Occupy Our Homes Forecloses on Wells Fargo 1 Favorite 

On the eve of Wells Fargo’s annual shareholders meeting in San Antonio, TX on Tuesday, home defenders, students, community groups, and activists in ten cities took peaceful action against the bank. Petitions signed by thousands of people were delivered to Wells Fargo branches and offices across the country calling on CEO John Stumpf to change the bank’s predatory practices. The day kicked off in Springfield, MA at the home of Diane and Ray Perkins, which was scheduled to be auctioned off by Wells Fargo on Tuesday morning.

Members of Springfield "No One Leaves," neighbors, and community members mobilized in front of the family’s home to stop the sale, causing Wells Fargo to postpone the foreclosure until May 12! They were joined by Doris Hair, Hildegard Spielmann-Dergamini, and Raphaela Vega, three other homeowners facing imminent foreclosure by Wells Fargo. Following the rally at the Perkins’ home, the group marched to a local Wells Fargo branch and successfully delivered the petitions to the bank’s representatives.

Over in New Jersey, home defenders joined forces with bank workers to take action in two cities. In Trenton, members of CWA Local 1037 passed out leaflets and delivered a petition asking Wells Fargo to put an end to excessive sales goals that force employees to push products on customers even when it’s not in their best interest. In Irvington, members of New Jersey Communities United marched to two different Wells Fargo branches to stop Wells Fargo’s evil stage coach from running away with community wealth.

They were joined by Mayor Wayne Smith who spoke of Wells Fargo’s record profits, and Jonelle Rodriguez- a former Wells Fargo employee who shared her experience as a bank worker trying to keep up with the pressure of meeting excessive sales goals. Yolanda Andrews, an NJCU member fighting to save her home from Wells Fargo, traveled to San Antonio as part of a contingent of homeowners planning to confront the bank executives directly at the shareholders meeting. Occupy Our Homes Atlanta joined forces with the Moral Monday Georgia movement to take on Wells Fargo who has carried out the most foreclosures in the state.

After a rally downtown, the group marched to a local Wells Fargo branch, where Reverend A. Motley of historic Lindsey Street Baptist Church led the group in calling on the bank to stop profiting off the backs of communities of color. State Senator Vincent Fort, legendary civil rights activist Fred Taylor, faith leaders, and students also spoke before the group delivered thousands of petitions to the branch. Actions also took place in Inverness, Fl, St. Louis, MO, Minneapolis, MN, Orlando, FL, and Seattle, WA.