Homeowners expose illegal foreclosures

WW photo: Terri Kay

California homeowners who have had their homes foreclosed marched with their supporters from Caesar Chavez Park to the Capitol Building in Sacramento on Feb. 29. Their goal was to deliver documents from foreclosed homes, demonstrating broken chains of title that made the foreclosures illegal. The activists held a rally at the Capitol and then proceeded to a Wells Fargo Bank, where they rallied again, chanting, “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out.”

The Bay Area Moratorium — a group mostly of Latinos/as centered in east Contra Costa County — together with Occupy Sacramento and supporters from San Jose, Occupy San Francisco and Occupy Oakland led the march in search of justice for the foreclosed homeowners.

Finally, BAM and Occupy Sacramento marched to Attorney General Kamala Harris’ office building. They had a box full of evidence to present to her, showing the broken chains of title. The building was locked down, but the marchers chanted until a representative came down to accept and time-stamp the documents.

Delia Aguilar, one of the protest group’s leaders, demanded that Harris declare an immediate statewide moratorium on foreclosures until she was able to audit all County Recorders for truthful and accurate title chain documentation. She said these fraudulent documents are used by banks to illegally auction off foreclosed properties.

BAM has been active in taking direct action to prevent evictions and move evicted homeowners back into their homes in Oakley, Antioch and other parts of the Bay Area.