Housing

Occupy Giving Organizers a “Shot in the Arm”

The Occupy movement took a welcome turn in the last few weeks when it began organizing around the issue of foreclosures. For a populist movement that aims to represent the […]

The Occupy movement took a welcome turn in the last few weeks when it began organizing around the issue of foreclosures. For a populist movement that aims to represent the 99 percent, this tack made a lot of sense.

One area where the positive impact of this more focused effort is in North Minneapolis, where residents, invigorated by the OccupyMN movement, are calling on banks to work with homeowners in foreclosure. Just last week protestors and clergy — already deep in the fight to keep people in their homes — spoke publicly about new ways of thinking and new tactics spurred by the Occupy movement.

“Occupy MN has pushed us to think broader and to think of new tactics,” said David Snyder of Jewish Community Action and an organizer of the interfaith Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition. “It has opened up political space to make broader demands. It’s a critical movement. We’re grateful that they’re putting their bodies on the line to make the space for us to articulate these demands.”

In Shelterforce’s Fall 2011 issue we feature a package of articles on bank accountability that touches on a whole new crop of protestors who hadn’t taken to the streets before, but were compelled to do so as they, their families, and their neighbors were losing their homes.

How has the Occupy movement sparked renewed energy in your community? Let us know by commenting below.

Photo courtesy of joe.makes.art via Creative Commons.

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