Recently I attended the first weekly foreclosure vigil in Petaluma. Some 30 people came together to share their deeply personal experiences with the crisis, and set a course for future actions to fight Wall Street’s shadow banking. The experiences varied from being on the brink of eviction, to having lost neighbors to eviction, to holding underwater mortgages and watching property values (retirement nest eggs) evaporate.

In the video from that day, I shared my own experience of the foreclosure and eviction of my mother’s home when I was 17. I had already lost my father to a tragic murder in the fall of 1988, followed by the foreclosure of my step-mom’s home when my mother and brother were in a horrific accident that almost took their lives. That period of my life was about building resilience. We must continue building resilience in our neighborhoods so we can demand justice for our communities.

A recent audit of foreclosures in San Francisco revealed that 85% involved legal violations and 99% involved questionable documentation. These practices are making refinancing and loan modification near impossible. This cannot stand. We will be meeting with County Recorders throughout the state to share these issues and propose solutions to reversing this crisis.

Send someone to DC who understands the struggle of the 99% and has the resolve to take on the tough fights. Please make a contribution today of $25, $50, or the most you can afford.

I am running an historic campaign to become the 9th Latina elected to U.S. Congress in our nation’s history. I am writing about this incredible journey in an Ebook that will be published in May. My Struggle for Justice explores my early political roots, my experience in public life, and the realities of running for office within a corrupt system. The 2012 elections present our country with a choice to embrace our heritage of a liberal democracy utilizing our constitutional republic or move ever faster towards a corporatocracy. This is our struggle. Click here to pre-order my Ebook ($14.95).