Joe Woods Takes Back His Home After Being Evicted

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Submitted by R. Barnabas / Take Back The Land Rochester on Mon, 2015-09-14 22:43

Joe Woods Takes Back His Home

Video produced by R-IMC videographer R. Barnabas.

Joe Woods Takes Back His Home After Being Evicted

On Tuesday August 4, at 10:15am Joe Woods publicly announced at a press conference that he has returned to his Rochester, NY home from which his family was evicted on June 17. Woods did not repurchase the home, instead he was moved back in with help from Take Back the Land Rochester, the organization which initially helped him defend against the eviction. Woods, Take Back the Land Rochester, and his neighbors are preparing to defend the home against a possible second eviction. The home is located at 394 Webster Ave.

After attempts to renegotiate the mortgage were stonewalled by MidFirst Bank, Joe Woods made headlines by defending his home from eviction twice with help from neighbors and Take Back the Land Rochester. On September 13, 2013 MidFirst Bank and Rochester police backed down from an eviction attempt after public protests. However, on June 17, 2015 Rochester police executed the eviction with 2 dozen or so police, arresting seven people, including Joe Woods' 20 year old daughter. After the daughter (who was not protesting) was illegally arrested, she was held for ransom as a bargaining chip in negotiations to coerce Mr. Woods to leave his home. Rochester police promised Mr. Woods that if he left his home, his daughter would be released. Charges against three of those arrested have been dropped, while four cases ended with ACDs, pleading guilty to violations, and/or community service hours. The Woods family had been dispersed to couches of friends and family while living in exile from their house. They're back.