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The members of the Twin Cities branch of the Occupy movement might be under near-constant official harassment, but that certainly doesn’t mean they’ve given up their efforts on behalf of those of us in the 99%. Just as they worked earlier to get another foreclosure victim the needed time and aid to move her and her disabled father to a new home, they’re now, with Nick Espinosa taking a key role, working to keep a Minneapolis university professor in her home:
A few dozen protesters moved into 3334 25th Avenue S around 2:30 in the afternoon. The house was formerly owned by Sára Kaiser, pronounced “Shara,” an adjunct professor of anthropology at several universities in the Twin Cities (including the University of Minnesota). Occupy Minnesota wants to help Kaiser reclaim her home and bring attention to the foreclosure crisis.
[...]
Kaiser, 43, is a single mother to an 8-year old girl. She’s a Hungarian immigrant who moved here in 1998. Kaiser put down 20% on the house, about $40,000, several years ago. $10,000 came from her grandmother’s will in Hungary.
She said she’s been trying to renegotiate her mortgage with US Bank for a year and a half. The bank, she says, has basically blown her off by offering her workshops on how to better manage her money.
“I don’t even drive a car. I don’t eat out,” Kaiser said. “I buy used clothes, I use public transportation.”
Despite the arrests of two Occupy members — one of whom was shoved around by a squad car in an effort to get him to move — the Occupiers were able to hold the space until the homeowner arrived on the scene.
As it turns out, they were able to Occupy the home overnight — very likely in part because there was some question as to who currently owned the property — but shortly after noon today, the police came back in force:
MPD booted in the door of the second foreclosed home, occupiers have left peacefully. Emergency meeting 5pm at MARS 3458 Minnehaha Ave S
Will Professor Kaiser get her home back? Stay tuned.
21 Comments
Make ‘em show you the deed!!
Good idea!
I was present during this action. For most of the Occupation I was doing Street Medic duty. Now that we have entered the house foreclosure arena, I have shed my Medic persona (Medics have to stay neutral as part of our code and I am unable to do that with the foreclosure issue)
So much to report but I am far too busy right now. I will do so when I have time.
Love- Peace- Respect
Michael
Wow. So, she has been evicted, now? (will check the links in a little bit, just inferring)
At first, reading your headline, I wondered at a “professor” being in foreclosure trouble (though it certainly can happen to anyone with the predatory lending and fake foreclosure dox).
Then I saw that she is an “adjunct professor.”
Ah, now I get it. Adjuncts are in the lowest percentage of university earners; from what I’ve learned in the last few years, it seems a terrible fate, way inadequately paid. No wonder.
Although with such a downpayment, I’m guessing the lender or the servicer really screwed her over somewhere along the way.
I’m glad to see some Occupies moving this direction.
And the one per centers and the media thought there were no goals among the Occupy movemente…
”
Yea! Thank you, OCCUPY, the moral core of America.
In academia, “adjunct” is the idiom for “part time” with no benefits and no office. The brief experience I have with this indicates that an adjunct professor can expect to earn about $2000 per course that they teach.
Mahalo, Michael, for all your efforts…! *g*
Keeping fingers & toes crossed for Sara & OMN.
Good going.
My apologies if this has been posted already but this is stunning imo.
Sitting and silent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8775ZmNGFY8#!
I find it interesting that the police were so quick to intervene here, as opposed to, say, crack houses.
wow!
Someone did post that on an earlier thread. I thought perp walk, only classier since the witnessed were in silent witness as opposed to the completely disgusting paparazzi.
Crack houses serve a social purpose for 1%ers. They are easy prey whenever 1%ers need a shiny object to distract from 1%ers misdeeds or other under-the-radar activity.
Single mothers are easier to evict than armed mother(fucker)s…
Over a dozen MPD cars were present for today’s police raid. Just think, that’s a dozen cop cars that weren’t patrolling places like the Camden neighborhood.
Really PW.
Ya really still think that cops are for legit law enforcement.
Cops, like U.S. military, is for throwing some poor defenseless person/country against the wall to show who is boss.
Get with the program. /s
This is so powerful! There needs to be a whole lot more of this type of mass statement. Recording of them to replay them again and again with plans to replay them on anniversaries so these perps know that it is no small cost to them to make such horrible choices.
a big THANK YOU for your efforts, and to all the others helping Occupy & prevent foreclosures.
Chris Hayes on “UP” was reporting today that a mother was convicted of food stamp fraud for trying to feed her children and yet not one of those bankers did any time for frauding the mortgage market. I don’t know what state the mother was from but apparhently she had a prior conviction involving drugs which made her ineligible for food support.
Remember, it was a police official in Egypt that slapped a food vendor which caused the overthrow of the Government. That just might be where we are heading if this crap keeps up.
MIssissippi
Thank you, Phoenix Woman, for reporting on the story of Dr. Kaiser. By chance, I was at a meeting in St. Paul yesterday of the Minnesota Hungarians Association and heard of her good teaching at the U of Minn. Dr. Kaiser had guest speakers come to her class who remembered the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Good for “Occupy Minnesota” to defend her home.