Community Corner

Residents Rally for Foreclosure Help

Downtown protest draws attention to problem, gears up for Saturday's community forum.

Lauro Navarro and his wife, Yolanda, put everything they had into an empty lot-turned-dream house.

The couple built the four-bedroom home themselves, investing tens of thousands and a lot of heart in the project. But Navarros lost all of it when their mortgage payments skyrocketed to $6,000 a month and the bank refused to modify their loan.

"We tried to save our home, but it didn't work out," Navarro said in Spanish to a crowd of union workers and local residents gathered at the in Watsonville on Thursday afternoon.

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Chanting and holding signs with messages such as "Save Our Homes" and "Bail Us Out," about 60 people rallied to spread awareness about the foreclosure crisis and demand support from banks and the government.

"This is a real crisis that hits home," Watsonville Mayor Daniel Dodge said before presenting a city proclamation to the group.

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Rally participants want to hold banks accountable. Having the protest in front of Wells Fargo bank was intentional. A large "Past Due Notice" leaned up against a street sign, billing Wells Fargo $36.9 billion for taking taxpayer bailout dollars.

"The reckless actions of the banking industry has led our city to the brink," said Veronica Rodriguez of SEIU, one of the groups that organized the rally.

About 110 Watsonville homes are in foreclosure this month, Dodge said. To him, that's 110 families in trouble.

"Foreclosures have hit us hard," he said. "We need to create new solutions."

There will be a forum Saturday at where people can come together to talk about finding good jobs, foreclosures, education and health care. "Our Community In Crisis" will be at 4:30 p.m. at the school, 125 Alta Vista St. Call Erik Larsen at 831-206-4914 for information.

The event is sponsored by SEIU local 521, Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, Monterey Bay CLC, Pajaro Valley Cesar Chavez Democratic Club, Temple Beth El and COPA Healthcare Strategy Team.


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