Bold Action Brings Historic Victory!

On March 18, Mildred Obi-Garrison, joined by Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, American Friends Service Committee, as well as dozens of supporters and community members, moved back into her home in an act of civil disobedience. Mildred had been evicted from her home in Stone Mountain, Georgia by Bank of America last November, despite years of fighting in the courts.

After securing her property back from the bank, supporters set up a 24-hour eviction defense at the home to fend off any possible eviction attempts by the police, and mounted a public pressure campaign against Bank of America, the servicer who had carried out the foreclosure and eviction. After holding a sit-in at a local branch, and gathering thousands of petition signatures online, Bank of America promptly reached out to Mildred and began negotiations.

Today, Mildred can claim victory as those negotiations have finally resulted in a deal that will keep her in her home permanently. Her fight for housing justice has just begun however, as she pledged today to continue the fight alongside the millions of others who are facing housing crisis. Today's win marks a historic victory for the movement, proving that solutions can be worked out, even after eviction.

The tactic of moving homeowners back in post-eviction harkens back to the days of the Great Depression, when communities would band together to move their neighbors' possessions back in after eviction, eventually leading to a moratorium being enacted in 27 states around the country. Bold actions like the ones taken by Ms. Obi and her community are necessary to fight the current crisis, which has left millions of Americans displaced since 2007.

Next month, Mildred will face a judge in Washington DC, for charges of unlawful entry for blocking the revolving doors of Covington and Burling, the white-collar law firm with clients such as Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase. The firm, once home to Attorney General Eric Holder, has maintained a consistent revolving door policy with the Department of Justice, who five years after the start of the crisis, has yet to prosecute a single top level Wall Street executive for the financial crisis. Instead, on October 7, the US Attorney will try Mildred along with two other grandmothers who were arrested alongside her. During Mildred's trip to DC her story was covered in the Rolling Stone!

Along with Occupy Our Homes Atlanta and AFSC, today's victory would not have been possible without the help of the National Action Network, and the Rainbow Push Coalition.

Mildred's Eviction Free Cookout, Next Steps

Just over a month ago Mildred Garrison Obi marched to the home she was evicted from in November of 2012 and moved back into it with the support of her neighbors, Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, National Action Network, and AFSC. Mildred has been in the home ever since.

To celebrate Mildred's home liberation and to bring her community together Mildred hosted a cook out this weekend. It was a social space where folks that have worked side by side to on Mildred's campaign could connect on a human level, learn more about each other, and enjoy delicious food.

It was also a time where neighbors were invited to come learn more about why Mildred moved back in her home, and ask questions about the legalities of her actions and what next steps are for Mildred.

The next steps are unclear. Bank of America had opened up a line of communication with Mildred, and had put several options on the table including donating the home to a non-profit that would then donate the house back to Mildred. After some time, Mildred decided to accept that offer. Not Bank of America has decided to take that offer off the table claiming that the title is in tranisition to HUD and the home donation would be to complicated. As of Friday Bank of America now says Mildred's only option is to be evicted a second time or accept a cash for keys offer.

Mildred's goal has always been to stay in the place she'd called home, she has no intention of leaving. This Monday there's a call set up with Bank of America where a formal decision is to be made. We are asking that folks come to Mildred's home(1047 Park Gate Place, Stone Mountain) on Monday afternnon whenever you can. Spread the word far and wide.

Eviction Defense

Today Bank of America sent someone to change the locks on Mildred Obi's home instead of having someone call Mildred and negotiate a deal that keeps her in her home and off the streets.

Mildred was evicted last November after Bank of America refused the disabled senior a loan modification. The home has remained empty, Mildred became homeless, and her community became increasingly more upset.

A line has been drawn in the sand. Bank of America will not push Mildred back onto the streets so easily.

After the bank's locksmith showed up it was only a short period of time before Mildred's yard was filled by home defenders ready to put off any eviction. Mildred's community it committed to protect her home from Bank of America.

Sign Mildred's petiton!

Community Members Move Disabled Senior Back Into Home After Eviction By Force

Today, a coalition of groups including American Friends Service Committee and Occupy Our Homes Atlanta, joined members of the Stone Mountain community to help Mildred Garrison Obi march to the home that she was evicted by force from just months ago. The purpose of the march was simple, move Mildred back into her home.

She bought the house in 1998 for just over $70,000 with a mortgage from Countrywide.

In 2008, after the financial crisis caused the economy to collapse, Mildred lost her job
and fell behind on her payments. As a senior in her 60s, she found it increasingly
difficult to find employment. When the bills started to pile up, she contacted Bank of
America, who had acquired Countrywide earlier that year and now serviced her loan. In
August of 2009, despite her best efforts to work out a modification with them, Bank of
America sold her home on the Dekalb County courthouse steps.

It was only after the foreclosure that Mildred realized her loan was part of a securitized
trust overseen by US Bank. As was the case in most foreclosures filed in 2009, the
documents used to take her home were fraudulent and robo-signed. For years she
fought to have the foreclosure rescinded, going back and forth between Bank of
America and US Bank, who both refused to claim responsibility.

In 2012 she even submitted her case to the Independent Foreclosure Review Board,
which was created as part of the $25 billion settlement with the state AGs, promising
relief to homeowners foreclosed on between 2009-2010. The process turned out to be a
waste of time, and in November, she was evicted from her home. Not surprisingly, just a
couple of months later, after little to no relief had reached homeowners, the OCC
declared the Independent Foreclosure Review Board a failure and did away with the
program all together.

Today Mildred and her community approached her home holding banners and wearing orange vests emblazoned with Occupy Homes, chanting "ain't nobody gonna turn me around". When they reached the house, people circled around to listen as Reverend Kelvin Peterson, Mildred's longtime pastor, recited a prayer, referencing the cruelty of leaving thousands of homes vacant while people were left out in the cold, repeatedly asking "where is God?" Emotions were high as Mildred finally approached the door to the home that was stolen from her. She turned the knob, and paused, with tears in her eyes, to make one simple yet powerful statement; "I'm not homeless. I'm not homeless. "

Once inside, an assembly line was set up to bring her belongings inside and people began to clean up the mess left by the eviction crew, and from the home sitting empty

for months. By the time the sun went down, it began to feel like any other home where friends gathered to eat dinner and share stories together. It's still uncertain what happens next, but for now one thing is clear; tonight there is one less vacant home in
Stone Mountain, and as Mildred emotionally stated earlier in the day, she's not homeless.