from	beka economopoulos beka@notanalternative.net via googlegroups.com
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date	Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 12:11 PM
subject	[GlobalRevolutionMedia] Fwd: NOTES & ACTION ITEMS: from conf call re: NY Post article
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hide details 12:11 PM (5 hours ago)
FYI, not for distribution.  Public statements will be circulated this afternoon: 1) from Alfredo who moved into the home, 2) from Doyle (aka Dee) the neighbor, 3) from OWS.  Stay tuned.

b

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: beka economopoulos <beka@notanalternative.net>
Date: Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 11:25 AM
Subject: NOTES & ACTION ITEMS: from conf call re: NY Post article
To: Karanjasan <karanjasan@googlemail.com>, Jon Kest <jkest@nycommunities.org>, "jwestin@nycommunities.org" <jwestin@nycommunities.org>, Pete Nagy <pnagy@nycommunities.org>, "Sean@vocal-ny.org" <Sean@vocal-ny.org>, Austin Guest <guest.austin@gmail.com>, Kira Annika <kira@occupywallst.org>, Nelini Stamp <nelini.stamp@gmail.com>, "coldmtn@gmail.com Shan" <coldmtn@gmail.com>, Eliot Tarver <eliot.tarver@gmail.com>, "m.premo@gmail.com" <m.premo@gmail.com>, Justin Wedes <jwedes@gmail.com>, Robert Pluma <robotpluma@gmail.com>, JoshuavanPraag vanPraag <jvanpraag@me.com>, Max Berger <maxberger@mac.com>, "occupyu@riseup.net" <occupyu@riseup.net>, Yotam Marom <yotam.marom@gmail.com>, "J.M.SmuckerSmucker Smucker" <jmattsmucker@gmail.com>, "Jeremy Saunders, VOCAL-NY" <jeremy@vocal-ny.org>, Tej Nagaraja <tejunyc@gmail.com>, Alfredo Carrasquillo <alfredo@vocal-ny.org>, Victoria Sobel <victoria@showpaper.org>, Joe Diamond <joesldiamond@gmail.com>, RachelLears Lears <rachel.lears@gmail.com>, JaimeFallon <jaimexo@gmail.com>, SeanDevlin Devlin <sean@yeslab.org>, Amelia Adams <aadams@nycommunities.org>, JohnKersten Kersten <occupy.johnnyk@gmail.com>, Renée Bergan Renata <renee@renegadepix.net>, justin sullivan <justinnyc75@yahoo.com>, ZacharyRSchubert <zrs208@nyu.edu>, p b <pbowsusdor@gmail.com>, Daniel Scott <danscott@riseup.net>


NEXT STEPS:
* Pete will circulate to this list updated statements from Alfredo and Dee
* Beka will add the OWS FAQ and draft owner-related messaging to a google doc, Beka, Smucker, Karanja (anyone else?) will massage into a draft OWS statement
* El, Jeremy and Alfredo will touch base to make plans for the transition - Alfredo and VOCAL and/or NYCC members moving in, OWS moving out

IN ATTENDANCE:
pete, nycc
amelia, nycc
smucker, ows
jeremy, vocal
max berger
westin, nycc
sean, vocal
jon kest, nycc
beka, OWS
eliot, OWS and O4O
karanja, OWS
robert, O4O
Premo, OWS
Austin, OWS

* * * * * * * * * * *

Post story, owner made several claims, most of them false.  Says OWS won't let him into his house.

Amelia: convos with Barron: spoke with him, initially he thought we should do a press event and invite neighbors to talk about how the house has been vacant, and also on the message of we just don't want the house to be vacant, whether it's alfredo or the other guy.  suggested for now we hold off and try not to bring attention to it cuz he hasn't been getting calls on it.  instead do a statement from Alfredo without him for now.

Beka: statement doesn't mention OWS, need some damage control on that

Smucker: issuing a statement cold bring to light a negative angle

Pete: agree with what Smucker said. don't think we broadly release a statement at this point unless it appears to be getting a lot of legs.  could send it to the Post and Gothamist

Beka: media monitoring, it's out there.  gothamist, fox news, daily mail (uk), brownstoner, ny post.  Suggestions:

1) update Alfredo and neighbor statement to mention OWS. and mention OWS doing
2) release OWS statement w/ FAQ.  we have met with Wise and always said we would work with him to
3) exit strategy - we shouldn't be squatting there under these circumstances

Premo: messaging...never use the word squatting when  reporters come to the house

Beka: Social media messaging: need twitter responses that are 140 characters or less so our twitter's on message

Exit strategy: our position has always been that if Wise asks us to leave we'll leave.  He went about it very publicly yesterday but we should leave now.

Jeremy: Alfredo spoke with Dee a couple times yesterday, and Amelia and Barron.  This needs to turn into a community negotiation.  Barron is still down to be a mediator.  But if this guys going to go public and blast stuff it's fucked up but it is what it is.  we need to get people out of the house and have this become a negotiation.  alfredo needs to stay in the house for the next few days, and NYCC has a few members who are willing to stay there, and go that way.  Barron has always been concerned about where this is going and the influx of a lot of white people in the neighborhood.

Premo: agreed, we need to make that happen today.  Austin - you met with other folks in the neighborhood moving toward the Organizing Committee?

Austin: yes, wanted to see if support had turned, we've been out there for a while, are people tired of the white invaders, and what is the neighbor's commitment to step up?  people didn't resent us as invaders, they were more curious what was going on, were we actually fixing it up?  etc.  explained negotiations, community land trust, etc.  Asked Dee how he'd feel about ppl on the block take over, build up an eviction defense network, etc.  He was into it.  Want to start small, have a house meeting with a few folks on the block, will do a dinner meeting with 5 folks on the block by next thursday.  he's very invested in the maintenance of property as a thing.  assessment is he's a strong leader, knows a lot of people as does his wife.  we made a big media splash without having a strong foundation under it, so want to build deep relationships and strong ones through one on ones and house meetings to get authentic community relationships. also doing beautification, vacant lots for community gardens, etc.

Karanja: there's been a number of folks in the POC working group that's had its meetings at Dr. Blanchette's church, and have plans to continue organizing on a monthly basis some kind of E. NY assembly.  there's the beginning of a framework around that that we can build on.

Westin: we need to narrow in around what's happening at 702. how do we get out of the house quickly?  need to get a hold of people in the house now and figure out what the plan is.

El: I've been the point person for the house in terms of who's coming in and out.  Is Alfredo ready to move in?  We can get everyone out this afternoon.

Jeremy: he was under the impression that he could come in tomorrow but we can move it up to today.  there are also VOCAL leaders in the neighborhood who could come in earlier.  this evening is likely when he could get there, and the latest is tomorrow.  a lot of great work is going on around organizing, but the fact that the media is coming down on this, the house is a symbolic thing, but now there are seeds in the neighborhood to make this a bigger thing, now we're in a good place.

smucker: yes that's one thing that Occupy Homes folks around the country thought - if there is a cleaner situation where we can shine the

Jon Kest: i don't think there's going to be that many clean situations.  we want to substitute mass for cleanliness.  houses that get foreclosed on in NY, they take forever for people to get evicted.  we're going to have to understand that cleanliness is not next to godliness.  need to work with clergy and others to create the sense of mass in east brooklyn etc. cuz we'll find more 702 vermont.

beka: it's the NY press that's getting ugly, and pivoting to another example in another city won't help.

pete: we use realtytrac and other realty sites as a first reference before going on the ground.  shlomo has access to propertyshark.

Pete: NEXT STEPS:
* Will circulate updated statements from Alfredo and Dee
* Everyone should take another look at the FAQ and massage it into a new statement from OWS
* El and Jeremy will touch base in terms of the transition

Premo: one question - meghan hasn't been able to get in touch with Wise's lawyer since the new year?  El: don't think she's been trying actively to get in touch with him.  Now that the article has come out that changes the negotiation.

El: the last meeting did go well, Wise wasn't there but his lawyer was.  Lawyer agreed to speak with Wise about working with us, agreed that the best solution would be to work with us to transition it to a community land trust, and fight the banks to reduce his debt so that he can become a home owner again.

Amelia: did try to call him after the new year, Wise never got back to us.

El: will check with Meghan

Beka: don't think we should get into a point by point rebuttal, instead should focus on our own statement and message.


On Mon, Jan 16, 2012 at 10:41 AM, Karanjasan <karanjasan@googlemail.com> wrote:
Brownstoner
January 16, 2012

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/01/owner-of-ows-foreclosure-in-eny-wants-his-house-back/

Owner of OWS Foreclosure in ENY Wants His House Back


Photo by Brennan Cavanaugh

By Gabby
Last month members of Occupy Wall Street took over a home in East New York, saying they were going to renovate the property, which was empty following a foreclosure, so a homeless family could live in it. According to the Post, though, the family that was supposed to move in has yet to fully do so—it’s unclear from the story if this is because the house has yet to be completely renovated or if there’s simply not enough space for the family—and the person who owns the house but moved out after foreclosure proceedings began in 2009 wants his property back from the occupiers. Wise Ahadzi, the homeowner, says he bought the property for $424,500 in 2007 and stopped being able to make mortgage payments a couple years later, after he’d lost his job and the house’s value had plummeted. Ahadzi claims the Occupy Wall Street organizers aren’t willing to entertain the notion of reinstating Ahadzi and his children in the house: “I’m trying to get my house back, and they’re trying to take it from me.” The article is hardly a nuanced portrait of whatever is actually going on at 702 Vermont Street, so it remains to be seen whether what it suggests is accurate: That occupying the East New York foreclosure was a PR stunt and it hasn’t resulted in anyone who actually needed housing getting a roof over their heads.
Single Dad Trying to Reclaim Home OWS Took Over [NY Post]
Occupiers Fixing Up a Foreclosure in East New York [Brownstoner]


Karanja Gaçuça
646 675 9324

Sent from the Speshul iPhone

On Jan 16, 2012, at 10:22, Jon Kest <jkest@nycommunities.org> wrote:


 Conference Dial-in Number: (605) 475-4700
 Participant Access Code: 388015#


On 1/16/2012 10:15 AM, jwestin@nycommunities.org wrote:
Is there a conf call #?
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
From: Peter Nagy <pnagy@nycommunities.org>
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:42:04 -0500
To: Sean Barry, VOCAL-NY<sean@vocal-ny.org>
Cc: Austin Guest<guest.austin@gmail.com>; beka economopoulos<beka@notanalternative.net>; Kira Annika<kira@occupywallst.org>; Nelini Stamp<nelini.stamp@gmail.com>; Jon Kest<jkest@nycommunities.org>; coldmtn@gmail.com Shan<coldmtn@gmail.com>; Eliot Tarver<eliot.tarver@gmail.com>; Karanjasan (Google Docs)<karanjasan@googlemail.com>; <m.premo@gmail.com>; Justin Wedes<jwedes@gmail.com>; Robert Pluma<robotpluma@gmail.com>; JoshuavanPraag van Praag<jvanpraag@me.com>; MaxBergerBerger Berger<maxberger@mac.com>; <occupyu@riseup.net>; Yotam Marom<yotam.marom@gmail.com>; Jonathan Westin<jwestin@nycommunities.org>; J.M.SmuckerSmucker Smucker<jmattsmucker@gmail.com>; Jeremy Sounders<jeremy@vocal-ny.org>; Tej Nagaraja<tejunyc@gmail.com>; Alfredo Carrasquillo<alfredo@vocal-ny.org>; Victoria Sobel<victoria@showpaper.org>; Joe Diamond<joesldiamond@gmail.com>; RachelLears Lears<rachel.lears@gmail.com>; Jaime Fallon<jaimexo@gmail.com>; SeanDevlin Devlin<sean@yeslab.org>; Amelia Adams<aadams@nycommunities.org>; JohnKersten Kersten<occupy.johnnyk@gmail.com>; Renée Bergan Renata<renee@renegadepix.net>; justin sullivan<justinnyc75@yahoo.com>; ZacharyRSchubert<zrs208@nyu.edu>; p b<pbowsusdor@gmail.com>; Daniel Scott<danscott@riseup.net>; Michelle Crentsil<mcrentsil@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: NY Post: 'Single dad trying to reclaim home OWS took over with family they cast'

Proposed agenda for call:

I. Update -- Post article

II. Political updates

II. Messaging

 -- Alfredo's statement

 -- Other tools we have

 -- Any other statements

III. Organizing

 -- Next steps for 702 and East New York campaign

On Jan 16, 2012, at 9:16 AM, Sean Barry, VOCAL-NY wrote:

here's a draft statement below. Alfredo and Dee spoke last night
Statement by Alfredo Carrasquillo:
"On December 6, I moved into a vacant, Bank of America-foreclosed property with the support of neighbors on Vermont St. because my family -- victims of Michael Bloomberg's housing policies and the big banks' callous disregard for people -- had been homeless for years. The support I received from the community was overwhelming, in part because they have also been victims of those same policies. The staggering number of vacant properties in East New York has destabilized the community by lowering property values, increasing crime, and leading to even more foreclosures. We all want the same thing: families who need of housing living in these vacant houses.
I remain committed to ensuring my family has a home to call its own, and to changing the policies of Mike Bloomberg and the big banks so we can eliminate the vacant properties destroying East New York. This has always been our intention, and we look forward to working with anyone who shares that same goal."
Statement by Doyle Coleman, a neighbor on Vermont St. in East New York:
"For the last three years, the house at 702 Vermont St has sat vacant. As a homeowner who lives a couple doors down, I have firsthand knowledge of the problems this caused. I've spent my own money and volunteered time alongside other families on our block to try to maintain the property, but it hasn’t been enough to stop it from falling into disrepair and becoming a hub for criminal activity.  These are common problems with vacant properties in my neighborhood.
My neighbors and I welcomed Alfredo and his family to our neighborhood because we have been abandoned by Mayor Bloomberg and the predatory big banks. It feels like we are under attack with so many families in the neighborhood losing their homes and vacant properties taking over our blocks.  We need families like Alfredo's in these properties, and hope they continue to come.”



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--
Watch our new Kickstarter video!  http://kickstarter.com/projects/naa/nospace

Not An Alternative
http://notanalternative.com

Fission Strategy
http://fissionstrategy.com

Phone: 917-202-5479
Skype: bekamop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bekamop