SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) — About 10 people were detained and released during a rally Friday afternoon inside the office of a San Francisco attorney to protest the eviction of a Bayview District resident and his family following the foreclosure and sale of their home to a new owner.
The protest, organized in part by Calorganize, began at Chase Bank at 560 Mission Street at 11 a.m.
Protesters gathered in front of the bank, which was involved in the foreclosure process, and then marched to the offices of MC Hall and Associates Attorneys at Law at 605 Market Street.
Protesters refused to leave the office of Andres Sanchez, the attorney representing the new property owner Quan He. They demanded that Sanchez strike a deal with the attorney representing resident Yul Dorn to allow him and his family to return to their home, according to organizer Grace Martinez.
Although no deal was struck Friday afternoon, Martinez said protests are being organized at different places throughout the weekend in hopes that a deal will be struck between the two attorneys by Monday.
Sheriff’s deputies forcibly removed Dorn from his residence on Las Villas Court on Thursday, along with his wife, daughter and 8-month-old grandson, who also live there.
Dorn has lived in the home with his family since 1995 and has been embroiled in a seven-year battle with the bank to avoid the foreclosure, protest organizers said.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home to remove Dorn and family after He allegedly said he hadn’t heard from his attorney and wanted to negotiate with Dorn after he had possession of the property, according to organizers.
“For some reason we never arrived at anything solid, so the physical eviction took place,” Dorn’s defense attorney James Cook said.
The sheriff’s department confirmed that three protesters were cited and released Thursday on suspicion of failure to disperse and trespassing. A fourth person, identified by Martinez as Dorn, was arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse and trespassing as well as failing to follow a lawful court order, sheriff’s department spokeswoman Eileen Hirst said.
Martinez said the eviction has turned Dorn, who is pastor at Emmanuel Church of God in Christ and a 20-year chaplain at the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, “into a homeless criminal within 24 hours.”
“We’re seeing a lot of this happening to minorities and black people. Somebody gets behind on their payments, they attempt to modify the loan and then the foreclosure process starts,” Cook said.
“It’s especially sad when you get someone like Dorn. He’s followed the law this whole time and now the cards are stacked against him,” Cook said.
Back in September, Dorn spoke about his predicament at a rally campaigning for the Robin Hood Tax, a bill that aims to generate billions of dollars from the sale of stocks, bonds and derivatives to be used for
healthcare, housing and other services.”People of color and the working class are being pushed out
“People of color and the working class are being pushed out because the rich aren’t paying their fair share… We’ve got to start investing in the long-time residents of San Francisco,” Dorn said at that rally.
“I’ve given to this city. I’ve been a productive member of society, but yet I find myself in the throes of eviction, due to a wrongful foreclosure,” Dorn said.
A request for comment from He’s attorney was not immediately returned.