Threatened with eviction on Christmas Eve the Hernandez family, grandchildren and all, were spared by the benevolence of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department -- for two whole days.
This morning, at 5:00 AM
The Hernandez family was evicted from their home in the 14600 block of Leadwell Street early Thursday morning without incident.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department carried out the eviction with armored vehicles and nearly 100 police personnel. Dump trucks were brought in to break down the encampment.
No more.
Fort Hernandez stood for more than four months, surviving police harassment and even the sic'ing of the Department of Public Health and the Department of Child Services (responding to bogus complaints that the residence did not have running water) on the Hernandez' by the powers that be.
I don't know why Bank of America wouldn't negotiate a deal with the Hernandez family. But one thing we can be pretty sure of given all we know about the practices of BofA and other large banks -- they are almost certainly lying:
Bank of America said it tried to work with Hernandez, but said he did not submit paperwork in time. Hernandez's attorney showed NBC4 stacks of papers from just the last few months showing an effort to start payments again, but the bank said it wasn’t enough to qualify for a loan modification.
With interest rates at record lows and state and Federal programs out the wazoo intended to help people stay in their homes, it is almost impossible to believe the Hernandez' could not qualify for an adjustment nor afford payments if BofA were really interested in keeping them in their home -- rather than repossessing the property and selling it at profit to the bank. (And let's face it. It's not just BofA.
There are billions and billions of dollars of unspent TARP monies that could have been used to help families all across the United States in the Hernandez' situation. But the money sits their unspent while families get tossed into the street.)
What's next?
Hernandez said his only hope is to fight the bank in court.
But just days ago
OccupyLA put back a mother and her child into the house they were evicted from.
Just sayin'.
Fuck BofA.
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P.S. If you don't think your tax dollars paid for this if you don't live in Los Angeles, think again. Those armored vehicles -- probably paid for with Department of Homeland Security grants. Those law enforcement personnel -- quite possibly hired as the result of the stimulus, and likely being paid at least in part by continued Federal grants.
12:14 PM PT:
#OccupyLA @OccupyLA
Sheriffs & #LAPD didn't allow #Hernandez family to gather belongings during 5 Am raid. F*ck u #BofA
3:15 PM PT: Pictures post-eviction.