Foreclosure Demonstrations Have Begun in Ramona

Ramona Forum, a nonprofit liberal progressive group, held a demonstration outside Bank of America on Main Street Friday, and members say they plan to be there every Friday until the bank makes a commitment to stop foreclosing on Ramona homeowners.

“At what point will our town begin to look like a movie set for The Grapes of Wrath?” asked Ron Selkovitch, a founding member of Ramona Forum in a news release.  “We can no longer justify the high rate of foreclosure with negative assumptions about those being evicted. What we are seeing now is the loss of homes of families that worked hard all their lives and played by the rules,” said Selkovitch.

The group has estimated that since 2007, approximately 360 families in Ramona have lost their homes to foreclosure, with 140 more currently pending. They base their estimates on Internet research. (Ramona Patch will verify and get the latest figures.)

Another founding member, A. Duttaahmed, stated in the news release, “We do not need any more of our good residents made homeless when alternatives are available through honest negotiation. We are asking the banks to step up to a shared responsibility in our community, and stop foreclosing in Ramona, when profitable alternatives are available.” 

The Ramona Forum was formed in 2004 in opposition to the Iraq war, the news release states.

The demonstrations will be staged in front of the Bank of America in Ramona every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m..

“When Bank of America makes the commitment to stop foreclosing, we will move our demonstrations to Chase Bank and demand the same," said Ramona Forum President Dave Patterson.