Guest host Paul Roland speaks with Patricia and Darren Williams, who were forcibly evicted from their Northeast Portland home on October 30. Part of a growing resistance in Portland and around the nation to home foreclosure evictions, the Williams' were pepper-sprayed along with supporters by sheriff's deputies and riot police, who showed up in force to carry out the eviction.
The Williams' predicament has become all too common since the housing bubble/sub-prime mortgage derivatives collapse of 2008. They will explain how they got caught up in the complex manipulations that led to both the financial meltdown and recession and the wave of foreclosures and evictions that have uprooted hundreds of thousands of homeowners and destabilized communities across the country.
They will also talk about their own and broader community efforts by groups such as We Are Oregon, Occupy and the Black Working Group to stem the tide of home foreclosures and evictions.
Darren Williams is also an army veteran, and since the show is on Veterans' Day, Paul will talk as well about how armed service members and veterans have been particularly hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis. Active duty military as well as veterans who have experienced or are currently under foreclosure are especially encouraged to call in to share their stories.
Useful links:
- weareoregon.org
- occupyourhomes.org
- takebacktheland.org
- 4closurefraud.org "Fighting foreclosure fraud by sharing the knowledge"
- stopforeclosurefraud.com
- nolosthomes.org
- propublica.org ("Secret Documents Show Weak Oversight of Key Foreclosure Program," 11/9/12)
- propublica.org/article/video-the-great-american-foreclosure-song/
- counterpunch.org (series of articles by Mike Whitney--highly recommended)
- veteranstoday.com (11/30/11 article: "Banks Targeting Military Families for Illegal Foreclosures")
- newamericanmedia.org (09/2012 article: "Banks Threaten Elderly Veterans With Foreclosure")
- theveteranssite.greatergood.com ("No More Home Foreclosures for Veterans" campaign)
- fas.org (Congressional Research Service Feb., 2012 Report on Veterans and Homelessness)
- thebigbank.net (A musical)