This spring Maribel Toure took on her bank and won! Click here to support more victories like hers.
Dear Lucas,
I think it's safe to say that 2011 was an important year for the 99%. We've seen folks across the country rise up against the big banks and millionaires who destroyed the middle class and continue to steal wealth from our communities.
Every single person who has joined a march, cheered at a rally, or protested outside a bank has played a part in changing the conversation in this country to what matters most: that the 1% have wrecked our economy, and it's time for them to pay their fair share.
Thousands of people have come together to build this movement. Here is one of my favorite stories:
In April 2011, the Village of Hempstead closed its account with JP Morgan Chase and withdrew more the $12 million of public money. This victory for the 99% happened in no small part because of Maribel Toure.
Maribel fell behind on her mortgage in 2009 after she was hit by a taxi and left unable to work for several weeks. To make matters worse, Mirabel's husband was laid off just a few weeks earlier.
Maribel spent two years going through the process of applying for a modification from Chase. Every time she completed her application, Chase would call and say they "misplaced a document" or "are missing some paperwork," and she would have to start all over again.
Stories like Mirabel's are not uncommon. The mortgage game is rigged against homeowners who have done everything right. Thousands of people like Maribel's husband are out of a job because the big banks wrecked our economy, and thousands more are like Mirabel -- one accident or illness away from missing a payment.
It's not right that the big banks that created this mess are refusing to help homeowners. That's why Maribel fought back.
Can you make a contribution to support the fight for homeowners like Maribel?
Organizing with New York Communities for Change, Maribel worked to bring attention to the damage the foreclosure crisis caused in Hempstead. She told her story to anyone who would listen -- including the Mayor, who was moved to close the village's account with JP Morgan Chase in solidarity with homeowners like her.
After appearing at a press conference announcing Hempstead's decision close its Chase account in protest of the bank's foreclosure policies, Maribel received a permanent modification from Chase!
But just because she received her modification doesn't mean her fight's over. Like a true champion of a 99% economy, Maribel is still fighting against banks like Chase who took advantage of homeowners.
Join Maribel in standing up for families facing foreclosure! Click here to contribute to NYCC's campaign to demand JP Morgan Chase does right by homeowners.
Your support makes our work possible.
Click here to become a sustaining member of New York Communities for Change.