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!

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

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.

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

One Step Close To A People's Bailout

VICTORY! Campaign To #DumpDeMarco Celebrates Nomination of Permanent FHFA Director; Urges Watt To Support Principal Reduction

American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta Joined With New Bottom Line’s 16-Month Campaign To Force Out:

“The biggest roadblock to our country’s economic recovery”

Since early 2012, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta has joined with New Bottom Line in driving the campaign to get President Obama to dump Ed DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Today, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta joined with New Bottom Line in celebrating the news that the president announced Rep. Mel Watt as the nominee to become the permanent director of FHFA. Occupy Our Homes Atlanta also urges Congressman Mel Watt to support principal reduction at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in his new position, as well as supporting the vital role they play in ensuring homeownership opportunities for all communities.

Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and New Bottom Line’s #DumpDeMarco campaign helped drive Ed DeMarco, a virtually unknown appointee from the Bush administration, into being known as the “the biggest roadblock to our country’s economic recovery.”

During his tenure, DeMarco blocked needed and sound economic policies such as principal reduction, which in turn helped to drive millions of homeowners into unneeded debt and foreclosure while holding down our country’s economic progress.

“This is a good day for homeowners and families across the state of Georgia and a big step in the right direction for our economy,” said Mark Harris with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta. “We now encourage Congressman Watt to implement common-sense policies like principal reduction to bring relief to tens of millions of homeowners like me and to jump start the economic progress our country needs.”

American Friends Service Committe and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta joined with New Bottom Line on a 16-month campaign that included:

• On the ground actions in 15 states, protests inside FHFA offices, at DeMarco’s home, and within a Congressional hearing
• Press conferences on Capitol Hill and in cities around the country with elected officials
• One-on-one meetings with state and national elected officials
• Online ad buys during the election in key battleground states and the 2013 state of the union
• Op-eds from Huffington Post to The Hill and producing media coverage from in national and local media outlets
• Driving housing into the 2012 national election debate
• Dynamic online organizing and high-impact social media execution from America Underwater, tens of thousands of petition signatures, and hundreds of calls into the White House
  
  

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

Bold Action to Stop Fannie Mae From Evicting Mark Harris Tomorrow

American Friends Service Committee, Occupy Our Homes, Jobs with Justice, Right to the City, Georgia Veterans and Teamsters Local 728 Team up to Stop Fannie Mae from Evicting Desert Storm Veteran Mark Harris

                

 Wednesday March 13^th from 1:00-3pm at Fannie Mae’s SE Regional Office(950 E Paces Ferry Rd, Atlanta) Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and allies plan to creatively protest Fannie Mae’s decision to move forward with the eviction of Desert Storm Veteran Mark Harris. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  “We plan to build a mock home in front of Fannie Mae’s HQ to represent the millions of homes Fannie Mae has foreclosed and left empty in our Country. We need solutions, not evictions and foreclosures” said Occupy Homes Organizer Shab Bashiri.

Mark Harris recently took his struggle all the way to DC, where he met with high level Fannie Mae executives who promised to look at creative solutions to keep Mark from becoming another homeless veteran. Since then Fannie Mae has made no real effort to create a deal that keeps Mark in his home, it’s clear that they intend to move forward with eviction, even though Mark has made reasonable offers on the house.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  “This marks a critical turning point where worker organizations are taking a stand against the greed of Fannie Mae.” Said Jobs With Justice organizer Roger Sikes.                                 

                                                                                                                                                                   “ We understand the leading causes of foreclosure are unemployment, and underemployment. We need full and fair employment for our community members and we will to fight to keep workers in their homes. Unions stand with workers inside and outside the workplace.” Said Teamster Organizer Ben Speight.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mark will be joined by a number of veterans who plan to speak in Support of Mark’s struggle against Fannie Mae. 1/3 of Atlanta's homeless population are veterans, and for every one of them there are six empty homes, many of which are owned by Fannie Mae.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               "Fannie Mae wants to kick Mark Harris out of his home and then for an investor, or someone else, reset the mortgage fairly to the current home value.  This is an outrage.  And this is why we are organizing Fannie Mae residents nationally to demand principal reduction,"  Rachel LaForest, Homes For All campaign.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  During the demonstration Mark Harris plans to deliver a petition that 9k people across the country have sign in support of his struggle.

“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!” States Mark Harris. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  This action, one of 11 around the country, is part of the launch for the Homes For All campaign uniting homeowners, renters, public housing residents and those who are homeless to fight for affordable and secure homes.                                                                                                                                                              

More on Mark’s story: