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Fighting Back: Fannie Mae Agrees to Negotiate with Bassett Woman Who Got Arrested Protesting Her Eviction
Yesterday Rose Gudiel and her 63-year-old mother Rosa were arrested at Fannie Mae's regional headquarters in Pasadena, while they were protesting their eviction from their home in Bassett.
The protest worked: today Fannie Mae agreed to cancel the eviction and come to the bargaining table with the Gudiels — something that Rose said she's been trying to get them to do for the last two years. She said she has struggled to make payments on her home ever since her brother was gunned down in 2009.
She sent this statement out this afternoon:
I'd like to announce that the bank called me today to arrange a meeting, to discuss a modification proposal from Fannie Mae. I have also learned that my eviction has been canceled. We are very happy that they have finally come to the table, and I hope they are serious about negotiating a reasonable modification, which is what I have been requesting for over two years. And I hope that they will change their policies to stop taking the homes the thousands of hardworking families facing preventable foreclosure. Thank you.
The Gudiels had help in the fight. A crowd of about 70 protestors showed up at Fannie Mae regional headquarters yesterday with the Gudiels to fight the eviction. Some of them camped out at the Gudiel residence home and later went over to San Marino to protest at the home of a Wells Fargo CFO (who from news reports does not seem to be directly linked to the Gudiel case) for good measure. They were organized by the group Refund California, which is a coalition of community activists and local unions. Refund California has also been doing some organizing in tandem with Occupy Los Angeles.
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