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Back in December, I wrote about the story of Minneapolis resident Bobby Hull, a Marine veteran and longtime skilled master plasterer who fell behind in his payments to US Bank when age and illness (in the form of three heart attacks, a collapsed lung, and surgery on both shoulders) forced him off the job and into the hospital. Occupy Minneapolis’ Occupy Homes branch, led by Nick Espinosa, and the local group Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, led by Anthony Newby, joined forces to try to save Bobby’s home — which was not only his home, but that of his entire extended family.
Today, we got the word from Occupy Homes and NOC in a joint press release that they have succeeded: “On Monday, February 27th at noon, South Minneapolis homeowner Bobby Hull, supporters from Occupy Homes MN and Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC) and will publicly declare victory in their fight to save Hull’s family home from an unfair and avoidable foreclosure. Following a three-month public campaign, Hull’s lender has agreed to renegotiate his mortgage so that he and his family can keep their home!”
Congratulations to Bobby and many thanks to Occupy Homes MN and NOC for helping him stay in his home!
15 Comments
Thank you for folks pulling together and coming through for Bobby Hull!
I live 3 blocks from Bobby Hull’s house.
He is good, solid people.
This is a huge victory.
An important victory to be sure but which begs the question: Why didn’t the Minnesota DFL take up the Minnesota People’s Bailout which included a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. The Minnesota People’s Bailout was dead on arrival when presented by Minnesota DFL State Senator David Tomassoni only to have DFL State Senator Jim Metzen, a banker, chairing the committee with a DFL majority (eleven Democrats to seven Republicans) sink the legislation without a proper hearing. Not one single Republican on this Senate Committee on Business, Industry and Labor had to even cast a vote— the DFL’s Summit Hill Club/Business Caucus sank the legislation all on their own with one lone vote cast for this important piece of legislation; that one lone courageous vote coming from the legislation’s author, Minnesota State Senator David Tomassoni, who hails from Minnesota’s Iron Range where, fortunately, Communists still outnumber Republicans.
Of course, the question of all questions— the Mother of all Questions— is: Why hasn’t Barack Obama placed a national moratorium on all home foreclosures and evictions during all this time he has occupied the White House?
During Obama’s tenure in the White House he has callously closed his eyes to hundreds of thousands of people having been foreclosed on and then evicted— with the numbers rising by the hour.
The American people should be considering tossing both the Democrats and Republicans to the curb just like Sheriff Departments are tossing the belongings of the foreclosed and evicted out on the curbs in working class neighborhoods all across this country.
I recently spent considerable time traveling through Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin and everyplace I went I saw people’s belongings piled curb-side— placed there as a result of evictions.
The Israeli killing machine piling up the corpses of dead Palestinian children like cord-wood may not phase Obama; however, one would think Obama and his Democratic colleagues would at least have some empathy for their “base” since it is widely acknowledged bankers and mortgage companies engaged in great fraud luring people under false pretenses, fraud and illegal gimmicks into the American Dream of home ownership.
Alan
Bobby Hull is no Democrat apologist. Nor are his family or indeed many of the Occupy Minnesota people that helped him avoid foreclosure.
Isn’t that right Pheonix?
I know; I met him before.
Obama and the Democrats can kiss the votes of hundreds on thousands of foreclosed on and evicted families good-bye.
Every time I see an article on this I do the same thing — “wow, played hockey for all those years and still getting evicted.” And then I remember.
Thanks for writing this, PW. This is great news.
Yeah, I know! I suspect that, after three heart attacks, a collapsed lung and major surgery on each shoulder, he probably feels like a retired NHL enforcer.
Alan
Very good question about the DFL and the People’s Economic Bailout Bill.
Of course it is much easier to just point at the evil Republicans. It is all their fault. But as you point out, with the monied folks in the Summit Hill Democrats, we do not need Republicans to destroy good legislation.
Rest assured, the Bobby Hulls of the world already know that.
Oh and thank you Pheonix Woman. I had planned to write a story about the block party celebration for this victory. It was great. The whole block taped off, a stage set up, many bands playing great songs, great speeches including John Vinge (Air Force Vet- pesonal friend and also fighting foreclosure),inside of Bobby Hulls house where there was more music, and spoken word etc etc. I even got to play my Irish drum, the bodraihn for the crowd. It was a blast.
Did you get to go to the party PW?
Awesome…sooooo heartwarming..hoping their will be millions more to come…(isn’t that sad…that that many people need or needed the same assist?) Anytime someone stands up against these banks and wins..its a victory for all of us! Thanks for sharing.
wavpeace
Be aware. This movement is growing. In Minnesota and elsewhere.
Despite the silence and complicity of the Democratic and Republican Party selected officials.
Here is to Occupy Minnesota
It is!
By the way, the tag-team trolls who seem to enjoy stalking me should try telling the truth sometime.
Here’s what Cavlan and Maki don’t want you to know — The DFL actually passed a mortage mediation program that Tim Pawlenty vetoed:
The DFL tried again in 2010 — and Pawlenty vetoed it again. And, just as in 2009, enough Republicans sided (as usual) with Pawlenty to make overturning his veto impossible.
And now you know the rest of the story — the part the tag-teamers hid from your view.
But considering that they both are buddies with and defenders of Dean the Bribe-Taker Zimmermann, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that their acquaintance with the truth is shaky.
So twice passing mortgage mediation, only to see it vetoed by Pawlenty, is “silence and complicity”?
You are either an ignorant hack or a lying one. Or both.
FYI, the DFL, when they had both houses of the state legislature, passed a lot of really good pro-homeowner legislation, particularly mortgage mediation legislation (twice!), only to see it vetoed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty and the vetoes upheld by Republicans voting as a bloc (like the “black bloc” crowd you like to praise).
Thanks PW. I have seen US Bank mentioned in most OccupyMN and Homes stuff, although USB usually is not the owner/negotiator of the mortgage in question. The KSTP reporter who filed this story (http://alexandria.kstp.com/news/news/130627-disabled-vet-facing-foreclosure-strikes-deal-bank-others-could-benefit) emailed me that the bank in question is Bank of America. Monique’s mortgage is owned by Freddie Mac. (I just saw that this is starting to be corrected: http://www.theuptake.org/2012/02/28/correction-freddie-mac-not-us-bank-foreclosing-on-occupy-supported-home/) Two previous stories were also not about US Bank, although it was usually mentioned.
US Bank is a bit player in owning mortgages. It does have some servicing business and it is a large player serving as mortgage owners’ trustee, but it is not the bank that can renegotiate with Hull or White. It should not be a target of OccupyMN just because it is HQ’ed in Minneapolis. (across the street from the physical occupation site) I don’t work for them, honest, I just would like the facts to be right, and I see focusing on USB to be a bad strategy.