Chase Bank Trying to Evict 79 Year Old Grandmother

On January 1 of this year, Susie Johnson turned 79 years old.  Her family should be celebrating this milestone and the start of a new year,  but instead they're fighting Jp Morgan Chase to keep a roof over Grandma Susie's head.

Last week, Ms. Johnson received a notice from Chase Bank, offering "cash for keys" to get out of her home of over 20 years. Now that they have settled with the Department of Justice for $13billion for their role in the housing crisis, it seems like Chase Bank thinks they're off the hook and can continue to put people like  Susie on the street. Well not on our watch.

Today, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Grandma Susie's supporters will delivered her petition -- signed by over 6,000 of you -- to Jp Morgan Chase headquarters in New York City, as well as to Chase Bank branches around the country, but we still need your help. In Atlanta a group of us walked inside Chase bank and refused to leave until the manager agreed to accept the petition, then we passed out flyers to folks outside asking them to help us save a Grandmother from being evicted at the hands of Chase Bank.

Will you stand with Grandma Susie and help make sure the message gets heard?

Please call Jp Morgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon at (212) 270-1111
Here is a sample script you can use:
"Hello, my name is (your name) from (city and state), and I'm calling to demand that you stop the eviction of Susie Johnson, who lives at 470 Meade St in Orange, New Jersey. Susie is 79 years old, and never missed a payment before being foreclosed on, but now your bank is pushing to evict this senior citizen from her home.  $13billion dollars isn't really relief if it's not helping to keep people like Susie in their homes. Stop the eviction and work out a deal that keeps Susie Johnson in her home for good. 


It's time for JP Morgan Chase to do the right thing -- halt foreclosures and negotiate with families to help restore the home equity and community wealth their reckless actions have destroyed. We know that together, we hold the banks accountable and make sure they relief is getting to the people that need it the most.
Please sign and share the online petition here.
When we fight, we win!

From Atlanta to Minneapolis

Today we delivered almost 10,000 petition signatures to a local Chase Bank Branch demanding Chase stop Minneapolis resident Sergio Ceballos' eviction and negotiate with him.

Last week a judge granted Chase Bank's request to evict Sergio Ceballos, even as they were considering him for a loan modification. That's called "dual tracking" and it's illegal under the national mortgage settlement--but that's not stopping Chase.

Sergio could be evicted as soon as next week--and cases like his are distressingly common, especially in communities of color. Chase, which played a key role in causing the crisis in the first place, is now flagrantly violating the terms of the new settlement--and STILL no bankers have gone to jail for their role in this mess.

It's clear the laws aren't enough to hold the banks accountable. If we want them to change their ways, we'll have to take action ourselves. So today solidarity actions were quickly organized all over the country.  We were happy to have Sergio’s back here in Atlanta and will take bolder action should Chase decide to move forward with eviction by force.

Sign the Ceballos petition nhere.

Edgewood Resident Sherrye Calhoun Wins Back Her Home After Bold Action Taken

Around 8:30 AM on Friday August 5th 2012 Sherrye Calhoun woke to Dekalb County Sheriff’s Deputies knocking on her door. They demanded that she leave her home immediately. Over the course of the morning Sheriff Thomas Brown’s deputies supervised her eviction. They had no dispossessory warrant or writ of possession filed with the court. She has lived in the home for 30 years.

Within hours, Ms. Calhoun’s possessions were moved back into her house with the help of Edgewood residents and supporters. Sherrye Calhoun decided that she wouldn't leave her home regardless of the risk.

Sherrye’s neighbors and community groups including SWARM and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, and American Friends Service Committee got involved, organizing eviction free cookouts, neighborhood canvassing, marches, call-in days, and direct action. As of last week JP Morgan Chase has decided to turn over the deed to Sherrye Calhoun. Sherrye will no longer have to fear a knock on the door from Sheriff Brown’s officers.All over the country housing justice organizations have been working side by side with struggling residents taking bold creative action to address the cruel irony of a growing homeless population alongside an even larger number of vacant homes. Sherrye Calhoun's story is rare and perhaps precedent setting victory in the South

With a growing homeless population all over the country, and millions of "zombie foreclosures"  the idea of folks building community support and simply marching to a vacant home that was once theirs, pulling the boards off and moving in publicly seems in the realm of possibility. If bold actions were taken in communities all over the country banks would be overwhelmed.

What we need now is to match the banks unprecedented greed and corruption with historic creative people power.