ORWELL — During a season known for giving, thousands of Americans across the country are forced to worry about what may be taken away.
Many families are forced to worry about home foreclosure and even being evicted from their homes.
That fear has become reality for Orwell resident Christine Cart. A member of the community for nearly 40 years, Cart is now being forced to vacate her home less than two weeks before the holiday.
But Cart didn’t go quietly. She called on Occupy Cleveland protestors to help peacefully protest her eviction.
Nearly 25 Occupy Cleveland protestors set up camp on Cart’s front lawn to show their disdain towards Sheriff’s deputies who say they’re only “doing their job.”
Protestors urged deputies to follow suit with other officers across the country who have allowed some foreclosed homeowners to stay in their home, ignoring court orders. “Four more days” is all protestors asked for.
In four days, Fannie Mae, who now owns the home, is beginning a moratorium period where they will not evict anyone from their homes for the holiday season. That period will last from December 19 to January 2, 2012. At that time evictions will resume.
But in this case, Sheriff’s say that weren’t able to oblige the requests of protestors, as the court order had already been issued.
Cart’s case goes back to 2007. That’s when Fannie Mae says she made her last payment in December. Nearly a year later, the home was foreclosed on in November 2008. And it’s been a heated battle ever since.
Cart says the bank refused her payments and she wasn’t given a fair chance by the court system. She says she’s only had one hearing in over 3 years of court proceedings.
Sheriff’s deputies say Cart had her chance in court and that they checked with the court of appeals before going forward with the eviction process. The court denied all of Cart’s requests.
This holiday season, Cart will be living with family members. Her belongings have been moved to a storage facility.