Members of the faith-based power network IIRON
signed a covenant on Sunday for economic justice and called on Attorney
General Lisa Madigan and other elected officials to sign it in order to
create a more just economy.
IIRON and its related organizations — Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), Northside P.O.W.E.R., the Northwest Indiana Federation
and the IIRON Student Network — rolled out the set of economic principals
at St. Mark United Methodist Church, located at 8441 S. St. Lawrence
Ave.
The covenant is about moving forward, said IIRON President Rev. Marilyn Pagán-Banks.
Those guidelines include ensuring economic justice by providing opportunities for all; protecting the common good with publicly funded and administered health care, education and public infrastructure, among others; and protecting democracy and the environment.
“Let’s
create a new covenant, a new promise saying that when we begin to talk
about money and the economy and how we create a healthy economy that
it’s going to be for everyone at the table,” she said.
Chicago Alds. William Burns (4th) and Roderick T. Sawyer (6th), State Rep. Marcus Evans (33rd), newly-elected State Rep. Christian Mitchell (26th), U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-9), and Indiana Sen. Lonnie Randolph, were among the elected officials and dozens of IIRON members that signed the covenant.
Toby Chow, chair of the bank accountability taskforce at
SOUL, stressed the need for
principal reductions for underwater mortgages. Chow called principal
reductions a clear “economic and justice issue.”
“This problem was created by a system of intentional fraud and theft, and that needs to be stopped,” Chow said.
“It’s
a clear economic issue, because this underwater mortgage debt functions
to suck wealth out of neighborhoods, out of homeowners, out of our
economy and up into the hands of Wall Street, and that needs to end.”
Here's a slideshow of photos from the event:
In January, President Barack Obama created the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group, a taskforce meant to conduct investigations into fraud within the mortgage industry. Madigan is a member of the group.
“This body has the potential to hold Wall Street accountable to bring
relief to homeowners and to bring America out of this depression,” Chow
said.
On stage, Chow asked Madigan if she would pursue the remedy of principal reductions for underwater homeowners.
“Yes I will,” Madigan answered, which caused the audience to erupt with cheers.
Although
Madigan did not sign the covenant, she said will work to reduce
underwater-mortgage principals. But she added that Cook County residents
should lend a hand to those whose properties are in financial trouble.
“It’s
so important that everybody takes the time to not just say we’re going
to come to church one day, we’re going to sign a covenant, but there has
to be real action that takes place," Madigan said in
remarks outside the church. "And so much of that is offering a
helping hand to people, saying are you in trouble?”
She said it’s critical that people
reach out and do “the very difficult work” of approaching the bank and
asking for relief with the help of advocates.
“It can be
intimidating, it can be embarrassing, but what is worse is that you
could lose your home, destroy your credit, ruin a community,” Madigan
said.
Madigan along with key IIRON members urged the hundreds in
the audience to take their money out of big banks, particularly J.P.
Morgan Chase, as protest of their actions.
“If you disagree with
what the big banks are doing, then take your money out of the big bank
and put it in a community bank. Put it in a credit union,” Madigan said.
“There are options.”
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