Category Archives: Press Release

On March 7 democracy was subverted in the Georgia Senate. SB 469, which would impose heavy fines on pickets near any private property (not just residences), extra burden on union members seeking to maintain membership, and criminal penalties on those who plan civil disobedience, was brought to the floor and then passed without debate. Several senators present who clearly had strong objections to the bill and the calculated assault on the First Amendment that it represents were denied even the chance to voice their concerns.

Occupy Atlanta hopes to foster a full discussion of the implications of SB 469, something which did not occur in the Georgia Senate. On March 13 at 4 pm we will hold our own General Assembly on the steps of the building where the Georgia General Assembly meets, and discuss the bill Occupy-style. We will offer the state senators who did not get to speak on the merits and flaws of SB 469 the opportunity they were denied by their colleagues. State Sen. Vincent Fort and State Sen. Nan Orrock have already indicated they will attend, and we hope others will as well. Any senators who voted for the bill and wish to defend it are also welcome. Our General Assembly, as always, is open to all.

For immediate release
Occupy Atlanta Media
March 11, 2012

A nation-wide epidemic of misogynist legislation has spread to Georgia. Occupy Atlanta will walk in solidarity with a coalition including:

ACLU of Georgia, Atlanta Women’s Medical Center, Democratic Women’s Council, Feminist Women’s Health Center, Georgia Equality, Georgia Rural Urban Summit, Georgia’s WIN List, Georgia Women for a Change, Georgia WAND, League of Women Voters of Georgia, Men Stopping Violence, MoveOn, National Association of Social Workers – Georgia Chapter, Planned Parenthood Southeast, Raksha, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence, Young Democrats of Georgia

We will walk in a single file around the Capitol from 11:30 am to 1 pm in support of these rights for all Georgia women:

to determine when and whether to have children,

to have a healthy pregnancy and birth;

to become a parent and parent with dignity, and

to have safe and healthy relationships and families.

Self-determination for women is inextricably tied to self-determination for our entire society. We are “the 52%”

Last Tuesday, opponents to SB 469 packed the Insurance and Labor committee hearing. Lawyers explained that the bill was unconstitutional and unenforceable; teachers spoke of the First Amendment and called the bill un-American. None of that mattered, because the committee members weren’t taking their cues from the people of the state of Georgia. They were taking orders from the American Legislative Exchange Council. AT&T, which recently announced layoffs of 740 workers in the Southeast despite record profits last year, is on the board of ALEC, and four committee members are members. An ALEC lobbyist was one of only two people who spoke in favor of the bill…but his voice spoke loudest.

On Saturday, the General Assembly of Occupy Atlanta adopted this simple demand: End corporate influence in politics and government. SB 469 is one example of how corporate interests dominate our state government. AT&T and other ALEC members are using the legislative and legal mechanisms of our state to further their own interests, against the interests of the tax-paying working people of Georgia. Tomorrow, Occupy Atlanta and a coalition of other groups and individuals will rally to put a stop to this example of ALEC legislation and corporate subversion of democracy. 5 pm at the Georgia State Capitol.

End corporate influence in politics and government. Start with SB 469.

For immediate release
Occupy Atlanta Media
February 29, 2012

Occupy Atlanta Rallies to Save Freedom of Speech in Georgia

With at least one American Legislative Exchange Council lobbyist in attendance, Georgia Senate Bill 469 which would impose hefty fines on pickets and turn planning a protest into a crime, was passed in committee today despite testimony that it was unconstitutional and unenforceable. The room, packed mainly with union members erupted in a chant of “KILL THE BILL!” and one Occupy Atlanta protester was arrested while others were escorted out.
AT$T is on the board of ALEC, and this legislation has their clear stamp on it. Tomorrow, February 29, Occupy Atlanta will rally in front of the Capitol at 10 am, followed by a march back to AT$T at noon to address the source of this attack on the First Amendment and labor rights in Georgia.

For more information on how corporations are pushing “model legislation” through state legislatures nation-wide, see www.alecexposed.org

During this time of financial crisis, many have lost their homes, businesses, and property, leaving them only the comfort of their faith.  Unfortunately, this, too, seems to be under attack by the banks, especially in traditionally low-income and African American communities around the country. Even in the heart of the faith-centric civil rights movement, a local church, Higher Ground Empowerment Center, stands to be foreclosed on by BB&T.

Higher Ground Empowerment Center(HGEC) is a neighborhood church in the heart of Atlanta’s Vine City. For the past 108 years, Higher Ground Empowerment Center has been a pillar in the historic Vine City community, one of Atlanta’s most under-resourced communities. HGEC has offered an array of much-needed programs and services including free healthcare screenings, a food pantry, job fairs, an annual Vine City Thanksgiving dinner, Karate classes for youth, Saturday tutorials, and summer camps for students.

In 2008, the church suffered a major blow in the form of a disastrous tornado that ripped apart the property. In order to rebuild, the church was forced to take out a loan, one that became increasingly difficult to pay back and unrepresentative of the resale opportunities as donations and property values fell during the recession.  The church repeatedly attempted to refinance the loan to be more representative of the property’s value, but BB&T, a company whose CEO, Kelly King, claims that their “foreclosure process is a values based on an approach where [they] work with our clients,” has not responded.  The cruel irony is that BB&T bank spends about 5 million dollars a year on teaching positions and research on what they refer to as “the moral foundations of capitalism.” We find these morals and values suspiciously absent when the opportunity to profit off of the very people who bailed out BB&T to the tune of $3.1 billion comes about.

HGEC’s Pastor Dexter Johnson stated, “108 years of history, we don’t want to see it disappear, be lost in foreclosure. 2012 is the year of triumph. Though we may be down, we are not broken, we will not be moved.”

Occupy Atlanta stands in solidarity with HGEC and the Vine city community. 1/12/12 Occupy Atlanta will be holding a press conference at HGEC, 561 spencer st NW Atlanta 30314 at 11am. We will be setting up an encampment outside the church and will not leave until BB&T makes a deal that works for the church.

In the past decade Americans have been subject to a new crime wave: Banks robbing families of their homes.  Since the early 2000′s banks have been targeting communities of color with predatory loans. In an attempt to feed the monster that we now know as the housing bubble banks began handing out loans that appeared, on face extremely attractive. The catch: these loans turned ugly fast. By creating and pushing financial instruments like adjustable rate mortgages with teaser rates or pay options,  loans with balloon payments, and interest only clauses, banks offered loans that were affordable at a glance, but impossible to pay a few years down the road. In essence, they stacked the deck against working Americans.

The Pittman family has lived in their home in the Old Fourth Ward since 1953. The late Eloise Pittman was a pillar in the community and a leader at her church. She was also a victim of one of the worst predatory loans that Occupy Atlanta has ever seen. When Eloise, a 62 year old retired school board employee, wanted to refinance her home in 2006 Chase gave her an adjustable rate loan totaling over $300,000 for a home that, according to the tax assessor, was worth half that much. Eloise was the victim of a repulsively predatory loan.

Eloise Pittman passed away in late November.  Her family is now left with a mountain of debt, and is trying to save a home that’s been in their family for nearly 60 years. Chase has been unwilling to find a solution that keeps them in their home.

The mortgage is owned by Chase. Today, we appeal to you for help. Can you take the time to call, fax, and email the CEO of Chase Bank with a simple message; Make the Pittman family’s mortgage work. Rectify predatory loans.

Keep the Pittmans in their home!

Contact Chase Bank Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon:
Phone: 212-270-1111
Fax: 212-270-1121
Email: jamie.dimon@jpmchase.com

All this action takes is the commitment to send a few messages, the commitment of a few minutes of your time. That commitment could help keep the Pittmans in their home  and send a message to the big banks that we will not let them make Americans pay the price for their irresponsible practices. We are the 99%, and we out number bank executives.

In the past decade Americans have been subject to a new crime wave:  Banks robbing families of their homes.

Since the early 2000′s banks have been targeting communities of color with predatory loans. In an attempt to feed swelling profit reports, banks began handing out loans that appeared, on face, extremely attractive. The catch:  these loans turned ugly fast. By creating and pushing financial instruments like adjustable rate mortgages with teaser rates or pay options, loans with balloon payments, and interest-only clauses, banks offered loans that were affordable at a glance, and impossible to pay a few years down the road. In essence, they stacked the deck against hardworking Americans.

In recent years, Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward has become a target for gentrification within the city. Properties in this historically black district of Atlanta have been scooped up by developers, demolished, and turned into pricey condominiums at the expense of the Fourth Ward community.

The Pittman family has lived in their home in the Old Fourth Ward since 1953. The late Eloise Pittman was a pillar in the community and a leader at her church. She was also a victim of one of the worst predatory loans that Occupy Atlanta has ever seen. Despite the fact that the Pittman family is now under immediate threat of eviction, Occupy Atlanta will do whatever it takes to defend the home.

On Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 at 12:00 pm Occupy Atlanta will be holding a press conference on the lawn of the Pittman family home at 404 Glen Iris Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30308.