"Move On" Protesters Move Down Dublin Streets

Protesters were out in force today near the Bank of America on Dublin Boulevard.

The protest started at 11 a.m. and was led by the group Move On. The demonstrators were joined by supporters from Unite Here, the Clean Money Campaign and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

About 20 demonstrators stood on the corners around the intersection of Dublin Boulevard and Amador Plaza Road carrying signs and chanting. Vehicles passing by honked in response.

Mary Linton, a resident of San Ramon, speaking on behalf of Move On, says they are out in Dublin today representing the “broad umbrella of the 99 percent issues.”

“The whole economy is in a mess,” she said. “We are calling on Obama to put pressure on lenders to negotiate in good faith to keep homeowners in their homes.”

Linton says Bank of America was the focus of the protest due to their entaglements with predatory lending practices.

Matt Seegert, of Unite Here representing employees at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, says he was joining in the protest to show support to the Move On movement.

“We are out here to support all the issues because we believe all of the issues are connected,” said Seegert.

According to Seegert, Castlewood Country Club employees, including janitors, housekeepers and food and beverage servers, have been of their jobs for almost two years due to a contract dispute over health care. The matter has recently been heard by the and a determination on the matter will be made in May.

Jamie Tucker Chromy, of Danville, is a homeowner trying to save her home from foreclosure. She was protesting because she said she is a victim of predatory lending practices.

“When we bought our house in 2006, we put $300,000 down on a home valued at one-and-half million dollars,” she said. “We pay over $14,000 annually in taxes and now our home value is down to one million. They put us in an interest-only loan and we can’t get a refinance. We have three kids. Two of them are special needs.”

Chromy says she has filed suit against Wells Fargo and have been called names and threatened by the bank during the process.

Real estate broker Carol Pacheco attended the protest as a representative of her industry.

“Banks take hundreds of thousands less on short sales,” she commented. “Why not do that and keep homeowners in their homes?”