HDL Launches Nationally
Florida HDL member makes a citizen's arrest of criminal bankers outside a Bank of America branch in Orlando.
The actions and events from today, which will continue through Saturday June 2, have already produced some powerful stories in the media. As well they should, since they are drawing on the personal stories of homeowners who have gone through extraordinary experiences at the hands of the Big Banks. For example, Lilly Washington from Phoenix, AZ was illegally foreclosed on and evicted while she was in Germany helping nurse her son back to health after he was injured in Afghanistan. Her story was featured by KPHO this morning.
HDL members in Baltimore reaching out to other underwater homeowners in Maryland were featured on NPR’s Marketplace Morning Report. HDL member Michael Levar noted, “We are not going to give away our votes for free.” Indeed. Politicians need to choose sides: stand with us on Main Street or stand with criminal bankers on Wall Street.
Today’s launch captured national and even international interest as well. David Dayen, a reporter who has covered the problems with the financial sector and the mortgage meltdown for years and writes at FireDogLake described today’s efforts this way,
Now, 17 local community organizations, along with some national groups, are giving this idea [organizing underwater homeowners] a try. Today, they launched the Home Defenders League with the explicit goal of organizing the 16 million underwater homeowners and demanding the political leadership for policies that would even the playing field between them and the banks. They want to build a national movement of underwater homeowners.Guardian correspondent Paul Harris writing from New York has one of the most comprehensive looks at our activities today and what we are aiming to accomplish by giving voice to the millions of underwater homeowners in the United States who can’t wait one more day to see some justice. Here Harris quotes HDL members Rose Gudiel from California and Cathy Busby from Colorado on our core demand and how we are going to have an impact this election cycle.
HDL activists argue that writing down that debt via reducing mortgages to reflect current market prices would allow a broader economic recovery. “It would be the kind of economic stimulus our country needs. It would keep millions in their homes and put billions back into people’s pockets,” said Rose Gudiel, a Californian HDL activist whose own home has faced foreclosure.Launch activities will continue through Saturday, June 2 with many HDL partner organizations taking our message directly to affected homeowners via phone banks or door-to-door canvasses in hard-hit communities.
Organisers say that they will focus on organising in swing states in the coming election in order to persuade politicians in both the Republican and Democratic parties that their votes need to be courted in strategically vital parts of the 2012 electoral map. “Colorado is a swing state. Our citizens are going to be very important in the coming elections,” said Cathy Busby, a Colorado-based real estate agent and HDL campaigner.
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