I’ve always been puzzled by the lack of action and reaction of the public to the mortgage crisis. As I write this, it gets worse, more people lose their homes, more homes are beset by adversary relations between family members, more alcohol abuse, more spousal abuse, more child abuse, more anxiety, depression, divorce and grief. This was all done TO the people not BY the people. Tens of millions of people did not wake up one morning in 2001 with a plan to obtain fraudulent mortgages, with fraudulent appraisals, based upon non-existent income.
In the article below, you see how people can get things rolling by forgetting the ideology and getting with the program: this could not have happened without Wall Street running wild, without incentives to create bad mortgages, and without the tacit or express complicity of the federal Reserve and other U.S. agencies. How about letting them know you don’t like it? The Constitution allows for freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. Don’t let the oppressive tactics of the opposition stop you from using your constitutional rights.
By the way, this one led to immediate results. Read the article and then go to the follow-up at Resignations, Investigations and Salary Cuts of 90%
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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
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Protesters incensed by Bell officials’ high salaries visit mayor’s business, home [Updated]
A boisterous crowd of more than 200 gathered at the corner of Gage and Corona avenues. Several were wearing T-shirts featuring a city seal and the words “My city is more corrupt than your city.”
Their first stop: Oscar’s Korner Market and Carniceria, owned by the mayor, Oscar Hernandez. They then moved on to the mayor’s house, near Florence Avenue, then to a home on Otis Avenue owned by City Councilman George Mirabal.
At the stops, protesters maintained a moment of silence and then shouted “Fuera!” — “Out!” Dozens of cars honked as they passed and offered thumbs-up, though one man stopped, defended the city officials and challenged a protester physically.
“I don’t think they are taking it seriously. And we’re serious,” said Nestor Valencia, 45, an organizer of the demonstration, a Bell resident since 1975 and a founder of the Bell Resident Club. “They need to resign.”
Bell is a working-class city of 40,000 residents. The Times revealed earlier this month that City Manager Robert Rizzo received a $787,637 annual salary, Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia received $457,000, and Police Chief Randy Adams received $376,288. Rizzo earned more than President Obama, Spaccia earned more than the top administrator for Los Angeles County, and Adams earned 50% more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.
All three resigned on Friday.
Four City Council members are paid close to $100,000 annually for their part-time positions — sums that are far higher than in other cities of comparable size and which have baffled and upset the League of California Cities and other local government organizations.
“This is a test for our community,” Valencia said. “There’s been a fiasco here.”
Hernandez, in particular, Valencia argued, represented “a culture that is not our culture.”
“It is a culture of rule-breaking,” Valencia said. “It is a culture of nepotism. … He thinks he can do anything because he is the mayor.”
Hernandez could not be reached for comment.
[Updated at 12:48 p.m.: Bell police have estimated the crowd at between 200 and 300.
Demonstrators have visited the residences or businesses of the mayor, the vice mayor and two City Council members — all of whom they want to resign.
The crowd also stopped at a Chevrolet dealership, long a fixture on Atlantic Avenue, that shut its doors weeks ago, citing burdensome property taxes. Demonstrators are now approaching City Hall, their final stop.
“This city has woken up,” said Jesus Casas, 35, a Bell resident for 15 years. “We want a new city government that will represent by the people and for the people.”]
Filed under: foreclosure |
To Jan van Eck-nice to see you posting again. Several of your post last year and this spring were instrumental in my understanding of this fraud. I missed Vietnam, I was in college. My father was in the Battle of the Bulge, in the Ardennes, 100,000 men went in, one month later, 29,000 came out, most of them wounded, my father among them, No complaints, it was “my country, right or wrong” . A different cause, as it were. So I often think, if he or my mother were alive (also in the war effort for 5 years), what would they think? Not much, I’m sure. So, what does this do to the mindset of several hundred million Americans, now that Bernanke and Geithner have mortgaged their kids and grandkids future to pay for fraud? Sickening, isn’t it? That’s about as upset as I can get. Keep the good posts coming. Get back to the basics. If the assignments were forged,fraudulent or nonexistent, how far can a “pretender lender” get? Regards, Ian
I can tell that you folks are quite a bit younger than me. In my day, we took on the entire “Establishment” that was fomenting the Vietnam War. The protesters brought a million strong to the Mall in DC. The War was stopped. But many died in the process: 58,000 soldiers, 2,000,000 civilians, and four students at Kent State.
The reason the Courts do nothing is that the pretenders are very careful not to mess with a Judge’s mortgage. So this mess is entirely outside the frame of experience of any Judge. You are constantly astonished that the judges “don’t get it.” The reason is perfectly straightforward: they have no personal experience with it. Neither do politicians (except Mr. Dodd with his personal 3% Note at Countrywide).
So you have to make it noisily apparent by doing what American do best: march in the street. When you attract enough attention, then parts of “the system” start to accommodate you. Since this is an election year, NOW is the time to start by bombarding your congressmen for action in the form of a blanket ban on foreclosures and evictions. And you can make noise outside the Sheriff’s Office by demonstrations demanding that the sheriff’s office refuse to undertake forcible evictions. The result in Michigan is that several Sheriffs are simply refusing to do them, and so you can foreclose, but not take possession. that gives the owner just a little bit more room. And victory comes in small steps.
Just a PS. one would have to assume that all of those salacious salaries that the people of Bell were protesting against were equal to Property Appraisals/tax revenue. Just a thought!
ahhh.. the citizens of Bell. Where were they when the budgets were being voted on.. in fact where across America are any of the tax paying people when not only budgets are being voted on… but they are silently being legislated at the local, county and state level out of their rights?
But as it goes, better late then never.. no need for heated protest… start attending each and every local meeting… and VOTE!
yada yada yada. How about an actual solution? I suspect that a tipping point of about 10,000 would be needed. Think that there are 10000 mortgages in some state of foreclosure? And some form of escrowing payments / or not.
Funneling, say 5 million a month into a fund to fight the banks gives that fund and its lawyers some actual power and leverage. Even 1000 members would be putting 500K a month into this project.
But go here for more on this idea. http://dnusbaum.com/Bootstrap.html
Frustrated and Abby,
Frustrated: As a Floridian, we do understand the impact that deficiency judgments can have on all our futures.
The folks at ForeclosureHamlet.org and several Florida attorneys organized a rally in Tallahassee earlier this year to protest the introduction of a bill that would convert Florida from a judicial foreclosure state to a non-judicial foreclosure state. The bill was defeated. However, we know that the Florida Banker’s Association will re-introduce the bill in 2011.
Abby, it is true that most of us without the means to get to rallies across the U.S. Wall Street knows this that it is so important to make our stories viral through the use of the internet. We can still effect change by writing letters, signing petitions, etc. Modern day letter writing campaigns using email is a must. Using social platforms such as FB and Twitter are also extremely important.
If you can get to your local courthouses – sit in on foreclosure proceedings and take notes. Scour the foreclosure files at the courthouse and obtain copies of any paperwork that looks suspicious. Email and write to your Chief Judge and to the Clerk of the Court with your findings. Also, forward those findings to local newspapers, your state’s AG’s office, the FBI, etc.
It’s a tough uphill batle because the homeowner has been demonized. But if we keep up the pressure, things will change.
I think the public displays of outrage are coming. I think many were holding onto the hope that HAMP would somehow save us from foreclosure. I think reality is just now sinking in for many disillusioned homeowners who are finally facing the fact that “help is NOT on the way.”
Some differences with the city of Bell uprising against city officials getting exorbitant salaries and homeowners who are in foreclosure because we were scammed, defrauded etc. and that is:
saturation TV coverage of the Bell incident, at least in California, both pre (exposing them) and post (results).
Bell townspeople concentrated in one place- a town- and it was easy to gather.
It was relatively easy to force the officials to resign and/or take salary cuts. In our case, laws might have to be changed, the Justice Department may have to file some criminal actions against Wall Streeters etc.
For homeowners, often we are portrayed as neer-do-wells who just do not want to pay our mortgages and the taxpayers view us as costing them more in taxes.
For homeowners, for the most part we have been stripped of all our finanicial savings and find it difficult to get to wherever there might be a protest or rally — for homeowners across the USA it would almost mean that we’d have to protest in Washington DC or on Wall Street.
Over a year ago I tried to organize a march in Washington DC and asked for assistance from others to help plan and execute it. Assistance in the form of such things as finding out about protest permits, porta potties needed or whatever
I posted on this site –go back and look.
I got not one inquiry or offer and this is something that one does not do alone.
I did get an offer from Clinton to assist in building a website so we might collect some monies for the march, protest etc.
So–for the most part, while I commend the knowledgeable posters on this site for their time and energy and I commend Neil for creating this site, offering his expertise and guiding all of us –I find that most who call out for some sort of ‘organized protest, march or whatever; drop the ball!!
Most are not willing to leave their computer displays and keyboards.
Washington D.C. is in the pockets of the Wall Streeters.
So—if any of you are truly interested in leaving your cyber worlds and really taking action, as in protest or march —then by all means ‘VOLUNTEER’ and coordinate!!
I believe the Mayans to be correct in their 2012 prediction. Just take a good look around, this world is rapidly decaying before our eyes. Sadly, it’s going to be a long bloody road to the end.
Steve
99Libra@gmail.com
OH THANKS ABBY VERY INFORMATIVE
THE ONLY WAY TO HELP OBAMA IS TO DO WHAT THE CITIZENS IN BELL DID.
I THINK THE CONSTITUTION SAYS.
WE THE THE PEOPLE
NOT
WE THE PRESIDENT
WE THE JUDGES
WE THE MAYORS
WE THE SHERRIFFS
THE MAYORS SHERRIFS AND JUDGES ON THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL NEED OUR SUPPORT
NEVER AGAIN
Since many politicians and most judges have yet to understand the scope of the banks fraud, it’s going to take masses of people willing to organize, protest, expose key politicians and judges who break the law and violate their oath, to the detriment of the public. Anybody, especially pro se, who has to go to court to fight their foreclosure should always bring witnesses, network with others in their city, and get organized and ready to protest against a judge that rubber stamps the bank’s fraudulent takeover of their property.
You are so right to point out that when the citizenry gets fired up, things can change fast. I have completed my short sale to read this column and others to find that many legal issues could be unresolved. What I find amazing is that no one in Florida seems to get that the current law regarding deficiencies could permanently undermine Florida’s economic recovery. Just as the economy finally gets better, the “parties of interest” or whoever has bought deficiencies can go to court by the 5 year point, sue and go after homeowners for the next 20 years. Since Florida’s demographics have a lot of baby boomer bulge, lots of people in pre-retirement or retirement will get to finish their lives being pursued by these phantom debtors unless something changes.
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CBS is allowing us to each rate the Job Performance of President Obama. The results will astound you—or maybe not.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6116297-503544.html?tag=
ANONYMOUS,
What you say is true that “[the courts and government] just keep doing – NOTHING for the people.” but you left out that they ARE TAKING EVERYTHING FROM THE PEOPLE.
neidermeyer,
“In Arizona some people are physically destroying traffic cameras (speed and red light) because they can’t get a fair hearing”. hmm that’s a good idea I like it.
HAVE I NOT BEEN SAYING THIS, IN CALIFORNIA IT’S EVERY PUBLIC OFFICIAL/EMPLOYEE THAT IS FOR THE MOST PART THE PRIMARY CAUSE FOR ALL THE FINANCIAL TURMOIL OF THE COMMUNITY (NOT THE GOVERNMENT), EVERY ILLEGALLY FRAUDULENT FORECLOSURE THAT SHOWS AS HAVING SOLD FOR $0.00 (DO A SEARCH ON ANY OF THE BLOCKSHOPPER WEBSITES FOR CALIFORNIA COUNTIES), EVERY FRAUDULENT SUMMONS AND UNLAWFUL DETAINER COMPLAINT THAT’S VOID ON ITS FACE BECAUSE THEY LACK THE CLERK OF THE COURT’S SIGNATURE REQUIRED BY Cal. Civ. Pro. § 412.20(a) AND THE COURT’S AFFIXED SEAL REQUIRED BY Cal. Civ. Pro. § 153(b), AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY UNTIMELY DEATH, DESTROYED FAMILY, EVERY PERMANANTLY EMOTIONALLY SCARRED CHILD AND EVERY HARDSHIP SUFFERED BY THE TRUE BENEFICIARIES TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA (ITS CITIZENS, THE PEOPLE). AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE SO CALLED OFFICALS SHOULD BE FOREVER STRIPPED OF EVERY POWER, ELIGIBILITY TO HOLD ANY OFFICE AND EVERY DOLLAR UNLAWFULLY TAKEN FROM THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THEIR BENEFICIAL PLEASURE, THEN PERMENATELY INDEBTED FOR RESTITUTION OWED, THE ONES WHO RESIST AND CONTINUE TO OPPRESS THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA SHOULD ALL BE BEATEN UNTIL THEY ARE OFFICIALLY INCAPACITATED AND THAT GOES FOR EVERY FEDERAL SERVANT TOO JUDGE REP. SEN. E.O.A. ETC…. THESE THINGS ARE PART OF THE BARE MINIMUM OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS WHICH IS TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT PHYSICALLY THAT HAS BECOME DESTRUCTIVE TO ITS OWN ENDS. THIS DOESN’T EVEN GO INTO THE HARSH PUNISHMENT THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE FOR TREASON.
Gordon Brooks
There is no law enforcement. Like you said the game is rigged against the homeowner. We are in a position of usury while watching our home values decline and
neighborhoods turned to ghetto dust. It was calculated deceit and this government promoted the program.
I am mad as hell and will remain this way until I drop dead.
ANONYMOUS ,
The foreclosure proceedings that I’ve sat in on (not an expert by any means) remind me very much of traffic court… In traffic court the cops are given the presumption of correctness that you have to overcome and then they lie about what happened by simply reciting a fairy-tale script that never changes, same story for every stop … The courts know they’re being lied to but they are partners in the fine collection business. In Arizona some people are physically destroying traffic cameras (speed and red light) because they can’t get a fair hearing and 75% of the fines go unpaid.
Gordon Brooks
Problem is that the courts and government really do not know what they are doing – they just keep doing – NOTHING for the people.
Most foreclosures are brought in state court chancery divisions – and someone is telling that what to do.
Protests are inevitable.
WHY NEIL BECAUSE UP UNTIL NOW THE FIGHT HAS BEEN AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. WE NEED TO BRING IT TO THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL.
ALL WE HAVE TO TELL THE JUDGE IN OUR CASES IS THAT ANY IDIOT KNOWS THAT WE WERE CONNED. AND WE WILL HAVE THE PROTESTORS IN FRONT OF THE MAYORS, CITY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS AND SHERRIFS HOUSES PLACES OF BUSINESS ETC…… FOR ALLOWING THE BANKS TO DO BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
JUST LIKE THEY KNEW HOW TO GET THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA BUSINESS OUT OF LOS ANGELES THEY WILL GET THE LOAN SHARK CASINO BANKS OUT OF OUR COMMUNITIES.
NEVER AGAIN.
There are two things preventing the masses from rising up against the pretenders: (1) most people still don’t know what’s going on, and (2) what the mortgage thieves set up is very counterintuitive.
We still think of mortages they way they used to be; a lender who does due dilligence, takes a reasonable risk for a reasonable return, and works hard to mitigate losses before they occur, in the lender’s own best interest.
But when the lender and the borrower have nothing to do with one another, and all the middlemen win by rigging the game against both lender and borrower, it’s a situation we’ve never seen before, and one that can’t be understood in conventional terms.
The best we can do is keep spreading the word, and to take our case to law enforcement and into the courts again and again, until we start to break through the illusions of legitimacy and get to the truth of the matter, as publicly as possible.