| Foreclosure standoff | | Print | |
| Written by By JAN LARSON Sentinel County Editor | ||||
| Monday, 03 May 2010 09:23 | ||||
On Sunday, he and five members of the Toledo Foreclosure Defense League locked themselves in his home at 5947 Fremont Pike, with plans to stay there until a moratorium is declared on foreclosures. Sadler received his first notice of foreclosure from State Bank and Trust in January 2009, just weeks after having surgery on his arthritic hands and getting four months behind on his mortgage. He had recently been laid off from Dana Corp., where the economic downturn had led to less work. "I always kept in contact with the bank. The next thing I know, I got the foreclosure notice," he said. "That was right after they told me they were going to work with me on the loan." After getting the notice, Sadler said he applied for loan modification and was denied. He tried to get help from a legal aid group, but was turned down because the organization was so overwhelmed with foreclosures, he said. "I did everything I could to try to save my home," he said. "The system is failed." So now, with time up and his eviction pending, Sadler said he is just not ready to just give up the two-story home with fine woodwork and two decades of family memories. "It is home to me. The house has a lot of memories to it." From inside his home Sunday evening, Sadler said he is standing up not only for himself, but also for others facing foreclosure who are unable to do so on their own. "People are scared. The threat of eviction is enough to scare them out of their homes," he said. "We are using my house as a place to make a stand." This is not the first time for Sadler to take bold action against foreclosures, being arrested previously for disrupting a sheriff's sale of foreclosed property in Lucas County. His actions there were not successful in getting Lucas County to declare a moratorium on foreclosures, but he is hoping to have more success in Wood County. "We're not leaving the home till we get a moratorium on foreclosures, or until we're dragged out," Sadler said.
Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said Sunday evening that he has no choice but to follow court orders and evict Sadler. "I don't necessarily like it, but I do what I have to do," Wasylyshyn said. "I have to follow the orders of the court." The sheriff said he tried to work with Sadler, and actually gave the Stony Ridge man more than three extra weeks to get matters settled at home prior to the eviction. That deadline passed this morning. "I told him I'm extending an olive branch," Wasylyshyn said, expressing disappointment that Sadler used the extra time to plot the holdout instead of meeting his promise to prepare for moving out. "Shame on him." Though the sheriff's office has had to evict several homeowners in the past few years, none have resisted like this, Wasylyshyn said. "I told him I'm not going to tolerate him barricading and booby-trapping the home," the sheriff said. "I will not tolerate any of my deputies getting hurt. He's not going to win this situation." Though Sadler said some sheriffs in the nation have declared moratoriums on foreclosures, Wasylyshyn said he knows of no such action in Ohio. "I do not have the authority to do a moratorium," he said. And though Sadler and the housing activists camped out in his yard may be hoping for a public showdown today, the sheriff has different plans. "We'll go on our terms. We are going to come when he least expects it." Sadler said he has stocked his home with food and water, so he can stay put until some action is taken. "We're prepared to stay as long as necessary," he said. "We're not coming out until something happens." Sadler believes the "media spectacle" he is creating can only help bring awareness to the problem of growing foreclosures. Outside his home, members of the Toledo Foreclosure Defense League plan to camp out in support. This is the first time for such a bold act on the part of the group, according to member Lance Crandall. "We have not done a home occupation before," he said. The organization members believe it is wrong for the government to bail out banks, but forget the little people losing their homes to tough financial times. "The ability for people to stay afloat is greatly reduced," Crandall said. "Until they can find jobs, there's no sense putting them out on the street." |
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 May 2010 11:14 |
Comments
That being said, he's not paying his mortgage. Does he really expect to be allowed to live there for free?
And it's not like he just now started missing payments and was not given any time to get caught up. According to the article he was already 4 months behind on his mortgage in January 2009. He's already been living there for free for almost 2 years....How much more time does he need?
they reneged on him.
He has stated that he tried to work with the bank as they promised they would. He was injured on the job and laid off from an Auto industry job (just like THOUSANDS of other people), the only difference is, is that he wasn't afraid to take a stand. Also, i believe this action is not about keeping his home, it is more an action to cause a change in the way our system works. Our system has failed so many people,and in turn, it has lined the pockets of those who are so rich that they will never have to worry about this happening to them. People all over the country are paper thin close to having their houses foreclosed on as well. Until the economy turns itself around they MUST sign a moratorium to give people some breathing room. Vacant lots with vacant houses and people living in the streets and all that follows is not justified in the name of corporate greed.
you can watch live at:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/keith-sadler-foreclosure-resistance-live
I couldn't agree more, well said.
Listen, I do feel for the guy. I live paycheck to paycheck and I know that I'm one job loss or injury away from losing my house too. That is a risk I assumed when I signed for my mortgage.
Notify the Sheriff that he is the top decision maker of the county that not even the Governor can overturn.
The sheriff HAS to obey court orders, period. He can either do that, or he can stop being sheriff.
BTW, the governor does not have the authority to overturn court orders either.
(The separation of powers is covered in high school government class.)
Hopefully, he already triple-checked his loan docs to make sure THEY did not over charge him and violate the TILA.
Countrywide, Lehman, Goldman Sachs, Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, CitiGroup, etc, have ALL been popped for Mortgage Fraud. If the man owed 200k still, that wouldn't amount to 5-minutes wages for what these lenders have STOLEN.
I don't know - but I don't see why they couldn't do a reverse mortgage and when the sells they work some type of balloon on the balance... if he dies, they take the house back anyway... What's it going to cost the lender...? If the guy was bonehead and gone through 4-5 foreclosures and bankruptcies - then throw the deadbeat out. However, the man's neighbors are standing with him - I think in these times that damn lender COULD look like a hero and write-off the balance... is that really asking too much?
just some thoughts
Everybody needs a little help at least once in their lives. Mr Sadler faithfully paid his mortgage for years and had made numerous attempts to work with the bank to find a comfortable middle ground that works for both sides because he WANTS to pay it. That accounts for something.
He's not a lazy, no-good do-nothing taking advantage of the bank, he's a hard-working citizen whose life did a 180 on him and left him in an impossible situation that he can't get out of alone. As stated by others, THOUSANDS are falling into this kind of situation. It's like an avalanche--once it starts, there is no outrunning or stopping it.
When the time comes that YOU find yourself in a situation far beyond your control that you can't get out of by simply "doing the right thing", I wish you all the luck in the Universe, because you're gonna need it. Good luck finding someone to help YOU out, and don't boast that you have all your ducks in a row and won't need it--you'd be surprised how fast those ducks can turn on you. Every single person alive on this planet is 100% vulnerable to being in Sadler's position or similar at ANY time during life. Breathe an appreciative sigh of gratitude for every day that starts and ends well, my friend.
Just remember, you get back whatever attitude you put out. My heart goes out to you, because your lack of empathy is sure to bounce back on you.
No, the reason people are in situations like this is because they have over extended themselves.
Credit card debt is at an all time high. Whose fault is that? The banks aren't forcing people to max out their cards. The people are doing it themselves. They need to be responsible for their own actions. They put themselves into these situations.
The bottom line is that people need to be more cautious and realistic in what they can afford and stop living pay check to pay check. Buy a smaller house, stop buying all the latest and greatest toys. Instead, put the money away into a savings account. If people had savings, then they wouldn't be in tight situations. The savings would provide them some time when bad things happen. You need to be prepared for situations that are not in your control. You can not rely on handouts to bail you out of situations that you put yourself into.
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