This diary is about direct action, about feeling deep down in your gut that a certain practice is wrong, so strongly that taking action to stop it is the only choice. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, but I do hope that fellow liberals understand the thought process behind doing what you think is the right thing to protect your friends and neighbors from the destructive actions of corporations, even if people think you're crazy for doing it.
I've been using non-violent tactics to stop and delay car repossessions in my neighborhood for eight years now. Why? Because predatory car loans hurt working class Americans. This is a huge problem. There is incentive for greedy banks to pile on extravagant late fees and interest rate hikes. When a car gets repossessed the bank gets a double-dip. They sell the car at auction for less than what it's worth, and still try to collect the difference from the borrower, who now has no transportation to get to work so he can keep pay his bills and keep a roof over his head. Victims of these predatory loans are not the deadbeats that Bank of America would want you to believe they are. In many cases, the car's owner is less than a month late on his payment. In the worst instances, car loans are sold to a company other than the original creditor, who then piles on the fees and rakes in the profits. These cars are taken by thieves in the night, by repo men hired by the bank to take the car without warning. The car's owner likely was trying to get the money together to make his payment.
I started following those thieves in the night, and I've been chasing repo trucks since 2003. Sometimes I get lucky and thwart a repossession, but mostly I'm collecting information. How many trucks from what company taking cars from where at what times. Some times, repo men just laugh at me. I find them at an apartment complexes and trailer parks, and I'll yell out the window "You won't get your 'unit' tonight! You might as well go home!" They think it's funny at first, but they're cursing and flipping me off when they leave empty handed. I follow them around so they know I'm there, and if they still try to take a car, I get in the way if possible, then honk my horn until the car's owner comes out to see what's happening, and the repo truck drives away.
Though I only stop a few repossessions a year, the difference has been small but real. A few companies have moved elsewhere and chosen to take cars from other areas since I've been doing this, and I see these repo trucks less often now. Repo men act tough, but they are really opportunists who rely on stealth and speed. They get paid for each car they steal, so if it takes them longer to take 'units' from one area because I'm getting in their way, they'll go somewhere else. So my strategy has switched to keeping them out of my neighborhood by making it less profitable for them to conduct their operations here. Time is money!
In case you're asking, yes, it's legal as long as I don't damage the repo man's property, and it's illegal for these guys to attack me, but that doesn't mean they haven't tried. I was scouting a repo company down the street from me on foot when I was discovered. One guy came out after me and I ran through the woods into a trailer park. I saw two pickup trucks driving around looking for me. I ducked behind bushes and trailers as I made my way to a convenience store, and a third truck pulled in and spotted me. About six guys went into that store and tried to corner me, so told a man that worked there that these guys were following me. It turns out he was the owner, and he kicked them out of the store. A fourth truck showed up, and they all stood outside and waited for a half hour until a friend came and got me, and the store owner snuck me out the back. He told me the repo men had caused trouble in this area before, and he suspected they were connected to organized crime. I'm always aware of where I am and who's watching when I do this. To these guys, "roughing me up" is only illegal if they don't get caught.
Repo men are not simply blue-collar guys "doing their job", which is the often-used rationalization for their illicit business. They are hired muscle working for big, predatory banks. They operate on the edge of the law, and many are former criminals and have ties to the world of crime. To me, stealing cars from my neighbors so corporate executives can profit is a crime, one I'm determined to stop. They prey on the working class and worsen the recession, then laugh all the way to the bank. After the banking crisis in 2008, the repo industry exploded. These guys were out day and night, raking in the profits as working families had their lives destroyed piece be piece.
It's been an interesting hobby. Although this has been kind of a lonely endeavor, I must say: "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!" Laws change from state to state. This could get a person shot in Texas or Arizona, and the legality could be different in states like Louisiana where repo men are licensed and regulated by the state. I'm well aware of Ohio's concealed carry law, and I treat all repo men as if they are armed. Some folks say I'm crazy, my friends worry about me sometimes when I follow these guys. But I know what what I'm doing is right. I know what it's like to fall on hard times, to only need a few more days to get that payment in. That feeling, when you wake up in the morning to go to work and your car is gone, is one of the worst feelings in the world. If only that greedy bank had been more lenient and waited a few more days. So I do what I can to help my friends and neighbors. I can't stop unfair repossessions, but if I can get someone that few more days they need, it's worth it.
Keep up the good fight, Kossacks. These are difficult times. Sometimes the way to keep Corporate America from screwing us is to simply stop letting them do it so easily. We have to stick together to help our friends and neighbors in these historically bad times. Sometimes there's no other option but to fight corporate greed at street level.
3:51 PM PT: EDIT: I just wanted to clarify one thing: Don't take from this that it's OK to get behind on your car payment. I know firsthand that these guys are serious, and they will find your car eventually, no matter how well you hide it. You could be only two weeks, or even one week late. Repos often happen when people let their guard down and think that payment isn't important. It's as important as your rent or mortgage. Evictions take 30 days, but repossessions can happen in less than 30 seconds.