Official release: Queens woman loses son in Iraq, her home to foreclosure scam- where’s the bailout for her?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT
Jean Stevens, CODEPINK media coordinator, 646-723-1781
where’s the bailout for Americans?
WHAT: Press conference on tragic story of Queens resident Jocelyne Voltaire’s home foreclosure
WHEN: 12 p.m. Oct. 17
WHERE: Outside Queens County Courthouse, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens
JAMAICA, QUEENS, N.Y. — Jocelyne Voltaire lost her son earlier this year in Iraq and is about to lose her Queens Village home.
Voltaire, who immigrated here 21 years ago, bought her white, two-story house and raised a family there, is one of thousands of Americans whose home is being foreclosed after being caught in a mortgage scam. (Read the New York Daily News story about her foreclosure here).
“I still have two children, ages 6 and 10, who need a roof over their heads,” Voltaire said. “I worked all my life, my son died for this country, and now the bank wants to take my home away? That’s just wrong. Washington needs to help us, the homeowners, not the banks and Wall Street.”
Members of the peace action group CODEPINK Women for Peace have visited Voltaire at her home and plan to be at the Queens County courthouse tomorrow to host a press conference protesting the foreclosure. It is a poster case for what is wrong with the $700 billion bailout of taxpayer money to Wall Street.
“Jocelyne’s case is symbolic of what is wrong with the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street and the banks — it’s bailing out the wrong people!” said Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder. “We’re determined to make sure Jocelyne stays in her home and that the government helps people like her, not rich financiers.”
It is getting major action on the blogs right now (from political blog Daily Kos to Huffington Post) after the American News Project did a story on her yesterday here in the lead-up to the presidential debate.
CODEPINK has created a web site for people to donate to a fund to pay Voltaire’s mortgage here
For more information, please call Medea Benjamin at 415-235-6517.
CODEPINK, founded in 2002, is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into health care, education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush administration’s fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead call for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence. www.codepinkalert.org.
Tags: action, bailout, economy, foreclosure, NYC
October 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
If you want to see this very human story please download Democracy Now 2008-10-17 Friday. Voltaire’s story is unbelievable. She saved 50000 dollars to put a down payment on a house, she worked 3 jobs and her son died for all of us in Iraq. How can this be? Where is the bailout for her…there couldn’t be a better headline for a story.
Dear Voltaire people all over the world feel for you. You are an incredible woman, don’t forget that. We will pray for you that God will have mercy for you. Where is the justice, where?
Alex
Ireland
October 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Instead of talking about his “winner,” Joe the Plumber, John McCain should have talking about the losers in his and Mr. Bush’s trickle-down-approach to economic catastrophe. McCain should have talking about what he would be doing for people like Jocelyne.
Instead he prefers to tax the 95% of people who are already overtaxed while continuing to let the bullies of the economy, the so-called invisible hands of Ben Bernanke’s market, our employers get away without taxation.
Our tax code throughout the United States needs to be changed. It needs to be simplified. Then we need to tax all business entities, including nonprofits, churches, and associations. Give these businesses our “tax credits.”
I’d be happy to give my tax credits away to entities that can afford to pay (not, we, the people). It is only fair that the people begin to collect what has been owed to us for a very long time, a more fair approach to the distribution of wealth.
It’s time to help the rich, the churches, the career politicians, and the celebrities that take, take, take to learn the Golden Rule, even if it must be by force. Tax the rich. As Obama said, “We can afford it.”
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