Using a model developed by City Life/Vida Urbana in Boston, MA, we organize bank tenants using a model known as “The Sword and the Shield.”
“The Sword”. Encouraging residents to stay in their homes, and to make their stories public, we organize blockades, vigils and other public actions to exert public pressure on the banks. The sword works together with:
“The Shield”: We inform bank tenants of
their rights and work with legal services & progressive lawyers, to use aggressive post-foreclosure eviction defense to get eviction cases dismissed, win large move-out settlements (if it makes sense for that family/person), and force the banks to reconsider foreclosure evictions. This model is being used to organize bank tenants in Boston, MA at City Life/Vida Urbana. 95% of evictions that have gone to the City Life/Vida Urbana BTA in Boston, MA, have been stopped using this two pronged strategy, often times resulting in the banks succumbing to public pressure and selling the homes back to occupants at real appraised value, or backing down and accepting rent, or settling for very large move-out settlement.
