Occupiers Stand with Retired DC EMT Against Eviction

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)A sign in the lobby of JP Morgan Chase’s homeownership office in downtown D.C. read, “Banks don’t need homes, People do!” Sitting on the marble floor beside the sign was a member of Occupy Our Homes, an offshoot of Occupy DC which focuses on eviction protection. Monday, as approximately 50 activists occupied the lobby and front of the building, Deborah Harris, a native Washingtonian and retired EMT with the DC Fire Department and AFGE 3721 member, was on the fifth floor trying to meet with Chase, something she’s been unable to do for the past year. Harris (below), who’s lived in her southeast DC home since 1995, fell behind on her mortgage payments as a result of an injury she suffered in 2007 while on the job. “We demand that they cease and desist their heinous efforts to evict Debby Harris,” said Emergency Vehicle Driver Gary Nelson, who’s with the Baltimore City Fire Department, as well as the International Association of Fire Fighters and the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters. Bertina Jones – who teamed up with Occupy Our Homes to successfully defend her home in February – was there to show her solidarity, saying “they should modify her loan and give her the title back in her name.” – This report was taken from a longer article by Pete Tucker in The Fight Back; photo of Nelson addressing the crowd by Julia Kann; photo of Harris leaving her meeting with Chase bank by Pete Tucker/The Fight Back