News to me, yet still interesting and pertinent. A group in Miami, Florida, Take Back the Land, is

putting those without homes into newly foreclosed properties. The group searches out empty

government buildings and newly foreclosed homes and then after evaluating the home's

condition (they make sure it has running water and electricity) the family in need is

moved in. Neighbors near the property are notified of the move ahead of time.

Everyone's story is different, some have been homeless while others move back into

the house they were just evicted from. The group's motivation comes from their belief

in housing as a human right and claims this right should supersede the right of a

corporation to make a profit. These acts are illegal, and the media emphasizes this

very clearly, though Max Rameau (head of the organization) states that legality is

not always in-line with what is moral - citing the Jim Crow laws that inflicted the

black population up until the 70's. These actions come at a time when 1 in 9 homes

lay empty and Take Back the Land is taking direct action instead of waiting for the

government to fix the problem or for the market to rebound. Looking back at our

history, this story is a familiar one, during the Great Depression people organized

in similar ways in reaction to evictions, responding by collectively, as a

neighborhood, moving those evicted immediately back into their home. There is a great

passage from A People's History of the United States that illustrates this (top of

394). As a Realtor what do you think is the right thing to do? What is your

first inclination - then what is your moral inclination? What could be done as an

alternative, enabling people to stay in their homes legally? Should the government

play a part or should this be left to the market? I would really like to hear your comments

Tim Holborn

Staff writer

Humboltd State Student .

(please visit the links and browse the organization's site and media links)