Housing

BOSTON/Back Bay - About 50 housing advocates from City Life Vida Urbana, Mass. Jobs with Justice, Service Employees International Union and various community organizations held a protest across the street from the Hynes Convention Center on Sunday where a meeting of the American Banking Association was taking place. The activists demanded "that banks immediately halt foreclosures in all 50 states and work to keep families in their homes through real mortgage modification, including reduction of principal.

BOSTON/Roxbury - Over 80 people rallied on Cobden and Cardington Sts. on the Roxbury side of Egleston Square Sunday to demand that giant banks that own several properties in the neighborhood stop all post-foreclosure evictions immediately and sell the properties to residents that live there or to a non-profit willing and able to set up a resident's coop. The event was organized by the housing advocacy non-profit City Life/Vida Urbana and the Bank Tenants Association - an organization of residents in foreclosed properties.

BOSTON/Copley Square - NEWS BRIEF - Close to 40 community activists and residents rallied outside a Bank of America branch to kick off "Thursdays-at-the-Bank" afternoon protests that run through March 19 in Copley Square. Organizers are demanding, "No More Bank Bail-outs" and "Homes & Jobs for People!" The action spotlighted residents facing foreclosures.

BOSTON/Government Center - When the Boston City Council convenes its regular weekly meeting today, Councilor Chuck Turner (G/R - District 7) says he will seek approval for public hearings to assess the degree of responsibility of “financial institutions” and “large-scale corporations” for the current local and national fiscal crisis. Turner and concerned activists hope the hearings will be the first step in a process of figuring out how corporations can assist in improving the financial well-being of Boston’s neighborhoods.