Occupy Moves Its Cause Indoors
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| Courtesy of Eric Drooker and YBCA |
| If anything, Occupy made for good art |
Far from having their spirits crushed after police raided the last remaining Occupy camp last week (which had become less about occupy and more about the homeless), the Occupy movement has strategically continued to fight for the 99 percent.
During the last year, the massive movement has spawned many branches of itself, including Occupy the Auctions and Evictions Campaign, Occupy the Dream House, and Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
And Tuesday was a big day for these groups, as they worked again to halt a slew of pending foreclosures before "occupying" a local museum.
Occupiers started early this morning, when they showed up to protest the eviction of local resident Ian Haddow. But when they arrived, they got the great news that he wasn't going to be booted from his house just yet -- Chase had already postponed the eviction, according to "Stardust," an organizer for Occupy Bernal. The bank has now given Haddow until November to work something out.
Afterward, Occupy sealed an agreement with DMG Assets to give San Francisco resident Mary Ann Serrano $2,500 and an additional month to move out her home, Stardust told SF Weekly.
Still in question, however, is what will happen to fellow S.F. residents Larry Faulks and his brother. After Wells Fargo promised in writing to not foreclose on their home while a modification was being reviewed, the bank went ahead and sold their house to DMG, which has stated its intention to follow through with foreclosure. Occupiers are now organizing a protest at the home of DMG owners, according to the group's website.
We wanted to talk to DMG Assets to hear its side of the story, but nobody over there called us back.
As if that weren't enough work for one day, occupiers took their cause to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts where they sent "docents" (aka protesters) to tour with museum groups so they could talk all about Occupy, its current exhibit, and the movement's goals.
Surprisingly enough, the museum has welcomed the movement with open arms. "We're part of the 99 percent," said Maureen Dixon, a spokeswoman for the museum. "We just want to make sure everyone has a good time."
But while they were there, the Occupy movement questioned the museum's annual San Francisco Dream House Raffle fundraising event, in which it gives away a $4.1 million-dollar house. Occupy noted that this seems silly when so many other people are losing their homes. Besides, anyone who wins the house probably won't be able to afford the property tax, the group said.
Next task on the list: a call for a general debt strike that includes erasing all student, credit card, healthcare, and homeowner debt.
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