Update | By Martin Michaels
Occupy homes activists charged with rioting during a peaceful demonstration May 30 pleaded guilty to reduced charges, agreeing to stay away from the Cruz family residence during probation. The four defendants — Catherine Salonek, Jessica Davis, Tomahawk Riley and Dee Xaba — were facing five charges including third degree rioting, a gross misdemeanor classified as a violent crime. If sentenced to the full extent of the law, the four could have faced two years in prison and up to a $7,000 fine.
Additionally, retired Police Chief Tim Dolan, who was photographed stepping on demonstrators during the protest in question, was subpoenaed to testify in yesterday’s trial, but has yet to be charged with any crimes relating to alleged misconduct.
(MintPress) – Forty members of Occupy Homes Minnesota filled a Minneapolis courtroom Monday to show support for four activists facing rioting and trespassing charges during a demonstration in June. The defendants were reportedly arrested while peacefully seated, protesting the eviction of the Cruz family home in South Minneapolis, Minn. The trumped up charges aimed at breaking the non-violent action of the group is thought to be “politically motivated,” according to group members.
Using direct action, the Occupy Homes group has worked to reclaim six foreclosed houses, successfully bringing big banks to the table to negotiate loan modifications and keep families in their homes. Emboldened by these successes, Occupy Homes has worked with a bevy of local allies, including local hip-hop artist Brother Ali, to draw attention to the foreclosure crisis and homeless epidemic that is expected to grow considerably in 2013. An estimated 1 million families are expected to lose their homes across the U.S. in the coming year.
Seeking justice
“People were peacefully sitting in front of a home, arms locked. In no world is this a riot. We want to change the narrative,” said Anthony Newby, a spokesperson for Occupy Homes, in a recent MintPress statement.
Since May, a total of 37 people have been arrested defending the Cruz family from unjust eviction. The actions, all non-violent, have taken the form of physical occupations, marches and petitions to keep the Cruz family, and others living in South Minneapolis, from being put out on the street.
Alejandra and David Cruz lived in their home for 7 years when a banking error lead to PNC Bank suddenly foreclosing upon the family home. Despite working with a non-profit in an attempt to negotiate a loan modification when the family fell two payments behind, the family was given a 48-hour notice to vacate their home in February, completely ignoring the legal foreclosure process.
In response to Monday’s hearing, the Occupy Homes group issued a clear set of demands for the mayor’s office, requesting that “all charges against community members defending the Cruz family home be dropped.” Additionally, the group has called for “all police, including Chief Dolan, who used violence against peaceful protesters to be formally disciplined.”
Cat Salonek, one of the defendants charged with rioting, describes the nature of the protest in a recent MintPress statement, saying, “We were engaged in a peaceful protest, seated, linking arms. We are really hopeful that it can be resolved today. There is a group of people who went to the city attorney demanding that the charges be dropped.”
With no clear answer regarding the fate of the protesters, the group has also decided to deliver citizen petitions to City Attorney Susan L. Segal, requesting that the city drop charges of third degree rioting.
Salonek continued, saying, “Today a bunch of supporters rallied in support of me and the others arrested. There is a strong sense of the injustice, 75 percent of foreclosures are fraudulent. We are outraged that young community members standing up for their neighbors have to go to trial. We are hoping for a good result that keeps us off of probation.”
Mayor R.T. Rybak’s office refused to comment when contacted by MintPress for an interview.
Trumped up rioting charges
From the onset of their direct, non-violent actions, the Occupy Homes contingent has faced growing crackdowns by the police, concerned more with arresting non-violent activists than investigating the true culprits: financial institutions that create homelessness through corrupt lending policies.
“The banks are the problem, our current financial system is the problem. We are asking the city to take sides on this issue,” added Newby.
Previously, Nick Espinosa, a protester facing similar charges for “rioting,” had his sentence reduced to a misdemeanor trespassing charge. As Newby notes, there is a precedent that should be followed by the courts concerning the charges for the four defendants in Monday’s trial.
“We feel the charges are political in nature. We don’t feel that rioting describes what happened during the demonstration. As the city continues pressuring us, we are trying to put pressure on the city to drop the charges,” added Newby.
Establishing a foreclosure free zone
Although the small contingent of dedicated community members working with Occupy Homes has successfully staved off foreclosure for several families in the city, a larger action is needed to stem the tide of the foreclosure epidemic in Minneapolis and nationwide.
Activists in Minneapolis are coupling their occupations with a call to establish a foreclosure free zone in South Minneapolis, one of the more impoverished communities in Minnesota’s largest city. More than 1,300 individuals are either homeless or living in city shelters, a serious problem plaguing the city.
By keeping families in their homes, city officials have an opportunity to reduce homelessness and poverty caused primarily by banks’ unwillingness to discuss loan modifications and other reasonable measures.
“Safe, affordable and equitable housing is a human right! That’s what the United Nations states,” explains Chris Gray, a local educator and Occupy Homes activist. “And that’s what we’re trying to live up to with this project.”
While the grassroots occupations are a critical first step in confronting bank policies that unnecessarily create homelessness — establishing a comprehensive foreclosure free zone supported by the city will help to put an end to fraudulent bank lending practices.
Officials in Spain decided to implement a 2-year moratorium on foreclosures last month, putting the needs of communities reeling from austerity ahead of unjust banking policies. The measure was enacted after a rash of citizen suicides drew condemnation from the Spanish public.
The homeless rate in Minneapolis is at a 6 year high, according to local reports released last month. Each night 500 families sleep in city shelters and approximately 800 are on the streets, a serious housing epidemic in Minneapolis that corresponds to troubling national trends.
Nationwide there are approximately 3.5 million homeless individuals, many of whom are veterans. With 19 million vacant homes, the solution is simple — keep families together, in their homes, by giving them somewhere safe to live. The demand has been posed by Occupy Homes; the question is whether city officials are willing to do something about it.