Activists are asking the public to attend a rally outside the Springfield courthouse where a multi-million dollar bank's lawyers will try to evict a low-income man from his home. The rally will be on March 4 at 8:30 a.m. outside the Western Housing Court at 37 Elm Street.

After a brief rally, the protesters will put on buttons saying “Mel Watt: Suspend Evictions Now” and will attend the trial. Watt is director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which controls the government-funded mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Watt was appointed by President Obama in December 2013.

The trial is to decide whether Fannie Mae can evict Jeff Solivan from his home at 32-34 Edgemont Street in Springfield. Solivan lost his job and is surviving on Social Security, Malcolm Chu told the Valley Post on March 1. Chu is an organizer with the group that is organizing the rally. The group has a web site at www.SpringfieldNoOneLeaves.org.

Chu's group has organized a number of rallies in Springfield in recent years, including one in 2011 attended by hundreds of people. At that rally, 15 people were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience at Bank of America. Photos are at:

www.valleypost.org/2011/11/21/15-activists-arrested-springfield

“Jeff will be homeless if Fannie Mae evicts him from his home,” Chu said. “We want Fannie Mae to allow him to pay rent that he can afford and keep living in his home.”