Seventy-six-year-old Mary Bonelli will be put on the sheriff’s eviction list tomorrow, despite the fact that her home foreclosure resulted from a bank error. In response, community members will hold a candlelight vigil to call for a halt to her eviction and the modification of her mortgage to reflect the home’s current market value.

Time is running out for Mary Bonelli, whose Belmont-Cragin home has been in her family for three generations.

Bonelli and her elderly sister, who took out a new mortgage to pay for repairs to the home in 2008, first went into foreclosure in spring 2011. Both women are on a fixed income, and the foreclosure was triggered when Fifth Third Bank’s online payment system failed to deduct a payment. By the time they realized the problem, the sisters were told it was too late. They then hired lawyers, who charged $2,500 up front before eventually dropping the case. Though foreclosures often take years to go through the courts, Bonelli’s went through in a matter of months.

Tomorrow, with support from her neighbors and Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction, Bonelli will announce that she plans to continue occupying her foreclosed home, even if the sheriff comes to evict her. Bonelli is disabled and has difficulty walking, but says she plans to stand up for her home and the community she’s lived in all her life.

“I have no place else to go, and moving would be a nightmare for me. To see all the hard work that three generations of my family have put into our home slip away because of the bank’s mistake would be devastating,” she says.

Bonelli’s house has been sold to government-backed mortgage lender Fannie Mae. Last month, she and four other Chicago families facing eviction by Fannie Mae demonstrated in front of the agency’s regional headquarters in hopes of securing a meeting. Supporters have also been calling into the office of Fannie Vice President Kristy Williams Fercho to ask for a negotiation, but have so far received no response.

Bonelli’s predicament is an all-too-common one. Together, Fannie and Freddie control more than half of all home mortgages and over 90% of newly-issued mortgages. These institutions hold enormous influence over the housing market, and have made the foreclosure crisis worse by denying principal reductions, then evicting families from their homes, only to hold vacant properties for months on end.

“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have received a bailout of more than $150 million to remain solvent” says Sabrina Morey, a member of Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction and Bonelli’s neighbor. “The taxpayers own and fund them, yet they’re evicting elderly people who have been working and paying taxes all their lives.”

Many people face the same nonsense as Mary does.  But where many people feel foreclosures and evictions are their own problem, all alone—and a matter of shame and secrecy—Mary realizes that the shame does not lie with her, the homeowner—but with the banks whose predatory practices have created the current housing crisis all across the country.  Mary got in touch with her friend, Sabrina Morey, of Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction, and together they organized the demonstration last Friday the 13^th.  We gathered at Mary’s house, about twenty of us, and marched the blocks from her house to 5/3 Bank at 2710 N Narragansett Ave in the Brickyard Mall.  On our way, we waved our signs and chanted together “FIGHT!-FIGHT!-FIGHT!-FIGHT!—HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT!” and “THE BANKS GOT BAILED OUT—WE GOT SOLD OUT!!” to the cheers of passersby and the honking support of passing cars.  When we got to the bank, we stood on the sidewalk and continued to chant and cheer Mary on as she went in to see if the bank would finally talk to her about their arbitrary decision to foreclose on her home.  The bank manager ignored Mary, as usual, until he realized the demonstrators outside that he was worried about were with her—and then, suddenly, he was quite willing to talk with Mary!  He gave a promise to her that someone would call her on Monday.  But whether 5/3 Bank follows through or not, Mary has friends!  And we in Communities United are more than willing to come out to picket again—and again and again!—until Mary gets justice.

Mary’s story is many people’s stories—predatory banks wanting to steal your home—bank officials treating you as if they are doing you a favor to talk with you about how they are stealing from you—and many times ignoring you and breaking their promises.  People all over the country are facing evictions and foreclosures—and this is WRONG!!  Mary’s story will have a happier ending than many people’s now have—because she has refused to leave her home!  And, she has called in the support of her friends and neighbors in Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction.  Your stories, like hers, need to be told—for that’s the way the story can end happily—with you and your family in your home, and the banks far away!  Get in touch with us here, and tell us your stories—and together, we’ll write a better ending than the banks want to write.  YOU DESERVE TO LIVE IN YOUR HOME!!  THE BAD ECONOMY IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!  THE BANKS HAVE CREATED THIS HOUSING CRISIS—AND THE BANKS HAVE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!!  Remember: Housing Is A Human Right!

Write-up by Sid Prise from the Belmont Cragin chapter.

Sabrina More, 34 and her sister Samantha have between them seven kids. After moving several times and being ineligible for any housing assistance, they, with the help and collaboration of Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction, have decided to occupy an empty single family home in Belmont-Craigin. Belmont Craigin has the second highest number of foreclosures in the city of Chicago. While the banks steal homes from people, unemployment and growing poverty has made it harder for ordinary people to keep a roof over their heads. Foreclosures and evictions have torn apart our communities and contributed to the 174,000 vacant homes in Chicago. We see them everywhere! Further, our so-called political leaders put the greedy bankers and the rich–the same people who caused this mess–before those in need. Sabrina and Samantha and their children deserve to a place to live. We call on activists and community members to support them as they fight for the HUMAN RIGHT TO HOUSING by reclaiming an empty home. Why should there be housing insecurity when so many houses sit empty?

Join us Tuesday, December 6th as part of a national day of action aimed at blocking evictions, resisting foreclosures, and reclaiming abandoned and empty properties. We will gather at Riis Park and then march to Sabrina and Samantha’s newly liberated home!

“I believe what we are doing is right because people need a place to live. There should be no vacant homes anywhere.” Sabrina More

For more information:
Communities United Against Foreclosure and Eviction
stopeviction.wordpress.com
Sabrina (english) 815.243.1984
Chris (english) 847.226.5302
Lily (espanol) 773.759.2155
Silvia (espanol) 773.664.2878

**in conjunction with National Day of Action to Resist and Reverse Foreclosures**

2221 N. Latrobe Ave.

Press conference to celebrate the victory of the Tellez-Baca family in reclaiming their home from the bank and to tell people: “Don’t move, stay in your homes, and fight for the human right to housing!”

Te invitamos a la conferencia de prensa para celebrar la victoria de la familia Tellez-Baca (en la lucha para conservar su casa) y para decir la gente: No te muevas! Pelea por tu casa! Y lucha por el derecho a la vivienda para todos y todas!–con las y los oradoras y oradoros maravillos@s como Yessenia Yaritza Tellez y Rory Fanning y mas!

Modification attempts had failed; lawyers would not take on their case; and the bank would not respond to their pleas.

But, they refused to accept the court order to leave their home. They organized with other community members, brought the bank to the negotiating table and won back their house.

Community meeting on October 22nd at 11am at 2221 N. Latrobe Ave to celebrate the victory of the Tellez family’s fight to stay in their home and to discuss how we can collectively fight to enforce the human right to housing for all!

Vamos a tocar puertas 8 y 15 de Octubre. Reúna a 5217 W. Altgeld St. a las 11am. Para mas información llame Lily (773.759.2155).

Reunión comunitario 22 de Octubre a las 11am a 2221 N. Latrobe Ave para celebrar la victoria de la familia Tellez para conservar su casa y para discutir la lucha por el derecho a la vivienda para todos y todas!