Monday, November 17, 2008

No “Foreclosure”: An Appeal for Justice

No “Foreclosure”: An Appeal for Justice - April 4, 2003 – by Alan L. Maki

“Out of sight is out of mind.” We have all heard this frequently used saying by advertising industry executives. Politicians like to keep working peoples’ problems “out of sight and out of mind” because then they don’t have to do anything to resolve these problems. The mine owners have operated this way for over a hundred years on the Range.

It has come to the attention of our organization, Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice, that there is a real life human tragedy unfolding on the Iron Range in the small mining community of Eveleth, Minnesota. Our organization has asked me to look into this unfolding tragedy and suggest a course of action. Actually, this is more than a tragedy. This is an injustice! It is an injustice that caring people can and should do something about.

After coming from Finland my grandfather settled on the Range over 100 years ago. My Dad and his brother and sisters grew up on the Range. My grandfather helped clear the land and build the pavilion out at Mesaba Co-Op Park, just out of Hibbing, of which I remain a member and enjoy going there.

Please allow me to share the details of this injustice with you because the mining bosses--- the politicians they bought and paid for, the real-estate speculators, and the media they control would rather this injustice be kept hidden and out of sight, like most injustices on the Range today and over the years. It is an injustice that the Republican Governor and his friend in the Whitehouse would rather we not talk about…


The Injustice---

The Johnson Family, Janet and her two children are facing foreclosure and eviction from their family’s life-long home. Janet’s father who was a miner on the Range his entire life built their home. Tomi began building the family home high on the hill overlooking the Range in Eveleth at 1001 Jones Street in 1948. The family, his wife- Shirley, better known in the community as the “baby nurse” and their five children moved in before the house was completed. Tomi continued working on the house after his shift in the mine and on Holidays. In the mean time the family raised over twelve foster children!

Tomi and his family spent leisure time at area lakes and walking through the woods. Tomi and Shirley spent some of their leisure time socializing and dancing with progressive Finns at Mesaba Park, even during those dark years when some people were afraid to go to Mesaba Park.

Tomi worked on the family home as he could afford to purchase the building supplies needed. Building the home this way it was paid for by the time it was completed in 1978. Tomi owned his home. He didn’t owe the Miners Bank. He always paid his property taxes on time.

Then after a lifetime of working in the mines--- beginning at Lake Mine, then Erie, later to become LTV--- he “retired.” Tomi became terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, not uncommon among miners. While dying he would lovingly play with his grandchildren and do a little work on the family home… there were still those “finishing touches” and repairs that always needed to be done on the home. Tomi also enjoyed working in a forestry program for seniors after his retirement until his illness prevented his participation.

The mining bosses never cared if workers knew the “rules of the game” about how the system works. In fact, the mining bosses always like to make up the rules as they go and prefer the workers not know the “rules of the game” by which the bosses control life on the Range. If the workers learned the rules and figured out the boss’ game plan--- like when they organized the United Steelworkers of America of which Tomi was a proud and active member--- the mine owners would try to change the rules in congress or the statehouse. So, Tomi didn’t know anything about Wills and Estate Planning. Tomi never thought anyone would be able to take away a home he had built with his own hands with materials he had purchased through his lifelong labor in the mines.

Maybe he should have known better after seeing how the mine owners repeatedly used the powers of “eminent domain” to steal home after home on the Range from miners as the companies needed to dig bigger and deeper pits into the earth as they extracted ore and packed away the profits to far off bank accounts, a policy that has left the Iron Range, one of the richest regions of the world, impoverished today--- not unlike Appalachia.

Then after Tomi died, wife Shirley was struck suddenly with the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. There was no Will, no Estate Planning. Grieving, the family did not know what was in store for them. Janet and her small son Josh--- and now a small daughter,
Crystal--- had been living at home with her parents on and off, often to help out--- other times out of economic necessity. The family just assumed Janet would continue living in the family home. After all, it was what her mother and father had wanted for her and the kids.

This is when the injustice begins to take shape. The hospital demanded the family home be sold to cover huge medical bills that began to accumulate for Shirley’s care and treatment of Alzheimer’s. Between working, trying to care for her mother, and taking care of her young children Janet never gave a thought that she was about to be faced with the injustice of losing her home.

Yet, this is what happened: lawyers for the hospital got the whiff of money and took swift action. Before Janet knew what was happening her home was being stolen out from under her. These lawyers offered to do her a “favor”. They arranged for a “friend”--- a parasitic real-estate speculator named Douglas Ahlgren Senior, who has made a fortune from the misfortunes of miners who lost their jobs and incomes due to mine closures, automation, and layoffs on the Range since the massive continuing “downturn” in the mining industry since the early 80’s--- to do Janet a “favor.” These attorneys, caring only about what they and their friend Douglas Ahlgren Senior could stuff in their pockets, told Janet Johnson that the only way she could stay in her home that her father had built with his own hands and paid for with the wages he earned working in the mines over a lifetime was if she agreed to let Ahlgren take over title to the property. As “friends” concerned with her welfare they explained to Janet that her home would be sold for over $40,000.00 on the open market and there was no way she could afford that because no one was going to give her credit because she had no credit; but there was a loophole--- they told her--- she could “take advantage” of. If she would allow Douglas Ahlgren Senior to help her by signing over the deed to him for the sum of $23,000.00 payable to the hospital and other medical facilities, Janet could then purchase her home back from Douglas Ahlgren Senior for $40,000.00 plus interest! Janet had no place to go. She was trying to care for her mother while raising young children while working at the poverty level paying jobs that were the only jobs available anymore on the Range. Janet lost her job at MinnTac back in the late 70’s during the time of massive layoffs. What was Janet to do? Her new “friends” assured her this was the only thing she could do if she wanted to remain in the home her father built. These were lawyers, Janet reasoned. They were being very compassionate and understanding about her situation. They told her how they sympathized with her; in fact, her problems seemed to be their own. These people were so nice and understanding at the time. These “friends” wouldn’t be doing anything harmful to her and her children. Everything was for her good and for her benefit. The lawyers and Ahlgren were her friends; they were protecting her. They were looking out for her welfare--- they assured her of their righteousness. Janet came from a warm and loving home. Coming from such a home, Janet never thought that there were people out there who would take advantage of another human being under these circumstances. People help each other when they are having problems; they don’t hurt them or take advantage of them. People just didn’t treat each other like that. Well, Janet and her children were in for a big shock!

After three years of trying to keep her children fed and clothed, making payments to buy her own home back from Douglas Ahlgren Senior to the tune of over $11, 000.00 to date, almost half of what Ahlgren paid for it, Janet has been served with foreclosure papers because she missed a couple payments while she has been unemployed, receiving less than $150.00 a week in unemployment compensation. Trying desperately to search for work with a car that has taken most of her money for repairs, Janet turned to welfare to ask for help. The only help she could get was about $90.00 a month in food stamps, on condition she fulfill requirements of searching for work that cost her more than the money she gets in food stamps! Welfare insists she comply with this job search, even though they are well aware of the job situation on the Range--- which everyone knows the prospect of finding employment on the Range is zilch to non-existent. Janet had been working for Sykes. By now we all know the dirty deed Sykes pulled on Eveleth--- the tax-free status, poverty wages paid employees for stressful work, now leaving an expensive building behind and hundreds of workers in the unemployment line.

How is Janet supposed to make $400.00 plus payments each month to Ahlgren on what she receives? Mrs. Ahlgren called Janet and told her how bad she felt that they had to foreclose on her. Ya, sure, they feel bad, all the way to the bank. I have found that the Ahlgren have done this to miners and their families over and over again. Like parasites they search the Range for people like Janet Johnson to prey upon.

What kind of society have we allowed the mine owners, the bankers, the lawyers, the real-estate speculators, and the healthcare industry to create when hard working people like the Johnsons can have their home that they built and paid for stolen out from under them in this manner?

George Bush has cut funds for welfare and social services. The Republican governor of Minnesota has cut even more. Bush and the Governor say no one will be allowed to fall through the cracks. They claim that if their welfare system fails, there are the churches to fall back on. What churches, where? Who will help Janet and her children?

We have a President, supported by a Governor, who is spending billions of dollars dropping bombs in Iraq, destroying people’s homes half way around the world while their parasitic friends like the Ahlgrens take working people’s homes away from them on the Range.

Something is severely out of whack!

What is it? The system? The people? Wherein lies the problem?

The politicians tell us this is the best system in the world. Really? Is this the best people can come up with? Evicting hard working people from the home they were swindled out of in the first place?

Is this just an isolated problem? We all know it isn’t.

Who on the Range will step forward and help resolve this injustice? Will the Alghren’s minister? Will any church leaders? What about the Union Tomi helped to build and paid dues to for years?

Janet and her children are under tremendous stress. Stress placed upon their family by the Ahlgrens--- greedy, money-grubbing parasites--- who no doubt are already searching out their next victims after the last round of layoffs at EVTAC. Who might the Ahlgrens “befriend” next in their “loving way”… YOU?

In the real labor movement there is an old saying:
An injury to one is an injury to all.

Back in the days when my grandpa lived in Hutter and worked in the mines and organized the union with a bunch of Finns, Swedes, Italians, and Poles who couldn’t even talk to each other but understood that there was strength in unity and numbers as they took on the mining and lumber bosses here on the Range, they learned about something called “Brotherhood and Sisterhood.” About sticking together in the face of injustices. They learned to elect one of their own to public office, Johnny Bernard, a little French worker from Eveleth; A real progressive who wasn’t afraid of the bosses--- or parasites like the Ahlgrens.

Its time to change the rules of the game on the Range and in Minnesota! Its time to stand up and fight back!

Its time to stand up and say: No foreclosure, No War; Money for housing, not for War! If Bush and Pawlenty have billions of dollars to spend bombing Iraq back to the Stone Age and then can dish out sweetheart contracts to their construction company buddies to rebuild the place with cheap non-union labor… How come we can’t have a universal, no-fee, and comprehensive health care system like they have in Canada?

What about laws that enable this kind of parasitic behavior against those already hurt the most? How many people has this happened to? How many people will it happen to in the future? What kind of politicians do we have that created such laws? And that is just what it is: parasitic behavior. Gees, its like the system has become cannibalistic! What else can you call something like this?

I will be talking about this injustice with church leaders, union leaders, and politicians on the Range and all across Minnesota; with peace and social justice activists; with anyone who is concerned with this injustice and is willing to listen.

I urge you to sign our petition to the Governor and the elected politicians on the Range insisting they stop the injustice of this foreclosure on the Johnson family home--- Janet and her children have no place else to live except in their home, and make no mistake: this is their home.

Their home is being stolen right out from under them!

Think about this: Welfare says they can help “a little” with housing if Janet is foreclosed on and goes out and rents an apartment! How stupid is this! The government will sit by and watch a hard workingwoman and her children get kicked out of her own home and will then turn around and pay a landlord! Doing this with your tax dollars, my tax dollars, and the tax dollars that Janet has paid!

It makes about as much sense as dropping another bomb on Iraq!

I urge you to pass this information around to your friends, neighbors, fellow workers and students. Discuss this in church. If you e-mail me I can send you the e-mail version of this letter so you can send it out to everyone you know. Let us make sure this is not another problem that is “out of sight, out of mind.”

The first step in winning any struggle is to create a widespread awareness of the problem. Your help is needed to do this. We need to do this very quickly.

I hope you will become involved. Together we can right this tragic wrong and injustice.

I urge you to meet with your congressperson and senators while they are back in the district on recess right now.

Together, we need to make sure that this injustice is not out of sight or out of mind!

Together, we can stop this injustice and make sure something like this never happens again!

I will travel anyplace in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or North Dakota to speak about this issue. Get a few people together for coffee and lets talk about this around the kitchen table. Time is ticking away! We can work on this as we work for peace and social justice.

Yours in the struggle for peace and social justice,

Alan L. Maki

Alan L. Maki
Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice
amaki000@centurytel.net


Letter that was sent to Bob Bratulich of the United Steelworkers Union... went unanswered:

Brother Bratulich,

Re: our phone conversation (4/16/03, 3pm) concerning this matter

What we are requesting from you: 1.) Leaflets of this two-page information sheet which follows, 4,000 to 5,000 copies if possible… more or less, anything would be appreciated 2.) Help in raising funds to buy back the Contract for Deed--- one possible way would be to set up some kind of Co-Op that would enable people to own shares in the home until its paid for, then they would be paid back with 5% interest or something, or undertake a massive fundraising project. It is my opinion that if this were done in a very public way it would bring widespread attention to this situation that would bring pressure to win legislation against these predatory lending practices. I would also encourage you to contact Rep. Tom Rukavina telling him you support such legislation. Please let me know if you have any other ideas about how this can be resolved in a way that the Johnson family keeps their home.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this matter,

Alan L. Maki

Janet Johnson Home Foreclosure: brief statement of facts
Home located at: 1001 Jones Street, Eveleth, Minnesota

Prepared by: Alan L. Maki for Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice
For general distribution (2 pages)

Date: April 15, 2003


Janet Johnson is a lifelong resident of Eveleth, Minnesota. Janet Johnson, a single mother with two children is being foreclosed on, as the result of a real-estate swindle. People in this small Iron Range community are angry and outraged at this injustice.

This foreclosure has captured the attention of Iron Rangers because Janet Johnson’s story reflects almost every single problem plaguing the Iron Range, often referred to as the Appalachia of the North--- mines closing, the lack of a decent health care system, chronic unemployment, parasitic real-estate speculators feeding on peoples’ financial troubles.

Janet Johnson’s father, Tomi, built the home she now lives in. As a lifelong iron-ore miner Tomi built this house after work and on weekends over a twenty-year period as he could afford materials.

Tomi got pancreatic cancer and died. A short while later wife Shirley, who was a maternity ward nurse, was stricken with the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. No estate papers or will had been made out. Janet had been living with her parents off and on, sometimes out of economic necessity, but later to take care of her parents. Tomi and Shirley just took it for granted that Janet and her two children would have the home to live in.

Then the hospital and nursing home began demanding thousands of dollars for payment of Shirley’s care and demanded the home be sold to cover medical expenses.

Janet began searching for a way to keep her home. She had no credit. No bank would help her. She came across a realtor, Ken Hilde, from Northern Lakes Reality. Hilde was very sympathetic towards Janet and her problems, or so it seemed. He told Janet of Douglas Ahlgren Sr., a wealthy man who would help her.

Hilde arranged for Ahlgren to hold a Contract for Deed at ten percent interest while regular lending institutions were charging less than 7%. After running a credit check, both Hilde and Ahlgren knew that Janet Johnson would never be able to meet the terms of the “Contract for Deed”. They knew they would be getting a $50,000.00 home back for less than $23,000.00.

Illegal, unethical, and predatory lending practices take place when the lender knows the buyer has no chance of paying but makes the loan anyways because they will eventually take back the home. It was only a matter of time that Ahlgren, given Janet’s very limited income and low-paying poverty level wage jobs on the Range, would take possession of Janet’s house under the terms of this agreement.

Janet struggled working a couple different jobs, sometimes two jobs--- 16 to 18 hours a day, five and six days a week--- for three years!

With no job and a weekly unemployment check of less than $150.00 a week combined with $94.00 a month in food stamps, Janet can barely buy food for her family, let alone pay the monthly home payments. Ahlgren, as planned, is foreclosing.

I contacted Douglas Ahlgren Sr. and told him that our organization would negotiate to buy the contract but would need until September to raise the money. Ahlgren’s response was, “Its my house. I want it back now. I told Janet what she had to do to get her life in order so she could pay me. She wouldn’t take my advice. I’m not the welfare department. Come June 1st that house is mine to sell.”

What is needed:

• State Legislation: to end foreclosures and evictions against unemployed people.

• State Legislation: that prevents these kinds of predatory swindles.

• Federal Legislation: National Health Care base upon the Canadian System.

• Community Activity: Fundraising to purchase Contract for Deed

• Promote awareness of this problem

For further information contact: Alan L. Maki
Phone: 218-386-2432
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net


No Foreclosure!

Janet Johnson Home Foreclosure: brief statement of facts
Home located at: 1001 Jones Street, Eveleth, Minnesota

Prepared by: Alan L. Maki for Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice
For general distribution (2 pages)

Date: April 15, 2003


Janet Johnson is a lifelong resident of Eveleth, Minnesota. Janet Johnson, a single mother with two children is being foreclosed on, as the result of a real-estate swindle. People in this small Iron Range community are angry and outraged at this injustice.

This foreclosure has captured the attention of Iron Rangers because Janet Johnson’s story reflects almost every single problem plaguing the Iron Range, often referred to as the Appalachia of the North--- mines closing, the lack of a decent health care system, chronic unemployment, parasitic real-estate speculators feeding on peoples’ financial troubles.

Janet Johnson’s father, Tomi, built the home she now lives in. As a lifelong iron-ore miner Tomi built this house after work and on weekends over a twenty-year period as he could afford materials.

Tomi got pancreatic cancer and died. A short while later wife Shirley, who was a maternity ward nurse, was stricken with the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease. No estate papers or will had been made out. Janet had been living with her parents off and on, sometimes out of economic necessity, but later to take care of her parents. Tomi and Shirley just took it for granted that Janet and her two children would have the home to live in.

Then the hospital and nursing home began demanding thousands of dollars for payment of Shirley’s care and demanded the home be sold to cover medical expenses.

Janet began searching for a way to keep her home. She had no credit. No bank would help her. She came across a realtor, Ken Hilde, from Northern Lakes Reality. Hilde was very sympathetic towards Janet and her problems, or so it seemed. He told Janet of Douglas Ahlgren Sr., a wealthy man who would help her.

Hilde arranged for Ahlgren to hold a Contract for Deed at ten percent interest while regular lending institutions were charging less than 7%. After running a credit check, both Hilde and Ahlgren knew that Janet Johnson would never be able to meet the terms of the “Contract for Deed”. They knew they would be getting a $50,000.00 home back for less than $23,000.00.

Illegal, unethical, and predatory lending practices take place when the lender knows the buyer has no chance of paying but makes the loan anyways because they will eventually take back the home. It was only a matter of time that Ahlgren, given Janet’s very limited income and low-paying poverty level wage jobs on the Range, would take possession of Janet’s house under the terms of this agreement.

Janet struggled working a couple different jobs, sometimes two jobs--- 16 to 18 hours a day, five and six days a week--- for three years!

With no job and a weekly unemployment check of less than $150.00 a week combined with $94.00 a month in food stamps, Janet can barely buy food for her family, let alone pay the monthly home payments. Ahlgren, as planned, is foreclosing.

I contacted Douglas Ahlgren Sr. and told him that our organization would negotiate to buy the contract but would need until September to raise the money. Ahlgren’s response was, “Its my house. I want it back now. I told Janet what she had to do to get her life in order so she could pay me. She wouldn’t take my advice. I’m not the welfare department. Come June 1st that house is mine to sell.”

What is needed:

• State Legislation: to end foreclosures and evictions against unemployed people.

• State Legislation: that prevents these kinds of predatory swindles.

• Federal Legislation: National Health Care base upon the Canadian System.

• Community Activity: Fundraising to purchase Contract for Deed

• Promote awareness of this problem--- please copy and distribute widely

• Please sign the Petition to stop this foreclosure.


Consider this:
Welfare will provide Janet Johnson with money for rent to pay a landlord.

Something to think about:
Wouldn’t it make more sense for welfare to help people keep their own home?

Isn’t helping a family save their own home part of defending family values?

Our organization cannot stop this foreclosure alone. This will take all of us working together.

It is time for all of us to get together to "stand up, fight back," in the words of Paul Wellstone.

For further information contact: Alan L. Maki
Phone: 218-386-2432
E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

You can contact Janet Johnson by phone: 218-744-2034
Or stop by her home and chat: 1001 Jones Street, Eveleth, MN
Or by e-mail: flowerladi1@hotmail.com





May 28, 2003

Douglas Sr. and Mary Ahlgren,

I have been in contact with the Minnesota Attorney General and Bill Maxwell from Legal Aid.

Based upon my conversations with them and other law enforcement authorities the “Contract for Deed” you hold on my home is null and void because it constitutes loan sharking and predatory lending practices.

I will be filing a lawsuit against you based upon the following document that is still being worked on.

Any further harassment by you will increase the damages I seek.

Should you, or anyone working for, step foot on my property at 1001 Jones Street I will seek to have you prosecuted to the full extent of the law for criminal trespass.

Furthermore, if you engage in any court activity regarding this matter you are required to inform the court of this pending action and the issues involved or you will be guilty of knowingly filing false documents with the court, which carry severe penalties including fines and imprisonment.

You knew you were breaking the law in the way you “loaned” me money.

Again, I state, I will be seeking full prosecution of the two of you and Ken Hilde and Victor Lager.

As you are aware, the Minnesota Attorney General and various law enforcement agencies are presently investigating your loan sharking activities and predatory lending practices.

Please keep all communications with me in writing. I do not want you or any of your partners in crime on my property or calling my home.

If you have any questions about anything please feel free to contact Mr. Prentiss Cox at the Minnesota Attorney General’s office or the Minnesota Highway Patrol Organized Crime Unit in St. Paul, MN.

Sincerely,




Janet A. Johnson

Please see attachment

Cc: Prentiss Cox, Manager, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
Bill Maxwell
Minnesota Highway Patrol, Organized Crime Unit
Victor Lager
Ken Hilde




Letter to U.S. Congressman James Oberstar who did nothing:

April 9, 2003
Congressman Oberstar and Staff,

This letter is being written as the result of my conversation this morning (4/9/03) with Melody in your Washington office, Leanne and Jackie Morris in your Duluth office. As suggested I am sending a copy to Peter Makowski in your Chisholm office which I am told handles these matters on the Range. As this matter is very urgent do to a foreclosure at hand, I expect that this will be handled in an appropriate manner given the circumstances.

Below is the letter our organization is circulating concerning the injustice of the foreclosure proceedings against Janet Johnson and her two children who reside in Eveleth, Minnesota, the area you represent.

I have been traveling throughout Minnesota the last six weeks or so concerning the Governor's Budget Cuts and the issue of the War in Iraq.

In my travels I have come upon an issue which apparently is not being addressed at any level of government. It is that of foreclosures and evictions of unemployed working people, which, I can tell you based upon my travels are proceeding at an alarming rate all across this state.

I would like to meet with you, Congressman Oberstar, at your earliest convenience, during the Congressional Recess.

I would like to meet with you and your staff on the Range, preferably in Eveleth and at the home of Janet Johnson, to insure the full impact of this tragedy and injustice... this foreclosure which will leave this family homeless is not just an "issue"... but so you see for yourself it involves living, breathing human beings. Quite frankly, it is one of those situations where we can't simply throw our hands up, shake our heads, and say, "this is terrible, I sympathize, but what can I do?" As a community we have allowed this injustice to happen... as a community, we must solve this problem together. It will take the efforts of all of us. This is not Janet Johnson's problem to solve alone. We, as a society "own" this problem, and the injustice.

Our organization, Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice, is going to do everything possible to make sure everyone in Minnesota knows about this injustice. We are counting on you to help us find a solution that enables Janet Johnson and her children to continue living in their home. Make no mistake, this is their home.

I look forward to working on resolving this problem with you and your staff,

Sincerely Yours,

Alan L. Maki




This letter went unanswered:

April 10, 2003
Brother Stan Daniels, USWA Lobbyist,

I was referred to you by Brother Gene Skraba of the United Steelworkers’ of America Regional Office in Eveleth, Minnesota regarding this matter of a foreclosure in Eveleth, Minnesota. The following letters explain the situation.

In the last six weeks I have been to over 40 cities in Minnesota working in behalf of Minnesotans for Peace and Social Justice discussing the Governor’s budget cuts and the terrible consequences for working people, combined with the devastating consequences of the war in Iraq. Our government bombs maternity wards in Iraq yet cry poverty when it comes to funding national health care here in the United States. Our Government bombs peoples’ homes in Iraq while our own working people face foreclosures and evictions. And US construction companies plan to make megabucks rebuilding it all. All at the expense of the needs of working people right here in Minnesota.

The issue of foreclosures and evictions against unemployed Minnesotans is one that can no longer be ignored. And more often then not, the issues of unemployment and health care--- or more appropriately--- lack of health care, are becoming ever increasingly linked to foreclosures and evictions as working people become trapped in a web spun by parasites waiting to feast as tragedy strikes. The problem Janet Johnson and her two children face is something we must take action on now.

There can be no excuses that we have an uncaring, insensitive, Republican Governor with a nice smile and a Republican President whose actions are so anti-human it defies finding the right words to describe him.

The problem--- the injustice--- you are about to read about needs to be addressed in short order.

Your help is needed.

Sincerely,

Alan L. Maki





Some good news!!!!!!!

In response to a request from Minnesota State Senator, David Tomassoni--- Ken Peterson of the Minnesota Attorney General's Office called me today and said he has begun an investigation into the foreclosure proceedings now in progress against Janet Johnson and her children. He said he could make no promises, but he promised a thorough investigation.

We cannot let up the pressure now.

As you probably know, the media on the Iron Range has still refused to cover this important issue. Why would they want to protect these "predatory lenders?"
We now need to inform the general population on the Range to the facts in this case. At the same time we need to inform people across the state.

I am attaching a press release and ask that you forward it, together with this letter--- to everyone you can think of. If you want to attach your own note encouraging people to become involved this would be appreciated.
What we need right now:

We need to get at least 16,000 leaflets printed someplace. 6,000 for distribution across the Iron Range and another 10,000 for the huge rally on Saturday May 17 in St. Paul against the Governor's budget cuts. Do you know of a union or other organization willing to print these leaflets, or at least a portion of them? Please let me know immediately. Does your organization have photocopy equipment? How about we bring the paper, you do the copying?

Janet Johnson will be in St. Paul for the rally. I encourage you to meet her.
Also, now is the time to hit the road with this issue big time. Everyone can set something up in their homes or even sit in the park. If you can arrange for me to speak in your community, in your home, or someone's home let me know. I will go anyplace in Minnesota. Whether there are 3 or 30 people makes no difference. This is the kind of grassroots campaign that requires pressure from the ground up. People need the information so they can take action and get other people involved. Please, take the time to have a friend or two or three over so we can get things really moving.

June 3rd is the date of foreclosure. I urge you to consider the consequences of inaction. How would you feel if this was you, losing your home--- under these circumstances?

We still need a lawyer to work pro bono on this. Surely there has to be a lawyer someplace in Minnesota that will take this on.

Many people have become involved in the struggle against this foreclosure. We appreciate everything people have done... from inviting us to sit around their kitchen tables to distributing leaflets, to e-mailing the info to friends and elected officials. We have sat in McDonalds in International Falls discussing this, homes in Warroad, Bemidji, Virginia, Gilbert, St. Cloud, Cook, Orr, Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah, Cass Lake, Hibbing, Baudette, Roseau, Thief River Falls, Duluth. People from Alex and the Cities have helped. We've talked to union presidents and miners on lunch break, city workers on break, and people working in gas stations. People standing on bridges fishing and people walking their dogs. Workers in casinos and waitresses in bars. People in churches and people waiting in line at the bank. At meetings, rallies, demonstrations, and with people picketing.

We have developed quite a little movement over the past 6 weeks. We still have a long way to go. Our objective is to stop this foreclosure and put the ownership of this home into its rightful owners--- Janet Johnson and her children.

We also want to make sure we do what we can so that no other working-class family will ever have to go through this again. So, we have side by side with the issue of foreclosure, raised the need for a Canadian style health care system, an end to poverty wages in this state, and legislation making it a serious crime to engage in "predatory lending practices."

Please take the time to thank Minnesota State Senator David Tomassoni (DFL): sen.david.tomassoni@senate.mn

Also, Minnesota State Representative Tom Rukavina (DFL) has been a tremendous help: rep.tom.rukavina@@house.mn

When you thank them, let them know their help is still needed.
Please begin to e-mail other legislators. Simply forward this letter to them and ask: What are you going to do?

The miners on the Iron Range and their union locals have also helped in many different ways, as have many AFSME members along with peace and social justice activists. We have networked on this.

Your letters, e-mails and phone calls have helped create tremendous awareness. Public officials tell me they have received e-mails from other countries even, including Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and of course Finland!

I can't stress this point enough: this is an emergency situation. As such emergency action is needed. This injustice must be stopped!!!!!!

We have followed up on every suggestion made to us.

We appreciate your help... now we are asking for a lot more help these next few weeks.

Together we can stop this foreclosure and try to make sure this kind of thing never happens again in Minnesota.

Thanks.
Yours in the struggle,
Alan

***************************************
Alan L. Maki

58891 County Road 13
Warroad, Minnesota 56763-9012

Phone: 218-386-2432

I look forward to hearing from you