Back in December we told readers about the newer, much more civilized arm of the local Occupy movement, dubbed Occupy Bernal Heights. The goal of this new Occupy group was not to pitch tents on public property, but to stop foreclosures and help troubled homeowners get affordable refinancing.
So how successful has Occupy Bernal been over the last five months? We checked back with the group's leaders, who tell us they've been able to stop one foreclosure and helped postpone plenty of others.
That may not sound like much, but it's more than what some other Occupy groups have accomplished.
In fact, this is rather rewarding for a neighborhood that sees four auctions a week, says Occupy Bernal organizer Buck Bagot. "The banks
tricked them," he says of his fellow neighbors. "People are so ashamed, they just sit in their
house depressed until they lose their home."
foreclosures in the Bayview neighborhood. Bernal folks are especially concerned about preserving the diversity of the neighborhood in the face of gentrification.
Bagot says he's determined
to continue turning his neighbors into fighters -- not victims -- of this financial crisis. That means keeping a list of pending foreclosures in the area, and going door-to-door offering
assistance to troubled homeowners.
loan from World Savings was purchased by Wachovia, and when Viscara tried to
refinance, he was denied repeatedly. He then received a foreclosure notice in February announcing that his home would be auctioned off on March
20.
Then Occupy Bernal knocked on his door. "I thought I was fighting
the bank all by myself," he said. "They gave me the opportunity to
fight."
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