Author Archives: SaraA

Atlanta is going to Washington DC! We are gathering with people from all over the world to change things in our culture. This is an international movement with a very local calling.

Civil, Social and Economic activists are gathering to descend upon Washington DC to define and demand real change in our culture. In the vein of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, on his birthday (Monday January 16) your passionate comrades at Occupy Atlanta will be joining them.
To do this, we need your help.

https://www.wepay.com/x35k6qi

Money donations will be used to subsidize fuel costs for the 1200 mile journey. Your support through donations of tents, sleeping bags, and thermal clothing will ensure that your occupiers are warm and safe during this midwinter expedition.

As we mentioned in a previous article, Occupy Atlanta got involved in helping Gary Cohen stave off foreclosure. He still needs our help so he can remain in the home he bought with his wife who passed away last year.

Donations will go to provide legal help in the foreclosure and bankruptcy process, an expensive proposition for someone on a fixed income.

Please help Gary Cohen keep his home.

Just a tiny sample of the awesome. Thank you Aviva and the Flying Penguins, Stoni Taylor, Drew Cline, Elizabeth Fields, Shabaka 2012, Midnight, Frankie Sinn, Lady Morrighan, and everyone else who made the night amazing!

Occupy Atlanta is a non-violent movement. While we cannot always control who attends events we plan or support, we strongly urge everyone to respect the intentions and ethical foundations of events organized by Occupy Atlanta and the other groups we forge connections with. In particular, the event in Union City last night was intended to send a strong and solemn message about police brutality and the toll it is taking on our community. We do not condone the actions taken by the few individuals last night that have seemingly overshadowed the message of the many, as well as the wishes of the Waiters family. Occupy Atlanta is firm in its resolve to protest police violence and will continue on the path of organized non-violent protest, which is a core principle of the OWS movement.

We stand in solidarity with all people and communities that have been impacted by police violence and will continue stand with them to ensure that they are not marginalized or forgotten. We respect their grief and desire to create a more peaceful world. We hope that we can continue to work together to create strong communities that are united by respect and compassion.

You can buy them online, and still be able to enter the drawing. We will pull tickets for you and if you win, you will have two weeks to pick up your prize. Prizes include original art by Kimlee Davis, a bicycle from the Occupy Atlanta Bicycle Co-Op, a hand-bound limited edition book of poetry by Sara Amis, and more!

UPDATE: Poppy Champlin is donating tickets to her show “The Queer Queens of Quomedy” at the Punchline Jan. 24. Thank you Poppy!

Occupy Atlanta Variety Show Raffle

Please buy online by midnight tonight (Dec. 28). After that, you can get them at the door with a $10 donation. Proceeds will benefit the Occupy Atlanta Legal Fund.

Two people on opposite sides of the country are able to spend the holidays at home due to last-minute interventions by Occupy Atlanta, Occupy Gwinnett, and Occupy Los Angeles.

Kenneth Glover contacted Occupy Atlanta early in November. His home had been foreclosed on and apparently sold to another bank. However, even though the bank was unable to show ownership of the home, an eviction went through initially. Deborah Storm, of Occupy Gwinnett, says “I went with Kenneth to his eviction hearing and found that the judge in the case was very biased…He listened to everything that the plaintiff had to say, but very little of what Kenneth Glover had to say. ” Seven days later, Mr. Glover was able to file an appeal and a motion to review with help from Occupy Gwinnett. The appeal was accepted fifteen minutes before the court closed. Thursday evening when Mr. Glover got home, he received a letter saying that the putative owner of the house is not pursuing an eviction a this time. Occupy Gwinnett also helped him find a lawyer who feels that he has a good case going forward. Mr. Glover says, “I would like to thank Occupy Gwinnett for helping me and other Georgia citizens, for their support and keeping us in our home.”

Meanwhile, across the country in Palmville, CA, Gary Cohen was struggling with his own situation. Disabled from a stroke following his wife’s death, he had gone into what he described as a “downward turn.” On top of his personal grief, he had to deal with a complicated tangle: his mortgage, which was originally with Household Finance, had been sold and re-sold, and a balloon payment which had been removed suddenly reappeared. He had attempted to get a loan modification through HAMP with Indymac, the current owner of the mortgage. “They wanted me to send this paperwork, that paperwork…They finally said, essentially, ‘this is taking too long.’” His home was scheduled to be auctioned off on December 22. But on December 21, he saw a segment on CNN about Brigitte Walker, whose home Occupy Atlanta helped save. “I wasn’t able to find the legal aid website CNN posted when I went looking for it, so I thought, ‘what about Occupy Atlanta?’” He was able to reach Kelvin Williams who was working on Occupy Atlanta’s telephone system, and who was familiar with the foreclosure process. “He called us at about 1:30 pm…” From Georgia, Kelvin walked Mr. Cohen through the paperwork required to file a skeletal bankruptcy which would put an automatic stay on the sale of the house. Meanwhile, Occupy Atlanta participants contacted Occupy Los Angeles. While Mr. Cohen filed paperwork at the courthouse. the next morning at 8:45 am, with fifteen minutes to spare before the sale at 9 am, several people from Occupy Los Angeles went to where the foreclosure sale was occurring in order to stop it. “Indymac didn’t want to take the paperwork, but the folks from Occupy Los Angeles convinced them.” The sale was postponed, which will allow Mr. Cohen enough time to file the paperwork he needs in order to keep his home. “It worked,” says Kelvin. “I’m still kinda in shock.”

It should be noted that while all of the foreclosure occupations are relatively small, an even smaller number of people were involved in each of these situations. The willingness of only a handful of people from Occupy Gwinnett, Occupy Atlanta, and Occupy Los Angeles to intervene resulted in two families gaining a reprieve and the opportunity to save their homes.

“It was kind of magical for me. My wife, who passed away a year and a half ago from cancer, was from Georgia, and we always wanted to visit but never got the chance. You could say our heart was there, and that’s where the help came from.”

In late November, Brigitte Walker, a decorated Iraq War veteran received another foreclosure notice. Brigitte had unsuccessfully tried to modify her loan with Chase Bank since she medically retired from the army as a result of combat related injuries in 2007. Her home was set to be sold at auction on the Fulton County Courthouse steps on January 3rd, whether she was in it or not. Instead of making holiday plans or putting up a Christmas tree, Brigitte and her girlfriend Ajai were worried about losing their home. On a whim, Brigitte sent an email to Georgia state senator Vincent Fort, who set up a meeting with Occupy Atlanta. On December 6, after leaving the very same auction where Brigitte’s home was slated to be sold the following month, we started occupying her home.

After two press conferences on her lawn, a national call in day, and direct action on Chase Bank, Occupy Atlanta did what Brigitte Walker couldn’t do in years: get a loan modification. If it weren’t for Occupy Atlanta’s “simplistic approach” Brigitte Walker would have had her American Dream auctioned off on the Fulton county court house steps. Instead Brigitte Walker and her family can breathe easy knowing they can continue to live in their home.

Winning Brigitte’s home is a win for the people. It should be a call for Georgians to fight for their homes, and fight for their neighbors’ homes. Let’s not forget, we outnumber the bank executives.