Foreclosure Defense Group

We provide front line foreclosure defense support for Oakland families. We also participate in greater Occupy Oakland councils on housing, reclamation, and land takeovers.

Email: foreclosure@occupyoakland.org

Website: http://foreclosuredefensegroup.wordpress.com

Lovers of the Bulb Speak: “A Solution in Search of a Problem.”

A number of Bulb users were asked to speak their mind on video about the ongoing plans to evict the Bulb’s otherwise homeless residents, restrict the ability of people to let their dogs run free on the beach, and turn the Bulb into a vanilla park. Here’s what they had to say, with excerpts below. “The castle is just magical… There’s a lot of heart and soul of the art community here…” “This is kind of antithetical to what’s been happening here. This is, like, SO STUPID, like not getting … Continued

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Oakland’s Elite Want the Kaiser Center to Remain Completely and Utterly Useless.

After years of neglect, one day of intense excitement January 28th, 2012, and now months of a quiet encampment by otherwise homeless (and harmless) people on its steps and lawn, Oakland’s Kaiser Center has been targeted by Oakland’s elite as yet another battle site in their war on those who have nothing to fight back with. Noting the results of shooting and illegally arresting Occupiers – millions of dollars in lawsuit damages and millions more in attorney’s fees and City Staff time – Mayor “this is economic violence” Quan has … Continued

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“You Gotta Be For the People.”

Gigi Winters, an Occupy Oakland activist who lost her home in Oakland to the banks after being evicted at gunpoint almost a year ago, speaks to the Albany City Council several days ago about the absurdity of evicting people from the Albany Bulb when there is no place for them to go. Gigi was active in the successful fight to save Jodie Randolph’s home from the maws of the Big Banks, as seen in this photo of her standing with Jodie and others on Jodie’s porch in Alameda in November … Continued

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Still on the Bulb.

More than three months have passed since the City of Albany “began operations” to evict some sixty or seventy otherwise homeless people living on the Albany Bulb. Since then two lawsuits have been filed to stop them, Albany has erected a scorned temporary shelter that cost $300,000 and which has seen almost no use and which none of the Bulb residents chose to move into, one person’s residence was dismantled, four people have been provided with more permanent housing, and most of the Bulb’s denizens are still out there on … Continued

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Albany Bulb Residents Denounce Internment Trailers.

Welcome to the Albany Internment Camp. Two trailers with fences “protecting” outside bathroom and shower facilities were recently set up on the approach to the Bulb by the City of Albany. They “house” up to thirty of the seventy or so residents of the Albany Bulb the good burghers of Albany have decided to evict. Share the Bulb released this statement Nov. 29th, condemning eviction plans and the mentality of those who would confine people to conditions in some senses worse than those for in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay. … Continued

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Federal Judge Allows Eviction of Albany Bulb Residents. Occupation Begins.

A valiant attempt by Albany Bulb residents, supporters and legal representatives to stave off eviction with a federal civil rights lawsuit failed today (Monday, November 18th), as the judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order against the eviction. A federal judge cleared the way Monday for Albany to evict about 60 homeless people from their tents on a waterfront landfill known as the Bulb, saying they had failed to show that the removal would violate their rights. At the hearing in San Francisco, Breyer quickly dismissed the arguments by … Continued

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From the Foreclosure Defense Group

The Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group has been meeting regularly since March of 2012. While we are all very proud of our accomplishments as a group, a number of factors–including the changing political terrain and shifting priorities for some key organizers–have led us to decide that it’s time to disband. We are keeping our hot line available and will refer callers to other local resources. We are also keeping our text alert system up and running for the foreseeable future. The relationships established and political will that we have built … Continued

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Occupy Oakland: The Movie!

OCCUPY OAKLAND: The Movie. Please join Flashpoints on Pacifica Radio & Long Memory Productions in support of the Alan Blueford Coalition with an ADVANCED SCREENING of: OCCUPY OAKLAND: The Movie. Thursday, September 12, 7:00 PM. Grand Lake Theater. This is a film in the making that highlights why the Occupy movement was different in Oakland because of Oakland’s history going back to the Black Panther Party and up to the Oscar Grant Movement. This film has a very clear anti-police brutality theme. The producer’s goal is to make this a … Continued

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Those Damned Hippies. They’re Saving the Post Office.

Yup. Hippies. Straight out of the 60’s, looking oddly like grandparents these days. Hardcore labor unionists. Harscrabble activists. Street kids. Cal students. Throw in a few of Berkeley’s famous homeless and They may think it’s a movement (as Arlo famously put it). A movement to save the Berkeley Post Office and stop the Privatization of our Commons. One hundred plus people rallied at the downtown Berkeley Post Office yesterday, celebrating 15 days of successful Occupation organized by an activist coalition from Save the Berkeley Post Office and Strike Debt Bay … Continued

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With Heavy Hearts…

With heavy hearts, we here of the Occupy Oakland Foreclosure Defense Group have two announcements to make. Our member and friend, Jodie Randolph has won one battle and lost another. As many of you know, Jodie was not only fighting for her home but fighting against cancer. Early Saturday morning that fight ended when Jodie passed away. We will announce details for the memorial service as we get them. But in these last months, she knew though that together we had won the fight for her home. After 8 months … Continued

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