Dorchester woman's eviction called off

A Dorchester woman facing eviction following the foreclosure of her home won a last-minute reprieve this morning after dozens of activists gathered outside to impede law enforcement officials from entering.

Melonie Griffiths-Evans defaulted on a mortgage loan arranged by a broker who has since been barred from working in Massachusetts. Facing a 9 a.m. eviction, Griffiths-Evans had refused to pack, saying that God was on her side.

Her supporters were gathered by City Life/Vida Urbana, an advocacy group that has pledged to prevent evictions following foreclosure. Two city councilors, Chuck Turner and Sam Yoon, also showed up to support Griffiths-Evans.

Shortly after 9 a.m., a City Life organizer said the eviction had been postponed and celebration erupted. Some people chanted, "We fight, we win." Griffiths-Evans repeatedly thanked her supporters.

"The bankers need to know we're going to do the same thing for everyone," she said.

City Life has pledged to defend about 75 residents of other foreclosed buildings against eviction. This is the second time the group has mobilized in response to a formal 48-hour notice of a pending eviction. The other eviction also was postponed.

The building is owned by a mortgage investment pool. US Bancorp is the trustee. A second company, Ocwen Financial Corp., services the loans and filed the eviction notice. Ocwen could file a new notice immediately. But Yoon said he had spoken with executives at U.S. Bancorp and that they had promised to look into the situation.
(By Binyamin Appelbaum, Globe staff)