of policy it would be fairly simple to provide those being evicted with a comprehensive list of service providers in the area.

SunTrust vs Small Bussines

After D'BABS Construction Inc., a black-owned, woman-owned, construction company, fell behind on their business mortgage during the financial crisis caused by the big banks, they were assigned to a specific employee at SunTrust, who held the debt, to make payments to in effort to catch up and avoid foreclosure.

When that employee abruptly left SunTrust, D'BABS was left with no one to accept the special payments on their mortgage. After months of attempting to pay SunTrust, a realtor friend said they had seen the business location get auctioned off in foreclosure.

The sisters of D'BABS had no idea they had been foreclosed upon. Since finding out they have been locked in negotiations with SunTrust's aggressive attorneys. SunTrust has chased off the other tenants in D'BABS' building, and is now working to evict and destroy this local woman and minority-owned small business.

At this point Suntrust is aggressively moving to evict the small business despite multiple attempts to work out a mutually beneficial solution. With SunTrust’s unwillingness to work with the women of DBABS they have been left no other option but to paunch a public pressure campaign in a last ditch effort to keep the small business open. So far over 2k people have signed an oline petition to save the small bussiness.

D'BABS workers and  community supporters have committed to a weekly rally outside SunTrust until a solution is found.

Bringing the Movement to Florida Pt 2

Over the last three days I've visited residents in Lake Worth, Miami, and Florida. Each stop is part listening project, part housing justice workshop with one goal; to build the housing justice movement in Florida and the South East in general.

This trip has been extremely inspiring. With very little notice or outreach groups of homeowners facing foreclosure/eviction have come together to learn how to use public pressure and direct action to stop financial institutions from taking their homes, and taking their neighbor's homes. It's been especially exciting to see the conversations about affordable housing, challenging the commoditization of housing, and local strategies to build a sustainable movement in Florida.

At each stop the discussion eventually went to what communities believe they need to build a local housing justice movement with a focus on using nonviolent direct action and public pressure. I feel confident we will be seeing not only a handful of new housing justice campaigns launched all over Florida, but I believe that we have at least two strong new groups emerging, maybe more.

Florida has consistently been on the top of the list with foreclosure rates, and one or the most underwater. Florida has also become ground zero for Wall Street's new strategy of buying up bank owned vacants for a fraction of what they were worth just a few years ago.

One of the goals of the tour is to encourage folks to attend a South Eastern Housing Justice Academy organized by American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta. At the academy we hope to provide trainings and direct action experience designed to help folks come up with an action plan to get work started in their communities.

Tomorrow I will be making one last stop In Orlando before heading back to Atlanta.

Bringing the Movement to Florida

We know that the only way to hold Wall Street accountable is to come together and organize--to create a world where people, not banks, have control over their communities.

In October, American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes will bring people together to do just that by hosting our first ever Housing Justice Academy. We’ll come together to learn how we can fight back, strengthen our connections to each other, and build a movement that has the power to fight back against these institutions. From October 26 through October 28, trainings and actions will be taking place in at the CWA hall at 279 Logan St, SE, Atlanta 30312.

As the academy approaches it’s been an opportunity to explore putting more energy into building a stronger South Eastern Housing Justice Movement. Florida is a key state and I know a lot of Floridians have faced serious challenges building housing justice work that’s sustainable.

  This past weekend I took the time to meet with folks interested in Housing Justice Work in Tampa and Jacksonville. Both communities have been rocked by the housing crash. I took a driving tour in both cities and was hard pressed to find one street that didn’t have at least one bank owned vacant, many of which had been sitting there for years. Both cities have seen an explosion in their homeless populations and have seen new measures but their city governments to further criminalize homelessness.

One extreme example of this in the hot city of Tampa was the fact that the downtown area has one public water fountain. In Jacksonville I had the pleasure of meeting Jeffery Noice who has been fighting Bank of America around his foreclosure. It was exciting to spend a few hours with Jeffery planning his campaign, which he hope to launch in the next few weeks.

                    I'm going to be rolling through Florida over the Saturday October 5th-Monday October 7th . My goal is to listen to folks on the ground, hear the challenges Floridians have faced and continue to face, and explore what resources you think might help spark sustainable work in Florida. 

Schedule:

Saturday at 2pm 301 N Dixie hwy, Lake Worth Fl 33460

Saturday Evening: Would LOVE to meet folks South of Palm County, close to Miami! Please email tfranzen@afsc if you are interested!

Sunday is wide open, would like to visit to locations between Miami and Orlando. I can definitely visit at least two locations. I Could go to Sarasota, Port St. Lucie, Cocoa or surrounding areas.

Monday Evening: 5pm Millers Filed,  7958 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, FL 32819

To register for the housing Justice Academy click here.

JoSelf Freeman Stands Up To Bank Of America

Today a delegation of struggling homeowners, led by JoSelf Freeman, went to the Bank of America branch closest to JoSelf's home in Fayetteville to deliver a simple message.

Bank of America caught wind of our plans to stop by and decided to make the inside of their bank closed to all costumers, and they hired an armed guard to circle the building.

We decided not to let that stop us. JoSelf led us right up to the door. We were greeted by an armed guard and the bank manager, who came outside to ask us what our business was. The bank manager informed us that there was a security situation.

We let the manager know that we were not there to cause any harm to him or the other workers in the branch, that we knew they were low on the pay scale and had little decision making power. We were there to make sure the Higher ups at BofA knew that we were not going to sit back while they evicted a senior citizen who is loved and needed in his community.

It seems that BofA is so frightened by us that the mere possibility of small delegation of us going to a branch to deliver a letter is cause to hire armed men and lock the doors. Seems like it would be a lot easier to just except a fair monthly payment from JoSelf.

JoSelf has a hearing tomorrow, the outcome could mean immediate eviction. Please sign his online petition and consider making a call on his behalf tomorrow:

Call/email Ja'Nay Carswell with Bank of America  at : 877-471-4367 ext 225756 and ask her to rescind the foreclosure of JoSelf Freeman at 395 Highway 279, Fayetteville, Georgia 30214 and grant him the modification he needs to stay in his home. Georgia doesn’t need another boarded up house! 
Email Ja’Nay Carswell at janay.carswell@bankofamerica.com

Disabled Desert Storm Vet Faces Eviction, Can You Help Stop It?

Dear Friends,

                              Today disabled Desert Storm veteran and 20 year Teamster Mark Harris is in a courtroom getting his final eviction date set. His eviction date will likely be set for November 15th!

          Can you take a few moments today to help Mark keep a roof over his head? Your call could make all the difference!

       Call and/or email:
 Catherine "Candy" Lasher at 404-398-6901 catherine_lasher@fanniemae.com 

 Andrew Wilson at 202-752-5168 Andrew_j_wilson@fanniemae.com . 

Demand that they halt the eviction of Disabled Desert Storm veteran Mark Harris at 1164 Dunwick Drive, Avondale Estates, Georgia. Negotiate a deal that keeps Mark in the home. Georgia doesn't need another empty house, Georgia doesn't need another homeless veteran.

Oh, and please sign the online petition! We're hoping you could forward it out to your friends:)

http://start2.occupyourhomes.org/petitions/disable-desert-storm-veteran-needs-help-to-save-his-home

__,_._,___

A personal Message From Mark:

I have worked hard and tried to do the right thing my whole life. I joined the Army in 1982 just out of High School, and served a year in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. After transitioning from active duty I got a job with UPS and was proud to join Teamsters Local 728. I purchased my home in 1996 with a VA backed home loan and refinanced it in 2004.

In 2005 I started my own trucking business, and then the economy crashed. I got illnesses related to my time in Desert Storm, and I fell behind on my mortgage.
I’ve been trying to catch up ever since; recently I’ve applied for the HomeSafe program here in Georgia. While my application was being processed my VA benefits kicked in, which meant I could afford to make my payments.

Sadly, as my finances were finally coming together in October 2012, Green Tree Mortgage Servicing foreclosed on my home on behalf of Fannie Mae, despite the fact that I was doing everything I could to catch up and modify my loan.

Fannie Mae auctioned off my home, knowing that HomeSafe was working with me. Now that I am receiving my service connected disability compensation I can make my monthly payments but Fannie Mae wants me out now. All they're willing to offer me is $1500 cash for keys to get out. 

In looking over my assignment documents I’ve also discovered that some of the country’s most famous robo signers signed the mortgage assignment that was used to foreclose on me.
 

Fannie Mae is aggressively moving forward with an eviction, and it could happen as soon as November 15th. As a veteran, I thought the toughest battles were behind me. I never thought I’d be struggling to keep a roof over my head. I fought for this country, so I know I have a right to fight for my home!

Desert Storm Veteran Faces Eviction, Refuses to Leave

Yesterday Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, Teamsters Local 728, AFSC, and other supporters filled Mark Harris yard with a simple message to Fannie Mae, "We are not leaving, make a deal that keeps Mark in this house."  

Desert Storm veteran and retired UPS worker Mark Harris purchased his home in 1996 with a VA backed home loan and refinanced it in 2004.

In 2005 he started a trucking business, and then the economy crashed. His illnesses related to his service  in Desert Storm became an issue, and he fell behind on his mortgage.

He’s been trying to catch up ever since; recently he applied for the HomeSafe program here in Georgia. While his application was being processed his VA benefits kicked in, which meant he could afford to make my payments. Greentree(loan servicer) and Fannie Mae(Loan owner) decided to foreclose despite Mark’s willingness and ability to pay.

Occupy Our Homes Atlanta looked over the assignment documents and discovered that some of the country’s most famous robo signers signed the mortgage assignment that was used to foreclose on Mark.

Mark was a proud active member of the Teamsters Local 728 for over 20 years. When Mark fell on hard times he reached out to his union brothers, and they responded.

Both Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and Teamsters Local 728 are members of Atlanta Jobs With Justice, who has agreed to take on Mark's struggle understanding the relationship between housing justice and labor issues, “Unemployment is the number one contributor to foreclosures and evictions in Georgia.  We need solutions that keep people like Mark in their homes, with access to good jobs, instead of putting more folks out of good jobs and their homes.” Said Atlanta JWJ organize Roger Sikes.

Fannie Mae is aggressively moving forward with an eviction, and it could happen as soon as November 15th. Mark Harris states, “As a veteran, I thought the toughest battles were behind me. "I never thought I’d be struggling to keep a roof over my head. I fought for this country, so I know I have a right to fight for my home!”


At AFSC we believe that housing is a human right, and here in Atlanta there are more vacant homes then there are homeless people by 7 to 1. The word homeless and veteran should never be in the same sentence, yet anyone who works with the homeless population knows that veterans make by far the largest block of the homeless population.


We urge Fannie Mae to do the right thing and keep Mark in the house, we know his community doesn't ned another empty house, and the streets of Atlanta don't need another homeless veteran.


AFSC Plans to join other community members next Wednesday in direct action to support Mark Harris at Fannie Mae's South Eastern headquarters. We encourage folks to join us.



Tim Franzen
American Friends Service Committee