A Movement Grows in Brooklyn

Around 9:00 AM, the marshal arrived at Ms. Ward’s home, saw the size of the crowd, and informed her that the eviction order would not be carried out. With tears in her eyes and in a shaky voice, Ms. Ward emerged from inside her home to thank everyone who had come to defend her from eviction and to pledge her support for everyone else in the neighborhood threatened by predatory lending, setting off cheers and chants that lasted through the rest of the morning. Flanked by her lawyers and local politicians, Ms. Ward met later that day with representatives from 768 Dean, Inc. to begin negotiating a deal that would allow her to stay in her home, hopefully for the rest of her life. As of this writing a final deal has yet to be concluded, and Organizing for Occupation, the direct action group that organized the protest, has put out a call for neighbors and supporters to meet again at Ms. Ward’s home on Monday morning and march on 768 Dean, Inc.’s offices in Brooklyn.