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.
The company that ordered the eviction, Florida-based Ocwen Financial Corp., said it does not comment on specific cases, but it tries to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. In cases where it does foreclose, it has a policy of evicting residents to prepare the building for resale.
Griffith-Evans' 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 her.
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. Ocwen services the loans and filed the eviction notice.
