Campaign builds for moratorium march

Momentum is building for the Sept. 17 march on the State Capitol in Lansing, Mich. The action will demand immediate passage of SB 1306, a two-year foreclosure moratorium bill introduced in the State Senate. The bill would give immediate relief to tens of thousands of working families throughout Michigan.

Activists celebrate at the saved home of Rubie Curl-Pinkins, third from left. WW photo

Sponsored by State Sen. Hansen Clarke, SB 1306 would put a two-year halt on sheriff sales and foreclosure redemption periods for those about to lose their homes. Under the proposed law, courts would set reasonable payment plans for homeowners, based in part on their income and ability to pay.

Activists with the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions have begun a campaign to force State Sen. Randy Richardville, chair of the State Senate Banking and Financial Services Committee and vice-chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform, to move the bill out of the banking committee where it has languished since its introduction last spring.

Organizers sent Richardville a certified letter on Aug. 19 requesting that he immediately begin public hearings on SB 1306 and hear testimony from those most affected by the foreclosure crisis. They requested that Richardville convene a mass public hearing on Sept. 17, when hundreds of moratorium activists and foreclosure victims will be at the Capitol.

Coalition organizers asked Richardville to respond to their letter in writing within seven days. If no satisfactory response is forthcoming, they plan to step up the struggle for public hearings with demonstrations, e-mail blitzes and other tactics. Stated one activist, “On Sept. 17 in Lansing there will be a public outpouring of support for SB 1306. Richardville and the other politicians won’t be able to ignore the people’s voice.”

On Aug. 22, Coalition activists and community supporters gathered at the home of Rubie Curl-Pinkins on Holden Street in Detroit. They celebrated the hard-fought victory that saved Ms. Pinkins’ home from foreclosure by Countrywide Bank. After two militant demonstrations in late July, including one outside Countrywide’s parent company, Bank of America, in downtown Detroit, the lender was forced to back down and stop the foreclosure and eviction of this disabled senior and her family.

At the front-yard victory rally and press conference, Nikki Curl, Ms. Pinkins’ daughter, thanked everyone for the support and dedication shown in the struggle to save her mother’s home. Coalition activists also spoke about various aspects of the moratorium campaign. Many reiterated that it was the people united in struggle that prevented a huge corporation from stealing Ms. Pinkins’ home and how this fight must continue until all foreclosures are stopped.

Coalition activists are planning to do major outreach and literature distributions on Labor Day weekend in Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan. Organizer Kim Greene reports that the Coalition’s office at Central United Methodist Church in downtown Detroit is abuzz with activity. In addition to making phone calls, faxing, e-mailing and updating mailing lists, activists go out daily to pass out leaflets and frequently hold demonstrations at 36th District Court, a foreclosure mill that rubberstamps the banks’ and lenders’ theft of people’s homes.

Much needed donations can be sent to the Moratorium NOW! Coalition, 23 E. Adams, 4th Floor, Detroit, MI 48226. Volunteers can stop by the office during the week from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To get involved in this struggle and for bus information from Detroit to the Sept. 17 action in Lansing, call 313-887-4344 or visit moratorium-mi.org.