Rosemary Williams stays!

BY ED FELIEN

The eviction trial of Rosemary Williams, originally scheduled for April 28, has been pushed back to May 26. Rosemary Williams, a 55-year resident of the Central neighborhood in South Minneapolis, will remain in her home while the legal proceedings continue.

“I intend to stay and fight,” said Williams. “We are building a movement to get a measure of justice for everyone who is facing foreclosures and evictions. We need a moratorium on foreclosures.”

Rosemary’s decision to fight the foreclosure and related eviction has drawn broad community support. In addition to the Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout and the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, the effort to defend Rosemary’s home and stop foreclosures has the backing of ACORN, the MN Tenants Union, the Economic Crisis Action Group and the Central Area Neighborhood Develop-ment Organization.

Cheri Honkala, of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, states, “With the trial delayed, we will use the added time to build the fight to
keep Rosemary in her home.”

In a unique legal strategy, hundreds of neighbors, friends and community members have signed legal requests to intervene in her case. They argue that her eviction, which will lead to another vacant home, would create a public nuisance for the entire neighborhood. Low-income neighborhoods with high concentrations of people of color have been the hardest hit by the foreclosure crisis.

South Minneapolis Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, 8th Ward, amended the City’s legislative agenda to include support for key provisions of the People’s Bailout Bill at the State Legislature dealing with foreclosures. She also introduced a Resolution Calling for Mortgage Lenders to Allow
Renters and Former Owners to Stay in their Homes.  Some council members objected and it was referred to the Community Development Committee.  After serious discussion at the Committee hearing on April 23, the objections were overcome and the motion passed unanimously and is expected to pass the full Council at its next meeting.  It resolves, “That the City calls on mortgage holders, including subsequent non-homestead fee owners of foreclosed properties, to adopt rental initiatives similar to those policies adopted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to keep tenants and former owners in their homes after foreclosure, and expand those policies to apply to properties with greater than four units, as a means to protect families, neighborhoods, our housing stock, and the public interest through these difficult economic times.”

For more information about the People’s Bailout Bill or Rosemary Williams, contact: Linden Gawboy / Minnesota Coalition for a People’s Bailout @ 612-296-5649; Cheri Hon-kala  /Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign @ 267-439-8419.