Anti-Foreclosure Rally, Keith Ellison Come To Lynnhurst Saturday

Saturday, Lynnhurst's Shir Tikvah synagogue will play host to the first stop on a metro-wide bus tour protesting what groups behind the tour call "unfair" foreclosures.

Rep. Keith Ellison and other community leaders will lead a rally at Shir Tikvah at 12:50 p.m. in support of several homeowners facing foreclosure around the Twin Cities. The tour culminates in a concert by local hip-hop greats Brother Ali and Toki Wright.

"The housing crisis has forced hundreds of thousands of families out of their homes, and, as the result of predatory loans, decimated the wealth of African-American and Hispanic communities, causing some to call it one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time," read a written statement from tour organizers Occupy Homes.

Golden Valley resident and prominent educator Rose McGee is among those homeowners. Widow of the former head of the Hennepin County public defender office, McGee fell behind on her mortgage when she became laid off. According to Occupy Homes, McGee's lenders CitiMortgage and Fannie Mae started foreclosure proceedings against her while also processing her request for a loan modification to enable her to stay in her home of 20 years under a process called "dual-tracking."

According to KSTP, state Representatives Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) and Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) have become champions of McGee's cause and those of other foreclosed homeowners, along with a coalition of groups including Occupy Homes, Jewish Community Action, and the Northside Community Reinvestment Coalition.

Ellison, Clark and Freiberg will be joined by local religious and civic leaders as the tour winds its way across the Twin Cities, including a stop at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Other stops on the tour can be found on Occupy Homes' Facebook page.