Saturday, June 7th: Advancing the Anti-Foreclosure Movement

Dear Massachusetts Community Leaders, Organizers, Attorneys, Unionists, Advocates, Electeds, Neighbors, Friends, and Concerned Residents:

Are you opposed to big banks? Support the 99%?
It’s time to Advance the Anti-Foreclosure Movement!
Come strategize next steps on Saturday, June 7, 2014 from 9:00am – 5:00pm!

The Union Church
14 Collins Road
Waban, MA
(~1 1/2 miles off Mass Pike; “387 feet” from Waban stop, MBTA Green Line D:
To register, see below.)

Let’s come together, see how far we have come… and what we need to do that’s new and different to reach our goal: Economically stable communities with people in control of their own lives and housed in their own homes!

In 2007, the foreclosure crisis began by stealing the homes and hopes for a stable, prosperous future from thousands of Americans conned into predatory mortgages. The unprecedented housing bubble that those predatory lenders created went on to swamp millions of people’s lives and our state’s and nation’s economies.

Simultaneously, City Life/Vida Urbana, the Green-Rainbow Party, ACORN, and Housing Organizers founded a coalition to fight back. Joined by GBLS, Harvard Legal Aid, other organizations, and realtors, we came together as the Mass Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL) to warn about the looming foreclosure crisis.

We organized! Members of this new coalition organized Bank Tenant Associations, protested, passed legislation, fought in court, arranged buybacks and tripped up the banks’ rush to greed. We are still early in a massive movement that can bring the banks to justice, ensure affordable homes, and re-align our economy to serve us all.

Today, we are winning cases that, two years ago, we would have lost. Some of these wins establish the rights of those already foreclosed, even those years ago. We have hard evidence of bank wrong-doing. We have the data-mining capacity to identify particular wrongs; to reach affected individuals throughout the state; and to engage them in our movement for justice.

Now we have public opinion on our side; now we must activate it! We passed laws; now we must see them enforced! We showed the nation that small, organized groups could impact big banks; now we must expand! Today is the time to re-engage. Today is the time to involve new allies, bring new blood to this fight. Today is the time to brainstorm
new directions and to advance.

Please join us: bring your passion, bring your knowledge, bring your engagement. Together, we will bring about the future!

To attend, please register on our Eventbrite page.

This strategy event is free but donations are welcome and appreciated. Lunch will be provided. If you would like to cook or bring food to share with other attendees, contact Roxanne below.

If you have questions or for more information, contact Grace Ross: graccross@aol.com (617-291-5591) or Roxanne Reddington-Wilde roxanne.redwilde@bostonabcd.org (617-348-6464)

We look forward to seeing you there!

About MAAPL

The Mass. Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL) is a coalition of over 60 housing counseling agencies, legal services groups, social service agencies, and community-based social action groups that have joined together to address the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. MAAPL collects and distributes timely information on the foreclosure crisis and its effects to the public and to its member groups, drafts and supports legislation that provides important protections to homeowners and tenants facing foreclosure and eviction, documents the impact of the foreclosure crisis on local communities, networks with related organizations throughout the Commonwealth, and provides tools and information to help people navigate the legal system and advocate on their own behalf more effectively when challenging a foreclosure or eviction in court
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