Alleged squatters leave home then bolt from questions
PORTLAND, Ore. - For the past nine months a group of people has taken over the home of a 66-year-old school teacher and Portland police say they're part of a radical arm of the Occupy Movement.
The house is in the 6100 block of North Mississippi.
Last August the homeowner, Gloria Johnson, got a letter from her bank saying she had three months to get out, but that letter was bogus and she now wonders if the people living in her home were the ones who sent it.
"It (the letter) said they were selling the property, and I had three months to evacuate," Johnson said.
Johnson moved out immediately and a few months later she discovered the bank didn’t send that letter but there were already new people living in her house.
Police went to the home Thursday morning to serve a warrant. Within an hour the first of three people who were living in the home, rent free, came out.
"It was like they planned this," said Johnson. "They just sat down and methodically planned how they were going to take advantage of someone else."
Two men who came out of the house denied to a reporter they sent the bank letter.
One woman said she had been living in the house for four months and also denied she knew anything about the letter.
Four months ago, the woman, Kerry Cunneen, was arrested for squatting in a home on North Minnesota.
Police said inside that home they found anarchist materials, literature on how to pick a lock and addresses of other vacant homes.
Officers at Thursday's scene said they recognized the people as serial squatters who have been targeting homes across Portland.
Inside Johnson's home, police said they found evidence that the group is keeping its eyes on other homes, noting when lights are off and when people are home and when they are gone. The alleged serial squatters didn’t want to talk about that either.
Johnson said she came back to her home months ago and another man who was squatting here told her the bank did take the house and that they were living here and making repairs for a property management company.
According to Bank of America, it never mailed an eviction letter, and KATU News found property records showing the home is still in Gloria Johnson's name.
KATU News reporter Meghan Kalkstein contributed to this report.
Good questions and reporting! The hostility toward the press is transparent, as is the reluctance to provide an explanation for manipulating/defrauding this elderly woman. Some serious discussion about the ethics, or lack thereof, is in order.
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If I broke into Kitzhabers house, They would not simply call me a "squatter" and make me leave. Why aren't these thieves being charged with B&E and trespass?  Odds are they are either wannabe anarchists,liberals or progressives. Just check their literature. I feel sorry for the little dog, it's the only thing worth saving.
Occupiers do not bathe
 @stinger139 So, the homeless don't bathe...your point?--that perhaps they're not human?...or at least as human as WE are??
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This is an example of why some (A)narchists revile the mainstream. "We here are all alike--and if any among us is different, let them be with others!"
 @stinger139 I didn't say they did....lol
Look at the bright side, at least they could bathe.
 @deejm2112 Could that have to do with municipalities padlocking restrooms then complaining when the homeless urinate & defecate on City Hall? Yep, it's exactly what's happening as we speak in Olympia.
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So, on the day when SCOTUS hand down its long-awaited, landmark decision on the mandated health insurance law (No, it's not "Obamacare", any more than social security is "Roosevelt Retirement"), the FINE news staff at KATU chooses to lead off its evening news with this? Sounds to me like somebody has friends in editorial offices. This is what our television news is reduced to? Trying to embarrass and ridicule homeless people for being homeless?
"I just have to look good; I don't have to be clear!" (Don Henley: "Dirty Laundry")
'Nuff said!
The address of this property is clearly visible in the video,. I just called my mortgage broker.  Katu must really have their "facts" screwed up. The house (6104 N Mississippi) has a short sale on it. The house has a lockbox so a Realtor can show it. It is highly unlikely any squatter has been living in that house with Realtors coming and going. Â
 @Tyler Van Pelt Things change. What was the house like last month? Who was living there then?
 @Tyler Van Pelt This is addressed in the updated story - as is prior mugshots of your buddies. Â
 @Tyler Van Pelt http://www.katu.com/news/local/Moving-day-for-squatters-but-where-will-they-go-next-160916635.html
 @Tyler Van Pelt So the dood carrying the dog came from where?
Some neighbors need to go over there with some baseball bats, old school style.
There is more to this story than what being told. She would not have moved if she wasn't behind on payments or had quit making payments. Obviously payments haven't been madesince last year. Also, what about the utilities? Wouldn't the city shut the water off for non-payment?
This is not Mrs. Johnson's fault. She may have been a little gullible but that is the extent of this on her end. Whether the people they found in this house are the original people that duped her, who knows, but they absolutely knew the house wasn't theirs. The police were there just to forcibly evict the squatters. Finally if the people found inside are known to the PPB as occutards, they so be it, they are occupy portland. It's shocking how many people are willing to dismiss the wrongdoing of these squatters all the in name of occupy portland. Hopefully portland police arrest them after their investigation is done, not that will matter to these people.
 @Caspertoo it's shocking how many people are willing to dismiss the work of occupy portland all in the name of poor journalism.
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 @ciara doyle  @Caspertoo America manages by crisis and habit--very little critical thinking.
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 @HarryJuku Have you NOT heard of the inconsistencies pointed out by Ciara Doyle, Tyler Van Pelt and Ruthie Benjamin? Think twice before you go off happily scapegoating!
Seems to me, this is a typical news "story".... made up for ratings. Reporters running down the street, what a joke. "Gloria's Realtor is having the locks changed right now",,,, Why does Gloria have a Realtor if she was under the assumption the bank had taken ownership of her home? Johnson moved out nine months ago and squatters moved right in.....in my option, those squatters were very clean for the last nine months, the inside of her living room likes pretty clean to me, not to mention Ms Johnson's furniture/books/area rugs seems well cared for. Not really sure why Katu needs to point out the age of this woman but at 66 she must be getting a bit demented, why else would she believe she was being evicted? Plus, where did this story come from??? Katu is there at the home, cameras rolling as the police arrive.....did Gloria call them with this story? Also, "the police told Katu the squatters are part of the O P movement", I think not, law enforcement agents don't normally go around making assumptions. Breaking and entering is illegal, people normally get arrested for things like that, but this group just walked out the door, past the police and down the street.Â
So what gives Katu? would the real truth of this story be a bit boring and not good "news"? Â
 @Tyler Van Pelt Sounds like you are pretty supportive of occupy portland. You are forgetting one important thing, they duped the home owner to leave her house and they stole it for 3 months. Whether or not the cops had enough to arrest them for it is a totally different story. The police know a lot of people who were in downtown squatting in the parks and I'm sure they have a running list of them to compare to these deadbeats. Stop supporting con artists tyler.Â
 @Caspertoo Trust me, I am NOT for or support occupy Portland. You must have missed my point totally. Point= Typical Journalism=not factual. Today's journalism is more drama based than true news based. One can't not believe everything you read. Once had a friend put it like this "If you don't read the news, you are not informed. if you do read the news then you are misinformed"Â
@Tyler Van Pelt @Tyler You may be right, this was the story I was thinking about. Same bank
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http://www.katu.com/news/local/134177198.html
 @Greg11  @Tyler you have your stories mixed up....Occupy did take or try to take a home back...this is about squatters not reclaiming a foreclosed home
@Tyler Van Pelt @Caspertoo This story originated a few months ago when the Occupiers made a big deal about home foreclosures and that they were taking this hhome back from the bank to make a statement
When Sammy's Kids are squatters the landlords have to clean up after them. Who pays for that? Sammy should pay for that, he's the one that encourage's this type of behavoir. Six more months and Sammy can really be their leader.
Is that what all the lawn signs the reporters seem to have missed were all about then??? Â Hey Thom I will go by and take a picture for you:)
I think they should be allowed squatters rights - in jail! What a buch of low lifes.
Nice!!
This is way out of line to pronounce that these squatters are part of the Occupy movement. Â On what basis? Â By the "evidence" found in the house? Â This area is notorious for squatters and Portland is packed full of homeless people who can't even rest peacefully in a safe place because of lack of resources. Â Please speak up and explain why you are targeting the Occupy movement. Â In reading another article on the same thing (which did not mentione Occupy), it stated that the police have been called several times to remove people from the very same house. Â Shame on you for accusing with no factual basis.
 @Ruthie Benjamin I'm guessing they identified the people in the house and cross referenced that to known occupy portland people that they had contact with downtown. It's not exactly rocket science. The story didn't show the inside, perhaps there were tons of occupy portland pamphlets. How about shame on you for trying to support people that would con a elderly teacher out of her house. It amazes me how far people will go to support occupy portland, totally disregarding the rights of others in doing so.
 @Caspertoo  @Ruthie Benjamin It might be crass, but could the senior citizen owner be disingenuous? Perhaps she wishes to avoid a deficiency judgment or gutting the terms of her short sale agreement w/the bank?
 @Caspertoo i've got a few mormon pamphlets lying around my house from canvassers....i'm not mormon.
 @Caspertoo have you been to an occupy portland meeting or event lately? i suggest you come to a spokes council or general assembly and get to know the community before you assume anything. or you can turn of katu and turn into www.opdxlive.org to see what the movement really looks like on the inside.
 @Rob Banks  @cpt.iceman Some (A)narchist argue (fairly effectively) the state should not be permitted to have a monopoly on force.
 @cpt.iceman *sigh* I HEAR that! These young people are being manipulated. And violent resistance can be cast in seductive terms. Check out submedia.tv (the stimulator, etc.) or (A)rguments for Violent Resistance by searching onÂ
amicuscuria.com/wordpress.
 @cpt.iceman You mean like the U.S. government or the Portland Police Bureau?  Both of those groups rely on violence to get their point across.  But of course, the cognitive dissonance required to avoid that fact leads you to blaming people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder for the problems in society.  Sad and disgusting all at the same time.  Congrats!
I saw all I needed to see when they distoryed the parks at the tune of 1.5 million to fix. No thank you, I can NOT stand People who use violence/vandelism to get thier point accross.
 @Ruthie Benjamin The occupy movement has been very vocal in their willingness to "occupy" homes that are not theirs. Do you really believe that it is that far of a stretch to bet these people were camped out in a couple of parks a while ago?
ok, I normailly avoid the comments section like the plague. but this story has got to go. how did a radical arm of the occupy movement send a letter to Gloria last August? I don't remember Occupy Portland rallying until October 6th. If Bank of America claims they never mailed an eviction letter, then who exactly is selling the home? Why is there a ReMax sign in the yard? Has anyone called ReMax to ask why they are in the business of trying to sell a home that isn't for sale?
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I am not saying whether the people in the house were in the right or in the wrong to be in that home, I don't know them, or know their story -- but, why are we trusting Bank of America's word? Last I heard they were big fat gambling no good liers when it came to home foreclosures.
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KATU, this is just shameful and embarrassing reporting.
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I feel sorry for Gloria, and my heart goes out to her and hope that she finds the support that she needs from her community in times like this.
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@ciara doyle She's a lot more likely to find that support from the Occupy Portland community, than she is from those on the Portland Police force. Interesting how the propaganda demonizes those most likely to help her!
 @Jess E. Hadden  @ciara Help from the occupy portland people? Strange, did occupy Portland help clean up the parks? Did they give one dime to help restore the parks to prior to their occupation? Seems to me when she had proof the house was in her name, she got the police to forcibly evict the people inside.Â
Then what about the damage to Private Property? Or how about the people that could not get to work to suport thier families? What about the Damage to the PUBLIC Property - the parks? I know people who could not goto work for over 1 week cause of the damage to thier shops and people could not get to work. Also if it's so Piecefull then why do I see alot of People who HIDE thier Faces behind Mask's or Bandana's? But yet the Tea Party is demonized. The tea party has had 0 Damages and leave the grounds cleaner then when they got there. Also They have allways gottin the Permits to Protest. No Illegal Protesting or holding up traffic or Damaging property.
 @Caspertoo actually, yes, occupy portland had a parks fund. we collected money to donate to the parks. we also rallied together and volunteered to clean up the parks. also, some folks have been organizing clean ups all over town. just recently some occupy portlanders organized a clean up at mt. scott.Â
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if only the news would report THOSE FACTS ^, you'd know....
@Caspertoo @Jess E. Hadden @ciara Actually Casper when the parks department had a day to rake leaves in Chapman and Lownsdale the only people who showed up to help were Occupy Portland.Â
This is not Occupy Portland, and to say it is, is blatant propaganda. PPB must be getting pretty desperate, what with all of the cases in court not going their way, and all of those Federal investigations into their excessive use of force...
 @Jess E. Hadden How is this PPBs fault?
@Just_a_guy Because Portland Police lied to KATU, implicating Occupy?
I don't know if I would move out of my house on the strength of one letter. I'd investigate further.
 @Philip Marlowe I have to agree. If you pay your bills every month why should you think your behind in your mortgage. This person was a teacher so they should have a good education, why would the person just move?
 @MFMFIM She might have been behind in a payment. Maybe whoever sent the letter had stolen her mail and knew she was behind. Some people just blindly accept things without questioning. Please don't make the teacher the villain in this story.