Occupy the Hood begins in Austin

Angry tenants who refuse to be forced from their foreclosed building in the 5900 block of West North Avenue will be joined at 11 a.m. Saturday by activists from the Occupy the Hood movements to protect the tenants basic human rights.

The 12-unit building at 5960 W. North Ave. was foreclosed on two weeks ago on Oct, 14. Not all tenants have been properly served with legal notices of eviction, and tenants complain they’ve been coerced and intimidated by representatives of the building owners, organizers say.

“We have said in a collective voice that we will not be forced from our homes without due process. We have basic human rights that must be both respected and recognized. Our families did not cause the economic crisis that led to the foreclosure of our home, but we are the ones who must suffer,” said tenant leader Cynthia Barnes.

Occupy Austin, in solidarity with the Occupy Chicago and the Occupy the Hood, will engage in non-violent mass organizing outside the foreclosed building to fight the greed and corruption of the top 1 percent and restore democracy in America, organizers say.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport. Democracy is active engagement in civilian life. This economic quagmire and systematic inequality has created an epidemic of poverty in our communities. We have formed this Occupy Austin campaign to organize against the big banks and corporations that have destroyed our neighborhoods,” said Theresa Welch of the South Austin Coalition.

Earlier this week, the Chicago New Cooperative turned the spotlight once again on the devastating effects of foreclosure, focusing on the 4300 block of West Wilcox.