Minneapolis: Monique White talks about her landmark victory

Victorious Minneapolis home occupier Monique White talks with The Uptake about her victory and what it means for her to keep her house.

White will now pay approximately $200 less per month on her home. Last week, she received a phone call from US Bank Vice President Bill Parker informing her that the bank had found a sum that would work for White to keep her North Minneapolis home. “He said, ‘Will $616.36 work for you?’ And I said ‘yes’. I am just so happy.” Days after confronting CEO Davis and landing a promise that Vice President Parker would help her, White had a scheduled court date that was to determine her fate: eviction or loan modification. Now she has a new loan term that begins in July.

“US Bank set the bar really high for all the other banks who say they cannot re-negotiate loans to families facing foreclosure,” said Anthony Newby, an organizer with Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. “Occupy Homes has said all along that this is what we want: to figure out a way to keep families in their homes and communities.”

Monique White's story is an inspiration and shows how homeowners who are fighting back against unfair and unlawful foreclosures can win victories that keep them in their homes. Monique was the first homeowner to approach an Occupy group and ask for help occupying her home and resisting foreclosure. Her campaign lasted more than six months and was a focus of energy not only in Minneapolis, but around the country.