'Occupied' Bayview Foreclosed Home Site of "Day of Action" Again

1479 Quesada Ave

Early last month, the home at 1479 Quesada Ave was the site of an "OccupySF" action in which the family that had owned and lived in the home for decades "reclaimed" it from the bank that had foreclosed on it.  At the time, I wrote,

"If you're going to stage an event like this, at least make sure that the people you're using as the poster-family have an otherwise spotless record - there are enough families like that out there, so use them instead!  If you don't, you've lost the 'hearts and minds' side of the battle before you even step onto the field."

At that time, one commenter wrote me, saying,

"Before doing negative posts on a 50 year resident of the Bayview who served her community for many years from her role in the Sheriffs department it would be good to visit her and talk to her directly. 

Further research in to the web of companies that targeted her and many other Bayview families will show what has been going unchecked for years in the Bayview.

Please update your story and don't fall for the banks version and blaming the victim."

Well again this week, this house was the stage for another Occupy SF "Day of Action".  Socket Site, a website devoted to San Francisco real estate, also got some heat after they referred to the foreclosure in this case as "just".  The site has provided some details on how the homeowner managed to refinance her loan again and again over the course of several years, leading up to the foreclosure proceedings that saw her lose the house.

A post on SFGate's blog site today uses the words "Piggy Bank" in how the homeowner used her home.  Homeowners across the country have absolutely been duped by banks - no question - but at what point does the homeowner have to take some responsibility for their actions when they have repeatedly returned to the trough looking for cash?  In this case, the way this looks is that homeowner was not a victim, but rather a more than willing participant. I'll say it again: using people as your poster-family for the foreclosure crisis who appear to have less than spotless records is going to lose you the hearts and minds of the very people you want to reach.