Showing posts with label Solidarity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solidarity. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Bank of America: Despicable beyond Measure

In March 2012, Occupy Fights Foreclosures arrived at Dirma Rodriguez' home after her panic'd phone call to find her and her family and property put out on the street by Bank of America and a home flipper company. This includes Ingrid, a severely disabled 27 year-old who can neither speak nor care for herself.

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After two months of fighting to regain her home, including harassing phone calls from BofA after a page 2 LA Times article on this very family and foreclosure (April 13 2012), Occupy Fights Foreclosure discovered fraud in the foreclosure proceeding and forced Bank of America to return their home. The only home Ingrid has ever known, which was customized for her special needs. Among the customizations: Rose bushes all around the yard so that wherever Ingrid goes, she will encounter beauty.

Now, the Hernandez family of the San Fernando Valley in California have been struggling against Bank of America and associated agencies to keep their home, a struggle lasting over four years. Twenty-some days ago, after failing to get BofA and associated agencies to work with them or even reply, the Hernandez family found a notice to vacate on their property. Members of this family happen to be part of Occupy San Fernando Valley, and Occupations across Southern California including the always-solid Occupy Skid Row set up an occupation and a  barricade in front of the house against the inevitable sheriff's assault. (Sheriffs do what banks tell them to do. Sort of a private army, little changed from the days of the "wild west" and robber barons doing land grabs.) Since then, they have been reaching out to neighbors, building community, sharing food and the message of fighting for our homes. And gaining some media attention.

Last night, LAPD and Child Protective Services arrived unannounced at 12:04AM and asked to see the Hernandez children...!



There are obviously water and electricity in the home and the children are happy.

LAPD and CPS showed up again this afternoon so they are obviously intending to force this angle.

Children are not tools for foreclosure. They are not levers to force families into losing their homes. If BofA hate the bad publicity they are justifiably receiving, it is because they are doing things which should be publicly reviled, which demand such publicity. Kicking a victim of extreme cerebral palsy onto the street. Faking concern for the Hernandez children to steal their home. So you can sell foreclosed homes in bulk...

Bank of America, you should be ended. You are despicable beyond measure.

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Photo: Dirma and her family with members of Occupy Fights Foreclosures.

References:

A Widowed Mother of a Severely Disabled Daughter gets her home back from BofA Thanks to Occupiers

LOS ANGELES — Occupy Fights Foreclosures (OFF), a subcommittee of Occupy Los Angeles, successfully won the home back of a Los Angeles homeowner whose home, they say, Bank of America fraudulently foreclosed on and sold, even after dutiful payments on a temporary loan modification for over a year.

Earlier this week, Bank of America rescinded the sale and foreclosure of Dirma Rodriguez' West Adams home — the title is now appropriately back in Ms. Rodriquez's name. BofA assured Ms. Rodriquez— a widowed mother—and her family which includes a severely disabled daughter with toxoplasmosis cerebral palsy, they are now safe from any future threat of eviction.

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2012/05/dirma-beats-foreclosure.html


BofA launches 2nd round of bulk foreclosure sales

For the second time in five months, Bank of America is tapping the red-hot market for foreclosed homes by seeking bids on a bulk offering of several hundred single-family homes.

Over the past several weeks, the nation’s second-largest bank by assets has solicited bids for a bulk deal that includes up to 500 largely vacant single-family homes, some of which BofA acquired after its merger with Countrywide Financial, according to several sources within the real estate and mortgage sectors. Countrywide was one of the largest subprime lenders in the United States.

The bulk deal, which includes foreclosed homes in California, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania and Georgia, is one of the biggest block offerings of foreclosed homes ever done by a bank, these sources say. 

http://libn.com/2012/04/13/bofa-launches-2nd-round-of-bulk-forclosure-sales/

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Visit Fort Hernandez on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/OccupyFortHernandez

Follow Fort Hernandez on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/Fort_Hernandez

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Thread daily collecting Bank of America horror stories:

Yet ANOTHER ugly foreclosure story starring Bank of America! Daily additions: BofA horror stories

 http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021337674

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From the above link; needs to be here because it is despicable:


Beloved DC Pastor Fights Eviction; Occupy Our Homes DC Pressing Bank of America for Justice


http://occupyourhomes.org/blog/2012/sep/2/reverend-vanzant-fighting-bofa-eviction/

While Rev. Michael Vanzant was in the hospital recovering from a minor stroke brought on by
Bank of America's plans to evict him, we foreclosed on BofA's DC Home Loan office while also asking supporters to shut down their phone lines. We were successful on both fronts. That same day, BofA called Rev. Vanzant in the hospital to set up a call to discuss solutions. Once that discussion began, though, it became clear that they hadn't quite heard us. Rev Vanzant was offered more money to move out of his home in a gentrifying area of NE DC. He is not interested, though we are all pleased that we've made it onto their radar.

We are asking you to take a moment to call the DC Home Loan office and let them know that this isn't about money - this is about keeping communities intact. Please call and demand they work with Rev. Vanzant on a modification - he is not leaving.


Bank of America
Home Loan office - DC - 202-797-4940 

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Fort Hernandez

 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

The truth about LAPD's violent attack upon the downtown Artwalk.

There are two things police could have done: Not shown up at all or simply left upon seeing it was CHALK.


[Quote] via Laurel Sylvanus - #OWS #ChalkWalk #DTLA

"You see, NO, the answer is not: "But it was just rubber buillets and beanbags." The answer is "OMG professionals trained in crowd control and crisis management tasked with protecting and serving the PUBLIC made a conscious decision to take aim and FIRE WEAPONS AT THE SAME PUBLIC for peaceful, ARTISTIC PROTEST in the 2nd largest city in the United States of America. I must stand up and be heard on this terrifying, horrible action by SEVERAL MEMBERS of the LAPD!" ~ Occupy Los Angeles


It is entirely about the CCA and their belief that they own and run downtown LA. And that they at least run city hall and the police department, so this is not far from being a complete truth. This is also about Occupy being the cockroach in their tinseltown, and an insane interpretation of the "Broken Windows Theory". And water-soluble childrens' "sidewalk chalk" which is designed to be easily washed off.

LAPD Officer Karen Rayner said it (chalk) is "not vandalism because it's not permanent."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/los-angeles-artwalk-turns-violent-clash-police-occupy-article-1.1114068#ixzz20XxHB6Hr


Why not sign the petition for an investigation into their brutality and over-reaction?

http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-villaraigosa-governor-jerry-brown-attorney-general-eric-holder-investigate-lapd-use-of-force-on-angelenos-at-art-walk-on-7-12-12


There were probably 20 Occupiers at Chalkwalk/Artwalk. The =hundreds= of Artwalkers and locals who stood up to LAPD did so of their own will because LAPD were blatantly WRONG. I was not there; I watched livestream from when tweets went out about the police line. An Occupier who was there is saying there were 10 OccupyLA people present. Here is OLA's press release:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/occupy-los-angeles/lapd-push-shoot-kick-man-in-face-arrest-him-at-artwalk-lapd-arrested-and-harm-mo/467166763296113

Artwalk/Chalkwalk early in the evening, sans police:

Chalkwalk before the riot police

Photo by Dan Bluemel of LA Activist; see his story linked right after the videos.

Cops arrive including area supervisor Captain Frank, and begin confiscating chalk. Notice the cop in the first video takes out his baton at about 31 seconds. With this attitude and disproportion, it is no wonder they took things so far out of hand.





Arrests for water-soluble chalk drawings, including one saying "(Heart) the police"; people in disbelief, children crying:


Video by PeteyK

Shot in the chest ("foam baton"), arrested...said to have been kicked in the head by cops, see below:



Young woman violently arrested to the crowd's disbelief and upset:


Video by pouyan1 on youtube

Man violently arrested for no reason, with no warning:


Video by Marco Siguenza

Three arrests, woman shoved by cops:


Video by on youtube

Above view, start at 4:45. Taser can be heard at 4:57; not very audible here but I've heard it clearly on other video near the street. I've been reading that they kicked the man in the face and this confirms it repeatedly:



Taser sound is clearly audible at 7:38. Occupy did not tag the truck. Locals were out by then due to police over-presence and police violence....against chalk.



LAPD aggressively block people into the Alexandria Hotel:



This young man was shot four times; displays his wounds:


Video by Sam Slovick

Video of police firing three times; This man was shot once:


Video by Sam Slovick

Occupiers speak truth to LAPD panel, OUTSTANDING:


Video by PeteyK


Police arrests over chalking leads to uprising | l.a. activist
http://www.laactivist.com/2012/07/14/police-arrests-over-chalking-leads-to-uprising/


Art Walk Vendor Slams the LAPD's Tactics Against Occupy L.A.
http://laist.com/2012/07/13/art_walk_vendor_speaks_out_against.php


LATimes article. Note they are spray-painting over water-soluble chalk.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0714-artwalk-20120714,0,7994058.story
Also note the space given to CCA head Carol Shatz, attempting to create a "We good, they bad" dynamic.

Image by Todd Blose:
Chalk walk rubber bullets by Todd Blose

Photo by Damon:

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Chalkwalk Ch7 crops out rubber bullet injury
Ch7 have on Facebook offered an apology and links to other videos. Occupy the media!

From an above video; I believe this occurred at Main and 4th:

Chalkwalk man arrested violently for filming police


Damon's photoset:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nohodamon/sets/72157630560888092/with/7563452964/


Amber Stephens @amberjamie99pct

Eyewitness: "Many non-occupiers began using chalk and creating their own art, which is when riot police attacked." @Occupyla #ows #ola
Retweeted by Jeff K. (#OYSlive)


"Due to unusual occurance in central division. The city of Los Angeles is on tactical alert status."

Severity:
    Minor - Minimal to no known threat to life or property

https://local.nixle.com/alert/4855473/


RyanRiceLA

[ChalkWalk] #OWS
http://t.co/Gm6i95aG
has compiled several good report-backs on the ArtWalk Uprising in #DTLA
http://t.co/FhiIS0f2 


CHALK WALK ACCUSES MAYOR OF ‘CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR’ 
Participants of Chalk Walk Respond to Mayor’s Statement & Selective Enforcement

http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=node%2F10110


Just a day or so before this attack, Michelle Shocked made a quick video on the subject. Note her being confronted by a CCA korporate kop:




Just a day after their attack upon Artwalk, LAPD are driving motorcycles into crowds of Occupiers:




Do not forget what LAPD did to citizens when the Kings won Lord Stanley's Cup:

LAPD fires less lethal rounds on Kings fans


ENORMOUS SURPRISE: LAPD SAY

the department "overall responded appropriately."

http://mobile.latimes.com/p.p?m=b&a=rp&id=2424335&postId=2424335&postUserId=7&sessionToken&catId=6978&curAbsIndex=2&resultsUrl=DID%3D6&DFCL=1000&DSB=rank%23desc&DBFQ=userId%3A7&DL.w&DL.d=10&DQ=sectionId%3A6978&DPS=0&DPL=3

Is there enough facepalm? I think not!


Live report thread of the incident as it happened; thank you to all who contributed!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002939669

Thursday, July 5, 2012

June 19, Occupy the Military-Industrial Complex 2.0




Video by PMbeers on youtube:



Code Pink interviewed by RT, video from PMbeers on youtube:



Video by





Report from RT News, only a little on our protest but the larger context is why we were there:



My attempt at editing to music but I had to give up as the editor closes spaces and expands them as clips are inserted and removed, throwing off all good cuts to music further downline.



Music included for entertainment purposes only. Links to listen and purchase are below.

Some of Jeff Kloy's livestream, http://www.ustream.tv/jeffkloy



Video streaming by Ustream


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"Generation" and "Chaos" by Count Zero, from the album "Affluenza".
Buy Count Zero CDs:


http://count-zero.com/shop/

Lyrics:

"Generation"

"Chaos"

Listen to all of "Affluenza":

http://count-zero.com/music/affluenza/


Nowhere Man's photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3346122814618.2129399.1315217726&type=1

Brian Seligman's photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150863356012143.396966.712547142&type=1

Slideshow of all my photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11165691@N03/sets/72157630218873888/show/





Thursday, June 14, 2012

June 13, Los Angeles Occupations march in solidarity with Montreal students

This is an autonomous video of last night's events; an official OLA statement of solidarity should be forthcoming! We counted 72 persons including OLAers and friends from Occupy The Hood LA, and Occupy Skid Row. 72 people shouting on the steps of city hall. Might that be why the LA Times today posted this? LOL

"Could the end be near for Occupy Wall Street movement?"
 
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-the-end-of-occupy-wall-street-20120610,0,7439790.story

But this contradiction the week before:

"Council aims to thwart new Occupy protest at L.A. City Hall"

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0607-occupy-tent-ban-20120607,0,7358400.story

More information:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_78

So: We march in solidarity with the Montreal student strikers, and more! Casseroles!

First video by on youtube.




 
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Erik's photo collection:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4285794784072.2181343.1262477200&type=1

Amber's photo collection:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151830407875529.864270.538070528&type=1