ONC Foreclosure Working Group invites you to the “End Fraudulent Foreclosures!”
Rally on the Nevada City Courthouse Steps Wednesday, March 21, Noon
On Wednesday, March 21, Occupy Nevada County’s Foreclosure Working Group will hold a rally at 12 noon at the Nevada City Courthouse, 201 Main Street, where homes are regularly auctioned off. The purpose of the action is to draw attention to the fact that banks are using fraudulent documents to foreclose and essentially steal peoples’ homes. Speakers will include people who have been or are being foreclosed in Nevada County. Local resident Melanie Cornell, whose home is scheduled to be auctioned off on that date, will be one of the speakers. Her shocking story of illegal foreclosure process in Nevada County is attached. Ms. Cornell is available for interviews by the press.
Ms. Cornell’s home was previously scheduled to be auctioned off at the courthouse on February 14. Occupy Nevada County group members held a rally on that day to support her. Several of us witnessed a member of Ms. Cornell’s family present the foreclosure sales agent (auctioneer) with legal documents that put a stay on the foreclosure, along with affidavits supporting her claim that the deed of trust is forged and that the process is fraudulent. The foreclosure sales agent threw the papers to the ground and claimed that “these papers don’t mean anything.”
Occupy Nevada County’s Foreclosure Working Group is made up of community members who are concerned about the rising number of foreclosures and evictions here in Nevada County. Some of us have had personal experience of foreclosure in our families. We have been researching all matters involving defaults, foreclosures, and evictions. We have discovered many improprieties by banks and loan servicers, and have begun reaching out to the community to prevent these injustices. Our goal as a group is to highlight the foreclosure crisis, support families who are losing their homes, and find ways to keep people in their homes.
The group has been gathering and sharing information on foreclosures, loan modifications, short sales, and evictions. Group members have been consulting with local realtors, lawyers, law library staff, and people who are going through foreclosure and eviction to learn about legal rights for homeowners and tenants and to warn against common pitfalls. They are pointing people in the direction of local services and referring people to reputable lawyers. They are also providing support for homeowners or tenants during foreclosure or eviction, which can include private or public advocacy. Last December they received national publicity on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show after the group successfully negotiated the postponement of the eviction of a single mother and her four children just days before Christmas.
People can contact the group for help, information, or to offer support to people who are losing their homes by email at foreclosures@earth-justice..