Occupy protests detroit

This is going to be a regular event that Occupy Detroit is involved in. The Henry family announced that they would not comply with any foreclosure or eviction from their home. In protest of the treatment of taxpayers and homeowners by bailed-out banks, including Bank of America, the Henrys will stay in the home as an act of civil disobedience.

They are working with their neighbors and allies from the Occupy Detroit movement to organize non-violent resistance to any attempt to evict them. Surrounded by friends, neighbors, and community supporters, Debbie and Robert Henry explained their situation.

We tried to work with the banks to get a fair deal, but they gave us the run-around for years. Now they want to throw us out. The family has lived in the home near where Debbie grew up for 7 years. The mortgage was originated by Countrywide Financial, which was later bought by Bank of America. Instead of using the government bail-out to arrange a more reasonable payment for the Henrys, Bank of America sold the loan to federal loan guarantor Fannie Mae, likely making a profit.

This move also ironically shifted the costs of performing the foreclosure onto taxpayers. Robert and Debbie hope their campaign leads to a loan modification from Fannie Mae instead of foreclosure, and brings attention to the plight of millions of American homeowners in similar situations.

The family and their friends announced that they would engage in non-violent civil disobedience, up to an including their arrest, if local authorities attempted to remove them.

We thought that meant they would turn around and do right by homeowners and small businesses. The protest is being held in coordination with a national day of action called by the Occupy Our Homes campaign.

We have been working with the Henrys on various home retention options since Unfortunately, at times they were not eligible for any programs or chose not to make the modified payments. Bank of America services the mortgage on behalf of its investor, Fannie Mae. Our people are in the streets, losing homes and jobs. Isom, in a black sweater, black beret and black sunglasses, recalled moments of the black community's recent past, when a job at an auto plant was a pathway to the middle class and when black-owned businesses and restaurants thrived amid an abundance of pride.

But Isom also remembers the riots of , when the frustrations of the black community about a number of political, economic and social issues spilled over, leaving wounds that have never truly healed. Now, new movements are taking hold to challenge the status quo, specifically corporate greed and an economic system that many occupiers argue is rigged to enrich only the wealthy and most fortunate.

Since its inception shortly after the birth of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy The Hood has grown to include 15 chapters across the country, including chapters in Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis and Chicago. How powerful is that? I am passing down the power of doing work for your community. I know they are young, but they see and hear me. Volunteers dismantled small wooden sheds, tore away sheets of blue tarpaulin and gathered up the residue of the weeks-long occupation.

The protesters have scouted out alternative locations that have been offered by wealthy friends to shelter the movement during the tough Michigan winter. Others have taken to friends' couches, while still others are said to have occupied a few of the abandoned and foreclosed homes that litter the city.

Occupiers have started promoting future actions, including voter registration and education drives. They are teaming with nonprofit community groups that fight on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised and are working to repeal the state's Emergency Manager law. And they are plotting ways to keep the movement churning despite their eviction from the park.

It will take more than holding signs and marching and sleeping in a park. It has to go beyond that. News U. Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism. Special Projects Highline. HuffPost Personal Video Horoscopes. Follow Us. Terms Privacy Policy. Trymaine Lee. Suggest a correction. The auto companies abandoned it. What I would like to do is get a history degree and teach history, but that is probably not a good degree to get a job.

So I will probably teach psychology. Corporations should not be able to donate to elections. Lynda, who lives in Hazel Park, is currently unemployed. We are tired of inequality. I think what is happening is all crazy. We need a retooling of jobs. But cities everywhere are strapped for cash. Well, this is politics right? Menu Search. Latest Profile. Contact About. Willie B. Becki Kenderes.