How a Victim of the Housing Crisis Was Saved from the Brink of Eviction

By Linda Milazzo, AlterNet. Posted October 20, 2008.

Jocelyn Voltaire is an émigré from Haiti who has lived in this country for 45 years. She's a United States citizen, a college graduate, and the mother of four. She recently suffered the unbearable loss of her eldest son -- a Marine who had served in the Gulf. Atop the unthinkable pain of losing a child, Jocelyne's Queens, New York home of twenty years was set to be auctioned on Friday (October 17th), due to a predatory lender scam.

But miracles do happen! Thanks to the brilliant work of independent media, American News Project (ANP), which captured Jocelyn's story in the video below, and Codepink Women For Peace, who after seeing ANP's video launched an appeal for funds to stop the auction, Jocelyn's home was saved. Miraculously, in one day, Codepink raised $30,000 from 650 patriots who stepped up to "spread their wealth." Below is the incredible video produced by American News Project that captured the "heart" of Codepink and inspired Jocelyne's patriotic "angels."



Needless to say, corporate media was much too busy camped out at the home of plumber Joe to pay Jocelyne Voltaire any mind. It took the efforts of independent media heroes ANP, generous spread-the-wealth patriots, and the inspired community organizing of Codepink to let humanity prevail. As Codepink says,

While our government has taken billions of our tax dollars to bail out the wealthy, we came together to bail out a desperate mother We modeled exactly what we want our government to do -- bail out families facing personal disaster, not financiers.

Now, my friends, isn't this the real America we want? Not the America of corporate greed and CEO bailouts. Not the America of Wall Street fat cats rescued by their elected and appointed government friends. Not the America of selfishness, avoiding taxes, and only caring about me! The values demonstrated by ANP and Codepink represent the America I want to see. Isn't it time this government honored we the people and used our taxes to take care of us rather than their friends in Forbes and Fortune?

Permit me to share just one more story:

In the first years of the last century, my paternal grandparents, Giuseppe and Liboria Milazzo, emigrated to the United States from -- you guessed it -- Italy. More specifically, Sicily. As my family tells the story, my grandfather was a fairly educated man who'd planned to become a priest -- until he met his Liboria. After coming to America, Giuseppe and Liboria settled in Rockaway Beach in the New York City borough of Queens. They opened a tiny food store -- an Italian apetito shop. As the story goes, during the Great Depression after the Stock Market crashed, my grandparents' customers couldn't pay for their food so my grandparents extended them credit. When the credit they extended depleted all the food, Giuseppe and Liboria lost their shop -- as they knew all along they would.

Everyone in my family tells this story about my grandparents. It's not an unusual story for that time. There were generous people at every income level who spread what little wealth they had. Spreading the wealth was an essential part of their American dream. My grandparents' America was a nation of us and not me. They were not unique. I have friends who've told me stories of their family's generosity during the Depression. They were proud of their families, as am I. What's troubling in America today is that people would call my grandparents losers rather than embracing their honor.

It often takes a great equalizer like the 1929 Depression or a natural disaster to level the playing field amongst people. In 1999 when Argentina's economy collapsed I heard stories of the wealthy digging through trash next to their former servants. Naomi Klein, author of the monumentally important book, The Shock Doctrine, tells of being in Argentina when the banks all shut down, and watching Argentines banging on the bank doors. In those desperate times, few, if any, were rich. Everyone wanted the same thing. They wanted to be helped. The Argentine economy was that nation's great equalizer, just as our economy may be ours. Few amongst us can afford to be smug. We are, after all, not in full control of our futures. We never know when it will be one of us who needs help tomorrow as Jocelyne needs help right now.

Yes, Jocelyne still needs us today. Even though the auction of Jocelyne's home has been stopped, she still needs money to keep it and house her younger children. She still needs support to get back on her feet. If it's at all possible, please spread your wealth to help Jocelyn, and participate in this American cause. And keep the humanity going by pressuring Washington and government at every level to put the people before the predators.

In the words of Codepink:

Now let's pull together in the coming months, as Jocelyne asked us to do, and move our government to do the same -- bail out Main Street, not Wall Street!

To spread your much needed wealth to Jocelyn, and read this incredible story in Codepink's own words, please visit here

              

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Linda Milazzo is a Los Angeles based writer, educator and activist. Since 1974, she has divided her time between the entertainment industry, government organizations & community development projects, and educational programs.

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