January 16, 2012

Successful foreclosure actions win Occupy Atlanta high praise

As Atlanta honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., its greatest hometown hero and the country’s most revered political protester, the newest incarnation of social-justice seekers here – Occupy Atlanta – was winning praise from a leader of the organization King helped start during the Civil Rights era.

“They’ve become part of the community,” said Rev. Samuel Mosteller, the president of the Georgia chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization that King helped to launch in the late-1950′s.

Mosteller praised Occupy Atlanta as the activists marched by, literally in the shadow of the Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Street, the church where King served as pastor, in the city’s annual Martin Luther King Day parade.

He spoke of the way the movement has struck fear into the financial class locally, and instilled hope within the poorer people in town.

“North of Peachtree Drive,” he said, referring to Atlanta’s financial district, “they want them to go away. They’ve called attention to the common people about the world of high finance.”

“South of I-20,” he said, referring to some of Atlanta’s poorer areas, “they are glad to see it in spirit but they can’t always help out because they are working two and three jobs.”

Occupy Atlanta marches in the annual Martin Luther King Day parade on Auburn Street. (Photo by Liam Tierney)

He also talked about their success in working on foreclosure actions.

“For the message, their effect has been major,” he said.

When last I was in Atlanta, Occupy Atlanta had recently began a protest encampment on the front lawn of a house on Glen Iris Drive. Some 37 days later they are still there, helping bring attention to what they say is an unfair attempt by Chase Bank to foreclosure on the Pittman family home.

“There’s been some talking back and forth,” said Russel Benford, one of the first local activists I met on my first trip to Atlanta on December 9, when I asked him about it earlier today. “But nothing has been resolved yet.”

Most Occupy groups would be thrilled to have a foreclosure action last for almost six weeks and to help generate some dialogue between a bank and a struggling homeowner. But this is Occupy Atlanta, which has had more success with foreclosure actions than any other Occupy group in the country (that I know of).

“We’re like the A Team,” Benford said. “People have a problem with the man, they call us up and we help them out. We get calls all the time. We should set up a hotline.”

While Occupy Atlanta is still trying to help the Pittman family forestall a foreclosure, they’ve had some clear cut successes.

Last week, after they occupied a 108-year-old church in Atlanta helped convince a local bank to negotiate instead of foreclose.

“They want to come to some sort of compromise,” he said of the bank. “So far, it’s just talk, nothing is in writing, but they agreed to talk about it.”

Benford said the neighborhood had become “a little downtrodden. The congregation has dwindled a little bit and they don’t have the funds they had when they made the loan.”

Similarly, in mid-December, they helped call attention to Brigitte Walker’s plight. She is an Iraq war veteran who was injured by mortar fire and subsequently medically discharged from the Army. she still gets a disability check, but no longer earns enough to pay for her home.

“I strongly believe Occupy Atlanta accelerated the process and helped save my home,” she told the Huffington Post’s Jason Cherkis. “If it had not been for them standing up, I probably wouldn’t be having this happy ending.”

Benford said Occupy Atlanta’s foreclosure efforts have helped broaden the movement’s appeal. He also said they are a natural fit with their objectives.

“Occupy is first and foremost a community movement, a human rights movement,” he said. “It’s not like these people are trying to abscond on their debt. They need help.

He added, “If the banks can get bailed out, why not regular people?”

— Bob Plain