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You Got a Bailout, a St. Louis Family Got a Kick Out

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Aimee Roysten of St. Louis doesn’t know where she will go if the bank forecloses on her home. She is like many people in the U.S. having a hard time in today’s economic crisis. Roysten has three young children and a husband who works in trucking. When three family members passed in rapid succession over the last few years, the family found it hard to make ends meet. They went to their bank and requested a loan modification. Two years later, after countless meetings, and with fines compounding on the mortgage, the bank has denied the modification. Even though the Roysten family can now make the payments, the bank has started foreclosure on the Royston home.

St. Louis family facing foreclosure

That bank is Bank of America. And Bank of America has a bad record on foreclosures of forcing people out of their homes. According to Midwest Rising: Convergence 2011, Bank of America is foreclosing on hundreds of families without following proper procedures. Bank of America paid no federal taxes last year and continues to receive subsidies and tax breaks that are causing budget deficits and cuts in vital services, such as Social Security and Medicare.

What do you do when the bank won’t meet you half way? What do you do when you learn your bank has one of the worst records on loan modifications? If you are like the Roysten family, you find allies and get creative.

In support of families like the Roysten family, St. Louis community members are pulling their money out and closing their accounts at Bank of America. Will Taylor is one of them. “We always talk about Robin Hood, who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Bank of America is hood robbin’, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich,” says Taylor, a member of Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment.

On August 12, Taylor joined a dozen St. Louis community members who attempted to close their accounts at a downtown Bank of America branch. And joining them were nearly 200 supporters from all over the country as part of Midwest Rising: Convergence 2011. They called for community members to invest in local banks and credit unions.

When Taylor, the Roysten family, community members and activists approached the Bank of America, they were met with a blockade of wooden horses and a dozen security officers, including the police. The bank denied access to their own customers and wouldn’t let anyone in. No one closed their bank account on Friday.

While the bankers might think they succeeded in protecting their business, they exposed their greed. They called the police against their own customers and tried to create a sense of fear. But the image of a big bank putting up barricades against community members like Taylor and Roysten shows their true intention, which is to shut down any communication and shut out anyone who calls them on their bad practices.

And that inspires more people to join the struggle for justice.


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