The home is not owned by Patricia and Darren Johnson. That's why there's an eviction.

Can we get a report or an actual story on what efforts the Johnsons and the housing activists are undertaking to legally reclaim their home (and the other lady's home reported here on Blogtown).

Have they obtained an attorney? Filed a declaratory action and sought an injunction? Are the "housing activists" actually hooking these people up with lawyers or legal resources or just using them to get attention and get their jollies in the inevitable confrontation with the sheriff's office / police when the legal property owner decides they don't want non-paying involuntary tenants?

Babygorilla, I don't know those details, but I'm going to say that these activists are attempting to use direct action to change the nature of our political-economic system. These tactics have been successful so far in the case of Alicia Jackson, except that her water remains off. Somewhat similar tactics were successful for five weeks last year, when we occupied two park blocks downtown, facilitating the delivery food, shelter, and other resources to all comers, regardless of their legal/economic status.

I think historical evidence indicates that the resistance to the system is as old as the system itself. Sure, the moneylenders might finally get everything under control, after thousands of years of trying. Or, we might finally witness the manifestation of the ancient ideal of Power to the People. Stay tuned :)

"These activists are attempting to use direct action to change the nature of our political-economic system". Ooh! That sounds impressive! Why try for success when you can fail at a much more grandiose level?

"Somewhat similar tactics were successful for five weeks last year". Five weeks! You don't say! But now that you mention it, I do recall the nature of our political-economic system undergoing a sea change a while back. For a few weeks.

"I think historical evidence indicates that the resistance to the system is as old as the system itself". If the system is that old, that might indicate the amount of success that all that resistance has had.

"We might finally witness the manifestation of the ancient ideal of Power to the People". Yes, yes. "Finally witness"... "ancient ideal". Honestly, am I the only person reading these words?

I'm really tired of the talking point that activists are using these people to make a point, as if these poor black folk are too stupid to understand what they're doing. Fuck off with your racist shit.

I feel bad for the Johnsons and the medical problems Mrs. Johnson encountered which reduced their household income. A bankruptcy filing might have helped them stop the foreclosure and potentially save the house if filed before the foreclosure, but its too late for that now.

Another story listed the address, so I checked out Portlandmaps.com and it looks like they purchased the home in 2005 for $164,000. There does not appear to be any sort of refinance or predatory lending issues. Just a familiar story of folks with bad circumstances who had a loss of income where they couldn't maintain their mortgage payments.

I hope the "housing activists" have assisted the Johnson's in finding a suitable rental. If not, here's some local programs that might help

http://web.multco.us/dd/housing-assistance
http://www.portlandonline.com/phb/index.cf…
http://homeforward.org/

Ms. Jackson, if you are following these comments, please contact an attorney who can properly advise you about your rights and what is likely to happen and make contingencies if you already haven't so that you have somewhere to go once the inevitable eviction happens.

Who suggested the "poor black folk" are stupid, Straw Man? If anything, some here are suggesting that it's the activists who don't know what they're doing.

Todd,
I think resistance or revolutionary movements have played significant roles throughout history in bringing about important reforms. Slavery abolition, legal equality for women, and the creation of safety nets have resulted from the efforts of people working both inside and outside the system.

I think people of many different economic backgrounds (people who have experienced many different levels of "success" measured monetarily) are involved in revolutionary movements.

And I think as long as the system is based on competition and punishment, there will be those working for sea changes in the nature of the system.

Babygorilla,
I believe the Johnsons were indeed physically removed from the house today, and I strongly suspect they are getting lots of help finding housing.

Portlandmaps does not tell the real story about what this family went through Babygorilla, the actual "owners" of this home now are a super shady company with if you will believe the name, Steel Capital Steel. There is an active committee of homeowners who are part of We Are Oregon who have resources to all sorts of support and legal support is not always the answer. We need to come together as a community to take a stand (which can take a lot of forms including direct action) to say enough is enough. Everyone in this economy is one illness or one paycheck away from missing a mortgage payment. The banks ruined the economy and got bailed out with our tax dollars but their is no relief for homeowners. The banks are taking people's homes and refusing to modify and not being held accountable. You know how many lenders have joined the modification program passed by the State? ZERO. Our limited county funds should not be used by the banks and home poachers to evict people like Darren and Patricia. Its Alicia, Darren, Patricia, Will, Heather and countless others who are shining a light on this issue. The answer is not free resources its about calling for a moratorium on evictions.

De facto trustfunder in the house!

If this were a car loan (where the car is immediately underwater) would you occupy the car?

Did the cops bring proof of title? If it's not definitively known who owns the note, this is some bogus shit.

Torridjoe:

There is no more note anymore. There was a foreclosure of a deed of trust, which secured the obligations due under the note, which went into default for non-payment. The time to assert that defense, or file a bankruptcy to stop the foreclosure, was before the actual foreclosure sale, which has already taken place.

This is all about the "housing activists" getting attention and getting to get up in the cops faces. Nary a mention of the Johnson's in the "update." Sad for them.

50 people gathered to attempt to keep Patricia and Darren in the house. Others, including me, watched on livestream and tweeted to spread the word (twitter.com/joshmaurice). I found the self-righteous heckling of cops ugly, and I also found the use of force, to remove people from shelter, ugly. I hope next time everyone on all sides will smoke more pot and try harder to remember that we're all in this together.

Babygorilla, I hope you will consider the possibility that both compassion and a rational, authentic intention to build a new kind of society may be involved in these actions. Come hang out at Occupy events and let's talk politics... see http://occupyportlandcalendar.org/

On the question of occupying cars, the issue of access to cars doesn't seem as likely to become a flash point as access to shelter, but I can imagine it happening, for instance if someone is living out of the car.

In Portland, text "@ploc-openrrn" to 23559 to join the Rapid Response Network. Will and Heather Sirotak may be next: http://weareoregon.org/2012/10/standing-wi…

Look at those fat fucking pigs, I bet they just squirted themselves when they got to whip out the pepper spray again.