Right to the City

WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- Part of Wisconsin Avenue NW in D.C. was closed to traffic during a protest at Fannie Mae headquarters. Several of the protesters were arrested on Thursday afternoon.

According to a press release on Thursday, the protesters included "residents of foreclosed buildings, homeowners, and families" who call themselves the "Fannie Freddie 99 fighters." The protesters reportedly wanted "an end to Fannie/Freddie evictions and concrete solutions to keep people in their homes."

READ: More info on the Fannie Freddie 99

Another protest is scheduled later on Thursday in Silver Spring, Md.  at the home of FHFA Acting Director Ed DeMarco. There, protestors are expected to deliver a pink slip to DeMarco.

Click HERE to read the article on WUSA website

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) - Unruly protesters forced the Metro Police Department’s hand by blocking a major roadway outside the Fannie Mae headquarters in D.C.

Metro police put five protesters in handcuffs for blocking Wisconsin Avenue in front of the Fannie Mae headquarters in Tenleytown, where dozens of people have been gathered for hours protesting foreclosures...

Click HERE to read the full article.

CLICK HERE TO SEE INTERVIEW WITH AMY GOODMAN

Watch today's Democracy Now segment with Right to the City Alliance and Rainforest Action Network discussing the "Showdown in Charlotte" and the grassroots movement to hold BofA accountable for mass eviction and foreclosure of low income and people of color communities, and their role in the coal industry and climate change.

"Folks are coming to Charlotte to stand their ground against the predatory practices of Bank of America," says Rachel LaForest of the Right to the City Alliance, a national coalition of community groups that is bringing roughly 175 residents to Charlotte who have been evicted by Bank of America. "We’re coming to their shareholders meeting and to say: 'This is what your practices have done to our lives.' We’re entering into the space to become decision makers and ensure this stops." We’re also joined by Rebecca Tarbotton, executive director of Rainforest Action Network, which is calling on Bank of America, the largest financier of the coal industry, to transition its investments out of coal and toward energy efficiency and renewable energy. For more info on today's segment of Democracy Now, click here.

Calling Bank of America, "the worst of the worst in the banking industry," up to 1,000 activists are preparing to descend on uptown Charlotte Wednesday to protest at the bank's annual shareholders meeting. To read full article click here.

This week, I am heading to Charlotte, NC—the “Wall Street of the South”—for a massive march on Bank of America’s annual shareholder meeting organized by 
the UNITY alliance and
 99% Power. The march is just one of the direct actions for economic and racial justice this spring under the banner of 
99% Power—a broad coalition that includes workers and retirees, families fighting foreclosure and the unemployed, students, immigrants and environmentalists. Together, we’re building a bold, unrelenting movement to take back the power of the people.
 To read more... click here.

In gearing up for the "Showdown in Charlotte", Antonio Ennis, Community Organizer at City Life/Vida Urbana a member organization of Right to the City, writes about what he learned from Bank of America.

I've learned a lot in my 45 years. I've learned from hustling in the streets of Boston, from more than two decades in the rap game, from being a landlord, a retail store owner, and the father of six daughters. But some of the most important things I know, I learned from Bank of America.Click here to read the full article...

Protesters project giant images of letters written by consumers begging to keep their homes onto three local Bank of America branches. Click here to read the full Boston Herald article.