Victory! Unjust eviction blocked.

In another major victory for the tenants of Northpoint Apartments, on May 11 a jury threw out the unjust eviction case against Carol Vialdores, so she and her family can stay in their Rogers Park home of 15 years.

A combined campaign of grassroots organizing and legal advocacy overcame yet another unfair eviction attempt. Ms. Vialdores, who is also a tenant activist and Northside Action for Justice member ,was targeted for eviction because she demanded respect as a tenant and was active in organizing other tenants.. She was able to get legal help from Northwestern University Law School Legal Clinic and a legal team led by John Elson. A coalition of organizations and Northpoint tenants gathered hundreds of petitions opposing the eviction. There was a press conference at the HUD building on Monday, May 3rd, and a meeting with Ed Hinsberger (the head of the HUD family housing program). At that time he said they would talk to Northpoint/Aimco about the case, but no commitment was made to stop the eviction.

Carol and her supporters continued to mobilize support and packed the courtroom for the trial. Many potential jurors said they could not, in good conscience, evict a family, so Northpoint’s lawyers kept them off the jury. On Tuesday in the late afternoon, after hearing the case and receiving clear instructions from the judge, the jury came back and decided in Carol Vialdores favor and threw the eviction out.

This case had a happy ending, thanks to the work and support of the people, the courage of Carol in standing up for her rights and a dedicated legal team. However, there is a continued pattern of abuse and mismanagement on the part of Northpoint/AIMCO that needs to be addressed and this victory (like the victory in the Bledsoe case six months ago) is part of the continued tenant organizing campaign to win respect and justice at Northpoint and for low and moderate income residents around the city.

Wall Street Influence, by the numbers

The US Senate is voting on dozens of amendments to the banking reform bill. Thousands will march in Washington, DC on Monday, demanding Wall Street reform and good jobs.

The big banks made profits - big profits - EVER SINGLE DAY of 2010, regardless of the state of the rest of the economy, and they're suing that money to fight off a recovery for the rest of us.

Here are some other numbers assembled by our friends at the Center for American Progress about why it is so important for all of us to tall our Senators to stand with the people:

$1.4 MILLION ...The amount that the finance industry is spending every day to influence Congress.

243 ...The number of government insiders turned lobbyists employed by the six big banks and their trade associations, including 202 former congressional staffers.

25 ...The number of hedge fund managers and Wall Street executives that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator John Cornyn, chair of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, met with to plot strategy for killing real reform and enhancing Republican electoral gains in the election.

$1.765 BILLION ...The total amount of tax-exempt Liberty Bonds, state and local tax breaks, and cash grants given to Goldman Sachs to build it's new $2.1 billion headquarters in New York City.

$3.3 BILLION ...Goldman's first quarter profits, meaning it could have paid the total cost for its new building all by itself using just 2 months of its profits.

4 ...The percentage of Americans who hold a positive view of Goldman Sachs, according to a new poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal.

6 ...The number of banks now under scrutiny in a federal criminal probe. The list now includes Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and UBS.

8 ...The number of banks under scrutiny by the New York attorney general's office, in a probe examining whether the banks "duped" rating agencies by providing them with misleading information. The banks under investigation are Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Crédit Agricole, and Merrill Lynch (now owned by Bank of America).

61 days ...The number of days Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase made money trading during the first 3 months of the year-a perfect run that is "one for the record books."

$600 MILLION ...The amount that the six big banks and their trade associations have spent on lobbying, trade association activity, and political contributions since the first major federal bailout of Bear Sterns in March 2008.

18 percent ...The amount that anti-predatory lending laws can reduce foreclosure rates, according to a recent study. Unfortunately, some Senate Democrats are making a misguided push to preempt states from putting in place these and other consumer protections stronger than those in the Wall Street accountability bill.

Yes, it's bad; We need a federal jobs program NOW!

People at the grassroots know what Congress and the White House still don't get: the lack of jobs is a real crisis, and we need bold, emergency action to create millions of good jobs.

This current recession is WORSE than any other post-war recession, but too many politicians and pundits are shrugging and telling communities to wait. Even the "Local Jobs for America Act", supported by NA4J and hundreds of other groups, which would save/create a million jobs, is only a first step to closing the 11 million job deficit.

On May 17, many groups are marching on K Street in DC to challenge the bankers that wrecked our economy and break their grip on Congress as a necessary step toward winning good jobs and a new economy that works for everyone.