On April 2, JP Morgan Chase directed U.S. Marshals to evict tenant Dawn Butler from her Washington, D.C., home, because her landlord was in foreclosure. To their surprise, over 40 Occupy activists and community members blocked the eviction. A court immediately ordered a stay of eviction based on a D.C. tenant rights law.
“Why should I move? I have not done anything wrong,” said Butler. She warned the marshals that if they return, “You are going to see us fighting back.”
In the aftermath of the 2007/2008 economic collapse, banks went into frenzy, seizing as many homes as possible to recoup losses. Since 2007, banks have seized 9 million homes. Another 9 million are on the verge of default.
Under capitalism, a home is not considered a human right, but something to be bought and sold for a profit. However, around the country a movement is gaining momentum to fight back against bank evictions and home foreclosures.