Occupy Our Homes DC Teams Up With Distressed Homeowner to Fight Foreclosure
- The protest to save Bertina Jones’ home began around noon as Occupy DC protesters met up near the Archives Metro Station.
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- The crowd headed to Freddie Mac headquarters at 325 7th St. NW with Jones who was trying to deliver a letter to them detailing her predicament. The letter, which was written by a Maryland legal advocacy group, states Jones lost her job in 2008. Shortly after, she began to fall behind on her mortgage payments.Between January of 2009 and September of 2010, Jones attempted to pay a modified loan with Bank of America, but they lost multiple documents related to her payments. During September of 2010 she was notified by Bank of America her home was being foreclosed on. They returned her $73,249.11 for the equity she held in her home. She then tried to use this money to stop the foreclosure, but the law firm handling the sale never responded to her request asking what she’d have to pay. In the meantime the home was sold in a foreclosure sale to Freddie Mac for $69,625.90. About $5,000 less than the money she was prepared to use to save her home.“As you can see, this foreclosure was unnecessary and was caused by Bank of America’s loss of documents and inattention to the process,” wrote the advocacy law firm in the letter, “Ms. Jones has been harmed through the loss of her home and significant equity she had built up in it over the years.”Upon arrival at Freddie Mac headquarters, the protesters and Jones were greeted by Metro Police Department officers blocking the entrance.
- ShareBertina Jones, foreclosed homeowner, tries to deliver letter to Freddie Mac as six cops bar and lock door #occupydc
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- Protesters held a press conference outside the government-sponsored-entities headquarters’.
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- ShareBertina Jones speaking now - her house was sold out from under her - @freddiemac won’t meet with her (live at ustre.am/I8qx/1)
- ShareBertina Jones tells #OccupyDC “thank you for coming to fight for my house, but I’m just one of hundreds” (live at ustre.am/I8qx/1)
- Possibly after seeing the large gathering of press with the protesters, Freddie Mac eventually relented and allowed Jones to deliver the letter she had written.
- ShareBertina Jones, foreclosed homeowner, is being allowed to deliver her letter to Freddie Mac #occupydc
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- After delivering her letter, Freddie Mac allegedly refused to speak with her.
- ShareFreddie mac takes foreclosed homeowner Bertina Jones’s letter, say they will be in touch on next steps #occupydc
- ShareBertina delivered letter to @freddiemac - they still didn’t meet with her, though. SHAME (live at ustre.am/I8qx/1)
- Jones came back out of the headquarters and addressed the crowd supporting her.
- ShareIs this the 1st time you’ve been a part of something like this? Bertina: Yeah! and it feels good! (live at ustre.am/I8qx/1)
- SharePress asked “how does it feel to be an icone?” bertina said “im not, its about the people standing up” #occupyourhomes
- Share“I’m so glad I stood up and fought.” Bertina Jones #occupydc
- In the press release accompanying the notice for the protest, the newly-formed Occupy Our Homes DC wrote:“With one in four people behind on their mortgage, Prince George’s County Suffers one of the worst foreclosure crises in the United States. More than one in three homes in the county currently face foreclosure.“Now, across the country, members of the increasingly disenfranchised 99 percent are fighting back.”
