Update on Jennifer Britt – Maintain the vigil, continue calling Fannie Mae

Despite the encouraging news reported below concerning the campaign to keep Jennifer Britt in her home, there is no evidence that the court’s eviction order isn’t still in the bailiff’s docket for dumpster delivery. It has happened before: negotiations for a favorable settlement appear to be moving in the right direction, but the court’s eviction process continues on automatic pilot and the dumpster arrives anyway.

The outstanding turnout we had on Tuesday’s vigil reinforced the message that Jennifer’s neighbors and supporters will oppose the placing of a dumpster in front of her house. As a result, Fannie Mae announced it would suspend the eviction for several days and review Jennifer’s case.

We are hopeful (again, see below). But we are also wary, so we will continue the vigil Friday and we are placing a special emphasis on building the vigil for Monday and Tuesday of next week. If you can come by on Friday and hang with us, that would be great, but any time you can spare next week would be especially appreciated. Please email us at DetroitEvictionDefense@gmail.com  and let us know when you can join us for an hour or two or more on Monday and Tuesday, from 6am onwards.

Southwest Housing Solutions made a new offer on Tuesday to buy Jennifer’s home from Fannie Mae, the federally operated agency that bailed out Flagstar Bank after it foreclosed on Jennifer and her family. Southwest is committed to sell the house to Jennifer on favorable terms that reflect the diminished market value of the home. Fannie Mae has so far refused to sell for anything less than the inflated value it paid to Flagstar— but on Wednesday it sent an appraiser to make an assessment of the home’s market value.

We hope this means Fannie Mae has come to its senses as a result of the pressure we have brought in demonstrations, pickets, and especially, the vigil at Jennifer’s home. The political pressure applied by Senators Stabenow and Levin and Congressmen Clarke and Conyers is the result of this mobilization. We thank them for their continuing efforts to oppose the misguided federal policy the bails out banks while people like Jennifer are threatened with eviction.

There are many thousands like her across the country, and there is a mounting protest against Fannie Mae’s double standard: taxpayer-funded bailouts for the banks who trashed our economy, while people like Jennifer are threatened with eviction. On Monday, July 30, at 11am, the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign will protest at Fannie Mae’s Chicago headquarters, drawing attention to specific cases—including Jennifer’s—of people who have been harmed by the federal government’s failure to protect people before banks.

Jerome Jackson, a local homeowner also threatened by Fannie Mae eviction, will be driving to Chicago at dawn on Monday to represent Jennifer, himself, and thousands of others threatened by Fannie Mae’s taxpayer-supported eviction of families victimized by mortgage banking fraud. If you can join Jerome in his trek to Chicago, contact us at DetroitEvictionDefense@gmail.com.


And please continue the phone calls!

Call the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Fannie Mae and tell them to sell Jennifer Britt’s home to Southwest Housing Solutions so Jennifer and her family can stay in their house at 15701 Warwick, Detroit. Fannie sells to for-profit investors at below market, so why not sell the home to a non-profit like Southwest? Southwest has pledged to sell the home back to Jennifer at an affordable price. Phone calling keeps the issue in front of these officials: Detroit doesn’t need another empty house blighting the neighborhood!

Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) , Edward DeMarco, Acting Director, 202-649-3801

Federal Housing Finance Agency, Michael Powers, Ombudsman, 202-649-3805

Fannie Mae Chicago Office: 312-368-6200

Fannie Mae Mortgage Help Center: 866-442-8572

            Email: chicago_mhc@fanniemae.com

Ask our political representatives to deliver this same message to FHFA and Fannie Mae, and thank Senators Stabenow and Levin, and Congressmen Conyers and Clarke, for already doing so.

Senator Debbie Stabenow: (313) 961-4330
Senator Carl Levin: (313) 226-6020
Congressman John Conyers: (313) 961-5670
Congressman Hansen Clarke: (313) 962-7700
Congressman Gary Peters: (248) 273-4227
Congressman John Dingell: (313) 278-2936

For background information on the campaign to stop foreclosure evictions, go to peoplebeforebanks.org.

For updates follow us on twitter: @EvictDefense

Contact us at: DetroitEvictionDefense@gmail.com

 

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