Press Releases

WHEN: Tuesday May 22, 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:Bright Hope Baptist Church

12^th and Cecil B. Moore

Who: ACTION United members, Parents, teachers, students, community members, SEIU, Fight for Philly,

Upset over a proposal to gut Philadelphia Public Schools the ACTION United will hold an emergency community meeting on Tuesday to provide information to the community and lay out an alternative vision.

“Officials have laid out their plan, and folks are unhappy, but we really haven’t heard a lot about an alternate vision” explained    Roland Ferguson, concerned parent and member of the Southwest Chapter of ACTION United.  “That’s what we are going to do on Tuesday.  People not only want to hear about the proposed changes, they want to make sure the needs of their children and their neighborhoods are being considered in the process. We’re going to lay out an alternative to the plan that includes the priorities of the community, parents and students”

The Pastor of the Bright Hope Baptist Church Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, a parent with children in the Philadelphia Public Schools, will kick off the meeting.  Students will capture their vision for what the term “good school” means in drawings and writings and parents and community members will be asked to write their priorities and concerns on tablets on the wall.  These pictures and papers will be delivered to the School Reform Commission during the protest the following morning.  

“We reject the notion that there is no money for schools when they are building new prisons”
 added Ferguson.  “We need our officials to be listening to the community and looking for creative solutions rather than trying to solve the funding crisis on the backs of students or by outsourcing jobs. The people that work in the schools are parents and neighbors too.”

ACTION United’s members will suggested real, community oriented solutions based on research and proven models. 

“We feel any proposal should both include community priorities but also be research based and rely on proven methods of reform so we can be sure this isn’t just another ‘expert’ solution that will throw our children into chaos without actually solving anything.”

The Home Defenders League and community members will protest at Chase Bank to demand they return ownership of Fran Scarborough’s Logan house which was sold at auction without notice and despite the owner’s attempts to work with the bank to keep the house.

Members of the HDL, including former Philadelphia Police Officer Chief Lewis, successfully defended Ms. Fran’s home from being taken by the Sheriff last week. But the eviction notice still stands and the group is seeking a more permanent fix.

The homeowner, Ms. Fran Scarborough, tells an all too common story of banks failing to obey the lawful procedures and violating her rights as a homeowner over and over as she fought to keep her home.

In 2008 her house was sold illegally at Sheriff Sale before she could have a conciliation conference with the city's loan modification program. She's been fighting by herself for years, all she wants is to have her house returned to her and to be allowed to enter the modification program.

The Home Defenders League is a national movement of underwater homeowners and allies fighting Wall Street to get back the wealth, equity, and future they stole from so many Americans.

Local homeowners struggling to save their home can contact the Home Defenders League at ACTION United for help at 215-839-3390.