Occupy DC Takes a Stand with MD Homeowner

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)“Before, I was ashamed, now I feel good because we are standing up” Bertina Jones said yesterday. A Bowie resident whose home has been foreclosed on, Jones was joined by over 100 people yesterday who took to the streets of outside mortgage lender Freddie Mac with Occupy Our Homes DC, a local Occupy-inspired group working to fight foreclosures and draw attention to the foreclosure crisis locally and nationally. Protesters chanted and performed street theater including colorful homes and a “golden calf false idol.” Though Freddie Mac locked down the building when the rally began, eventually managers were persuaded to open it and allowed Jones, accompanied by Reverend Graylan Hagler, to deliver a petition signed by over 1,000 people in solidarity with Jones. “This action is just the beginning” said Occupy Our Homes DC organizer Michael Haack. “Soon we will be holding community meetings about Bertina’s situation in Bowie, and if it comes to it, we are prepared to defend Bertina’s home with our bodies, even if it means being taken out in handcuffs." Shortly after the rally, the Washington Post reported that within hours of the protest "a spokesman for the government-backed mortgage giant said it would work toward a 'positive resolution' in the woman’s case." While the group cautiously views this as a success, they say "banks should know that there are many ‘Bertinas’ and we’re going to be out there fighting for all of them until the banks return what’s not theirs.” Click here to check out Occupy Our Homes DC online and get involved in the campaign. - photo of Bertina Jones speaking to press outside of Freddie Mac office courtesy of @aubreyjwhelan