Eighty-two year-old Mary Lee Ward has a temporary reprieve for now. Ms. Ward, who is African-American and a victim of a subprime predatory loan, was threatened with eviction from the Brooklyn home she lived in for four decades. An eviction defense blockade took place yesterday in front of her home. The eviction defense watch was successfully organized by Organizing 4 Occupation. NY Assemblywoman Annette Robinson will meet with the owner of the property to try to work out a deal. Although no one has been held accountable thus far, one message is abundantly clear: massive eviction defense works.
From the NYT:
Ms. Ward — a tiny, soft-spoken 82-year-old — faced eviction by a city marshal on Friday morning, as the result of a subprime mortgage she took out in 1995. The lender, which filed for bankruptcy in 2007, had subsequently been investigated for predatory and discriminatory practices. And so neighbors, friends, housing advocates and supporters formed a thick human wall outside Ms. Ward’s small, gray house on Tompkins Avenue.
Shortly after 9:30, the local state assemblywoman, Annette Robinson, emerged from the house with news.
“The marshal will not be taking action today,” Ms. Robinson said over a bullhorn, as Ms. Ward stood by her side. Ms. Robinson vowed to negotiate with the deed holder to keep Ms. Ward in her home.
Friday’s protest followed three years of work on Ms. Ward’s behalf by the nonprofit legal group Common Law and Ms. Robinson, among others.
African-American women remain the target of subprime predatory loans and illegal foreclosures.
Watch video:
The next action is on Monday, August 22 at 12 noon at the offices of the speculator developer who bought the home under the feet of Ms. Ward. The location is 1168 Fulton St. (between Franklin Ave. and Dean St.), offices of Shameen Chowdury.
Get involved. It’s time to fight back against the banks. Find out more about O4O and Take Back the Land.
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